Church Architectural Styles

Definition and Meaning

Church architectural styles are the period and regional forms evident in the floor plan, exterior, and ornamentation of a house of worship (church building). The arrangement of a building reveals what a congregation places at the center of its worship. For example, the altar may occupy the central place, or the pulpit may. For this reason, the subject is also examined from the perspectives of ecclesiology and liturgical theology.

Biblical and Historical Background

The Old Testament tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem are portrayed as holy spaces that manifested the presence of God (Exodus 40:34-35). The early church did not erect buildings of its own but gathered in the homes of believers, in synagogues, and in similar places (Romans 16:5).

In the fourth century, under Emperor Constantine, Christianity received legal recognition. Thereafter, the long, rectangular basilica, modeled on Roman public assembly halls, became the basic form of the church building. In the Middle Ages the Romanesque style, characterized by thick walls and rounded arches, came into use. From around the twelfth century the Gothic style, characterized by pointed arches, high ceilings, and stained glass, spread widely.

After the Reformation, Protestant churches, emphasizing the proclamation of the Word, tended to shift the focal point of the building from the altar to the pulpit. In the Reformed tradition in particular, simple houses of worship with little imagery or ornamentation became common.

Practice in Korean Churches

In the early missionary period, both hanok (traditional Korean-style) churches and Western-style brick churches were built. Representative examples include the following:

• Bethel Chapel of Chungdong First Methodist Church: A red-brick, Gothic-style building completed in 1897.
• Ganghwa Anglican Church (Anglican Church of Korea): Consecrated in 1900, it is known for combining a basilica plan with hanok architecture.
• Geumsan Church in Gimje: A house of worship built in an L shape (resembling the Korean letter ㄱ) to accommodate the custom of the time, under which men and women sat separately.

The focal point of the worship space differs by denomination. The Anglican Church of Korea has preserved comparatively well a liturgical space centered on the altar for the Eucharist. Many Protestant churches, including Presbyterian and Methodist churches, place the pulpit at the front and center. Baptist churches sometimes include a baptistery within the sanctuary.

During the period of church growth from the 1970s onward, red brick, spires and bell towers, and illuminated crosses became the typical exterior features of Korean churches. Auditorium-style sanctuaries that accommodate large numbers of people also became more common, particularly among megachurches. Some value these trends for their practicality and capacity, while others point to the burden of construction costs and the uniformity of church exteriors.