Southern Illinois Carbondale Expression in St Louis Architecture Essay

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12 page paper 12 point DBL spaced APA style , cover-sheet , 10 10 pages body and reference page . The paper going to on any architecture in St Louis , Moissouri.

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Running head: EXPRESSION IN ARCHITECTURE

Expression in architecture

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EXPRESSION IN ARCHITECTURE

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Table of contents

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 3
Historical background ..................................................................................................................... 3
Architectural features on Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis ........................................................... 4
Features of byzantine architecture on the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis.............................. 4
Romanesque features on Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis ....................................................... 6
Victorian architecture design on ............................................................................................... 10
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 11

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Expression in architecture
Introduction
St Louis, Missouri is blessed to be one of the cities endowed with many designs of
ancient architecture. A trek through this city will certainly help one notice the many designs of
buildings as influenced by various architectural designs and frameworks. St Louis is home to
many skyscrapers, most of which were built in the 19th century (Kienzle, 2018). The city also
boasts of the longest arch in the U.S., the Getaway Arch. The most common type of design of
architecture in St Louis are the Byzantine and Romanesque architectural designs. One of the best
buildings that display a true piece of artwork is the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, which
employs the use of both of these ancient architectural designs (Kienzle, 2018). This building was
completed in 1914 and has many unique features to challenge viewers into appreciating ancient
architectural designs. This report offers a detailed extrapolation of the architectural features and
designs used in the making of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis.
Historical background
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis is a Roman Catholic Church. It was named after
Saint Louis and was built to replace an earlier Cathedral of St. Louis. The church planning was
done under the command of Archbishop Richard P. Kenrick. The church was built through a
fundraising organized by Kenrick, and the church was later built under the leadership of John J.
Kain. The church construction began in 1907 and was finished in 1914 (Kienzle, 2018). The
church is known for its appeal to racial harmony depicted by a sculpture in front of the basilica.
The church is also renowned for its mosaic artifacts, which have made it iconic. A modernist
architect Wenceslaus Sarmiento, a renowned artist, built the church. It is worth noting that
Thomas P. Barnett was the chief design engineer.

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Architectural features on Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis
Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis is a unique architectural structure because it employs
the architectural features of various architectural designs, which makes it stunning and unique. It
is worth noting that the structure has features of byzantine architecture, Romanesque
architecture, and even Victorian architecture (Kienzle, 2018). The architect strategically
combined these architectural designs to present a strong and beautiful structure.
Features of byzantine architecture on the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis
One guiding feature of byzantine architecture that is utilized by the architect in this
structure is the use of domes. The architect strategically uses three domes on the structure and
balances them such that the two exterior domes are smaller and literally invisible from those
approaching the structure (Sharoff & Zbaren, 2010). He, however, uses a bigger dome at the
center of the structure. It is worth noting that with the use of every dome, the architect had to use
four pendentives, which act like pillars and add stability to the structure (Kienzle, 2018). As
such, although the architect used the dome for scenery, it was also used to add reinforcement to
the raised mass of the church. It was thus a very wise idea to use the domes as part of the
architectural design. The use of the three domes thus helps the architect to add twelve strong
pillars to support the structure.
Apart from that, the use of the apse throughout the top part of the structure is another
important byzantine architectural feature. The apse refers to the semi-circular linking of the main
building materials to form a strong roof. The architect also uses the apse at the start and end of
the nave, which gives the top part of the building an appealing view. The apse comes hand in
hand with the nave of the structure, which is the central most raised column from the entrance of
the church running parallel to the aisle to the altar. The nave is characteristic to the byzantine

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architecture because it utilizes the apse as the main form of joining on the upper part of the
building. The clerestory is another important byzantine feature evident in the cathedral. This
refers to the high rising walls that go beyond the roof level and enable in forming the apse and
the nave. The use of the clerestory in byzantine architecture is also accompanied with the use of
many windows in the walls of the structure to enable for penetration of light. The use of many
windows along the clerestory serves three main purposes when used on byzantine buildings.
Firstly, it helps to make the clerestory strong considering that windows come with strong
supporting pillars. The windows also serve the purpose of letting in light and air. Another
importance of the use of windows on the clerestory is beauty. The symmetry brought about by
the use of windows and other structures along the clerestory make the structure beautiful as it
eliminates redundancy when glancing over the massive structure.
Another major architectural feature of the byzantine architecture that is used in this
cathedral is the Greek cross plan. It is worth noting that the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis has
a cross like plan, which is usually called the Greek cross. This cross is characteristic of all
byzantine buildings and is a defining feature of byzantine architecture. It is worth noting that the
Greek cross is particularly popular among Christian churches built using the byzantine
architectural design. The cross is reminiscent of the death of Christ on the cross. It is a popular
byzantine church style.
Towering interior spaces is another major characteristic of byzantine architectural design
as applied in the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. The towering interior spaces are usually
covered with vaults formed due to the formation of the apse. The vaults and towering interior
spaces have been used for mosaics and beautiful hanging decorations respectively. The vaults of

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Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis are spectacular because of the unique mosaics that have filled
every inch of the upper part of the church.
Another key guiding feature of byzantine architecture that is notable of this building is
curved or arched window and door structures. The byzantine architecture is characterized with
conspicuous and arch shaped entrances. The entrances are usually depicted to be protruding from
the main building, which helps users to locate the entrance easily. The arch shaped door structure
is replicated for the windows and other joining areas to bring out a beautiful pattern of the
rounded windows and spaces. The top, more outward lintel of the door has a triangular shape,
which is also characteristic of most byzantine architectures. It is worth noting that all the
windows of the structure have a curved outline at the top. The outer triangular-shaped lintel
blends with the inner circular-shaped lintel to bring a true blend of shapes. The curved nature of
the windows helps to make the build...


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