Transept
A rectangular space inserted between the apse and nave in the
early Christian basilica. It sprang from the need of procuring
sufficient space for the increased number of clergy and for the
proper celebration of the service. The length of the rectangle
either equals the entire breadth of the nave, as in Santa Maria
Maggiore and Santa Croce at Rome, or it exceeds this breadth more
or less, so that the transept extends beyond the walls of the
nave. The transept, though, is not peculiar to the Roman basilica,
as was for a long time believed; it is also to be found in the
churches of Asia Minor, as at Sagalassos. Beside this first form,
in which the apse was directly united with the transept, there
were to be found in Asia Minor and Sicily, even in the early era,
a number of churches of a second form. These were formerly
considered to belong to the medieval period, because they were not
fully developed until the Middle Ages. This is the cross-shaped or
cruciform church, over the origin of which a violent literary
controversy raged for a long time. In the cruciform design the
transept is organically developed from the structure. It contains
three squares which in height and breadth correspond to that of
the main nave. Beyond the central square, called the bay, and
connected with it is a fourth square, the choir, and beyond, and
connected with the choir, is the apse; in this way the cruciform
shape of the church is produced. The transept generally terminates
towards the north and south in a straight line. Still there are a
number of churches, especially in Germany, that end in a
semicircular or triple conch shape. Strzygowski thinks he has
found the model of this style of structure in the Roman imperial
palace; this form of transept is found in as early a church as
that of the Virgin at Bethlehem erected by Constantine. A
favourite method in the Romanesque style was to construct small
apses opening into the transept to the right and left of the
choir. In the churches of the Cistercians and of the mendicant
orders these small apses were transformed at a later date into
numerous chapels, as at Santa Croce at Florence. the prototype of
this design can also be proved to have existed in the East and the
districts under its influence. The doubling of the transept,
however, seems to have been peculiar to Western architecture; this
type of transept appeared both in the Romanesque and in the Gothic
periods, although the manner of producing it varied greatly. Many
Romanesque churches are constructed at the west end the same as at
the east, that is, the west end also contains a transept and
choir. The earliest known church with this double transept is the
eighth-century church of St-Riquier at Centula in France. The
style was also adopted in the church of St. Pantaleon at Cologne
(981), and almost at the same time by Mittelzell on the island of
Reichenau in Lake Constance, and in many other churches. The west
transept disappeared in Gothic architecture, excepting that in
England some of the great cathedrals have a second, short transept
added to the east choir, as at Salisbury. Gothic architecture also
emphasized the choir by giving it in the large cathedrals three
aisles; in this way very beautiful vistas are produced. In the
effort to gain large, well-lighted spaces the architecture of the
Renaissance and the Baroque periods enlarged the transept and
covered the bay with a cupola which caused the transept to
dominate the entire structure.
BEDA KLEINSCHMIDT
Transcribed by Michael C. Tinkler
From the Catholic Encyclopedia, copyright � 1913 by the
Encyclopedia Press, Inc. Electronic version copyright � 1996 by
New Advent, Inc., P.O. Box 281096, Denver, Colorado, USA, 80228.
(
[email protected]) Taken from the New Advent Web Page
(www.knight.org/advent).
This article is part of the Catholic Encyclopedia Project, an
effort aimed at placing the entire Catholic Encyclopedia 1913
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