At the Origins of Western Architecture
At the Origins of Western Architecture
Learning to read our monuments with an architectural historian
Dear readers,
because a civilization is embodied in its monuments, I wanted to talk to you about classical Western architecture, which is the architectural style inspired by Greco-Roman antiquity and found in the cities of Europe and North America. This architecture has become an important element of Western identity: for example, in our collective imagination, a facade with a colonnade symbolizes an institutional building like a courthouse or a town hall.
I will base this paper on the work of John Summerson, a British historian and author of The Classical Language of Architecture, who describes the classical style as “the Latin of Western architecture.” This book, for example, taught me the origin of architectural elements we regularly encounter in Europe and its offsprings, such as the column.
The Origins of the Classical Style
This style has its roots in Greek temple architecture and in the religious, military, and civil architecture of the Romans. Although it was born in Greece, it re-emerged in Europe during the Renaissance, after the Gothic centuries and their great cathedrals (from the 12th to the 15th centuries). It was during this period, marked by a renewed interest in the achievements of antiquity, that classical Western architecture was formalized.
Alberti, Palladio, and Serlio, Italian architects of the 16th century, wrote architectural treatises drawing on the work of Vitruvius, the famous Roman architect. For John Summerson, these treatises became “the architectural bible of the Western world.” The classical style logically first appeared in Italy and then spread throughout Europe and to the United States over the following centuries.
The Orders: Foundations of the Classical Style
Classical architecture is distinguished by its pursuit of harmony and symmetry. In two words: order and beauty. It uses columns and pediments, inspired by Greek and Roman temples. This approach aims to create buildings that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing, where each element contributes to the whole with grace and balance.
The fundamental element of classical architecture is its Orders. An Order defines the style and proportions of the columns. These are rigorously calculated according to precise ratios, such as the relationship between the height and width of a column.
There are 5 Orders: 3 Greek (Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian) and 2 Roman (Tuscan and Composite). The Roman architect Vitruvius described them in the 1st century B.C. in his De Architectura, and Italian architects rediscovered them during the Renaissance. Let’s briefly describe them:
The Tuscan Order is stocky, almost primitive. It is inspired by Etruscan temples (a pre-Roman civilization of the Italian peninsula).
The Doric Order is the oldest of the Greek Orders. Simple and severe, it is used for important buildings like the famous Parthenon in Athens. For Vitruvius, it is the most masculine order, with proportions inspired by the male body: "The Greeks measured a man's foot, and finding that it was one-eighth of his height, they applied this proportion to their columns: whatever the diameter of the column at its base, they gave the shaft, including the capital, a height eight times that diameter."
The Ionic Order, very slender, is recognizable by the capitals of the columns adorned with volutes (the famous scrolls that top the column).
The Corinthian Order, tall and very elaborate, is distinguished by its capital with acanthus leaves, a Mediterranean flower. For Vitruvius, it is the most feminine order. The height of a Corinthian column, more slender than the Doric column, should be ten times the diameter of the column’s shaft. It appeared in Athens in the 4th century B.C.
The Composite Order, created by the Romans, combines an Ionic base, a Doric column shaft, and an Ionic or Corinthian capital.
Serlio, a Renaissance Italian architect, recommended using the Orders according to the building's purpose: the Doric Order should be used for churches dedicated to male saints (Saint Paul, Saint Peter), the Ionic Order for female saints and scholars, and the sturdy Tuscan Order for fortifications and prisons. Serlio had a strong influence in France: for John Summerson, “French architects owe almost everything to Serlio and his treatise.”
Some buildings combine several Orders, like the Invalides in Paris, built in the 17th century. The facade is composed of three Orders: Doric on the ground floor, Corinthian on the first floor, and Composite on the top floor.
The architecture of the West
Many iconic buildings of the Western world are built according to the rules of classical architecture.
Let’s start with the United States and the facade of Wall Street. With its pediment and Corinthian columns, it resembles an ancient temple. Its architecture is inspired by the Pantheon in Rome and the Maison Carrée in Nîmes.
When the United States built its grand institutional buildings, classical architecture naturally imposed itself. The founders of the young democracy wanted to create a strong link with democratic ancient Greece and republican Rome: they did so through architecture. For example, the famous Capitol in Washington (the name itself refers to the Capitol Hill in Rome), with its columns, pediment, and dome inspired by the Pantheon in Rome, is a pure example of classical architecture.
In France, the most famous classical monuments are the Pantheon, the Colonnade of the Louvre, and the Church of La Madeleine. I particularly appreciate the latter, which is like a homage to Greek temples in the heart of Paris. It is a perfect example of the classical style: admire the proportions and the superb Corinthian columns.
Knowing How to Read a Classical Monument
To fully appreciate a classical building, John Summerson invites us to analyze the distinct nuances of grace and grandeur offered by Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns. The triangular pediments and sculpted friezes add decorative and narrative elements, often inspired by mythology and history.
These Orders continue to inspire and symbolize the values of rationality and beauty at the heart of Western civilization. The next time you pass by a classical monument, examine its columns and try to guess the Order. These shapes, which have survived the centuries, were handed down to us by the Greeks and Romans.
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To understand what we owe to Athens and Rome beyond architecture, I recommend this paper:
