A reflection on religious monuments and their implements in relation to their faith and use of prayer. This reflection uses the Jewish, Islamic and Christian religions as study examples of medieval times.
Soldar Sacer, as well as profane religion, is sacred, the cradle of the priest, the intertwined reality of faith and the profane. It is in cathedrals, churches, temples, synagogues and mosques that we connect the priest and the profanus, the home of prayers. Among the variety of religions and customs, it brings a gathering of sacred sectors, each with its own dedicated artistic and architectural composition, and its own apparatus for communicating and praising the pious. The sectors are genuinely constructed with their grooves and tiles contributing to an aesthetic yet pious, of which they are a symbol of their faith.
The nave, which was the main body of the church, constituted the central point of the main altar that was reserved for the clergy and extended from the entrance to the presbytery, which developed from the apse that was flanked by the lower lateral naves. This architectural design resulted in the development of the Gothic Christian Abbey, the Romanesque, and the Cathedral Basilica. The Saint-Denis Abbey Church is considered the first known Gothic structure in which Christians were able to worship. While Hagia Sophia was a former Orthodox basilica church and later became an imperial mosque. Before Hagia Sophia became a mosque, it was a church dedicated to the wisdom of God, the logos, and the second person of the holy trinity. This structure since its inception has undergone some changes ranging from being the first church, to the second and third churches to eventually becoming a mosque, and today it is a museum.
Synagogue is a derived Hebrew word that means meeting house. It is a dwelling place for prayer and gathered discussions. The five books of Moses are practiced in Judaism, the Torah, and the Jewish Bible. They pray in front of Jerusalem and the structure of the synagogue is oriented to this, since it is the final connection between priest and profane. Especially synagogues, like the Capernaum Synagogue (4th century BC) you can see three portals. These three entry points may refer to earlier liturgical divisions of the three destroyed courtyards of the Jerusalem temple. In the religion of Judaism, God is not figurative and yet this notion is false because the district synagogues have shown great artistic talent. For example, in the Dura-Eurpus synagogue, a well-preserved Roman garrison between the Romans and the Sassan imperialists, one will find the niche of the Torah. The division of these designs provides a seven-branched candelabrum, the Menorah, an emblem of continuous Jewish art. The number seven symbolizes perfection and completion and represents the command to sanctify the seventh day as indicated in the Torah. The continuous narration is also seen, of a chronological story against the wall painting of the life of Moses (239 AD). The screen has two images of Moses, one turning his rod towards the Red Sea while the other Moses leading the Israelites through The entire notion of a continuous narrative has to do with the visual belief of how to exemplify the relationship between God and humanity. Christians worship in churches, while Jews worship in synagogues, as a meeting point between the sacred and the profane, and between the profane and the priest. Inside a synagogue, the western wall is easy to find, as it usually has a Torah niche, which guides those who pray toward Jerusalem.
The architecture of the medieval Jewish synagogue differed from place to place, absorbing the aesthetic architecture of the Christian or Muslim countries where Jews resided. Unlike the Christian church, whose cruciform design symbolizes the crucifixion of Christ, the synagogue lacked an architectural design that was a symbolic determinant.
Within the synagogue, certain mandatory architectural elements served liturgical purposes. Placed in the center of the synagogue was a raised platform on which the Torah scroll was read, and it was also called bimah among Ashkenazi Jews and among Sephardic Jews it was called tebah.
The architectural importance of the bimah reflected the meaning of the Torah within Jewish rituals. The Torah scrolls were stored in the Holy Ark which means the Ark of the Covenant, which was known as aron ha-kodesh among Ashkenazis and hekhal among Sephardic Jews. The position of the ark is such that those in front of it pray facing Jerusalem. Before the 6th century, the ark was kept in a side room and was out of sight from which it was separated by a curtain. During the Middle Ages, the Holy Ark was fixed in the center of the eastern wall of the synagogue, which overlooked Jerusalem. The scrolls were lined up in a standing position for the congregation to view in the open air of the ark. In turn, the ark, which was richly decorated with lions, was a symbol of Judah and the tables of the 10 commandments. As seen, the curtain referred to as parokhet covered the Holy Ark according to Scripture (Exodus 40:21). In this way, the aron ha-kodesh symbolizes the Jewish tabernacle that was built while the Israelites wandered in the desert. The eastern wall must have a semicircular apse and the entrance door must be through the western wall opposite the apse.
The prehistoric priestly obligation to keep a candle burning to burn eternally before the Lord (cf. Lev. 24: 4) was also transferred to the eternal light, which hung in front of the ark and was continually lit. The candlesticks of eternal light were made of silver, bronze or gold, depending on the wealth of the community, and symbolized the enlightened spirituality of the Torah. In addition, the synagogue had another desirable feature, the window. To keep the faith in Daniel 6:11, the prophets’ place of prayer had a window. During prayers in the synagogue, the parochet is used to cover the ark of the Torah, which holds the Torah scrolls inside the synagogue. In several synagogues, the parochet is worn throughout the year and replaced on holidays.
The Dome of the Rock, a shrine located on the Temple Mount within the Old City of Jerusalem, is considered one of the oldest Islamic architectural works, the significance of which of the site originates from religious traditions, which are of great value to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. Christians view the location of the dome as holy because of the role the temple played in the life of Jesus Christ.
To be oriented towards Mecca for prayers, one would use the mihrab. The mihrab appears to have been a more recent version of the Torah niche and the apse. Due to the requirement that a person be disconnected from the profane space immediately around him, the need for a prayer mat was created. Similarly, the Torah scrolls of the medieval Ashkenazi world are read on the bimah or a raised platform, which is located in the center. All seats face the Holy Ark (aron). Furthermore, the aron is one of the numerous successors to the niche of the Torah, where the scrolls are stored.
In conclusion, it can be said that the art and architecture of medieval Jews, Christians and Muslims were constantly shaped by the demands and dogmas of their respective religious beliefs. To varying degrees, Christian, Muslim, and Jewish artists and architects adopted the artistic, aesthetic, and architectural legacies they derived from ancient Roman, Hellenistic, Persian, and other cultures. Furthermore, the direct cultural contacts of Jews, Muslims and Christians manifested themselves in their respective material cultural productions in various ways. People during medieval times easily adopted and adapted the artistic techniques of others to create their own. It was not uncommon for Muslim and Christian kings to have artists from different religious communities working for them. All three communities used religious artistic symbols in art and architecture for controversial reasons.