Cruciform - Cruciform Architectural Plan

Cruciform Architectural Plan

This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross, with arms of equal length or, later, a cross-in-square plan, more like a square. In the Western churches it usually, though not exclusively, means a church built with the layout developed in Gothic architecture comprising:

• An east end, containing an altar and often with an elaborate, decorated window, through which light will shine in the early part of the day.
• A west end, which sometimes contains a baptismal font, being a large decorated bowl, in which water can be firstly, blessed (dedicated to the use and purposes of God) and then used for baptism.
• North and south transepts, being "arms" of the cross and often containing rooms for gathering, small side chapels, or in many cases other necessities such as an organ and toilets.
• The crossing, which in later designs often was under a tower or dome.

In churches that are not oriented with the altar at the geographical east end, it is usual to refer to the altar end as "liturgical east" and so forth.

Another example of ancient cruciform architecture can be found in Herod's temple, the second Jewish temple.