Orientation of Churches

Under Ostung refers to the orientation of a church building to the east. Related is also the term orientation (originally, east exposure, 'as Orient from Latin oriens, the east ', ' morning ', present participle of oriri, ,, rise, rise '; actually sol oriens, Rising Sun '). This has especially in early Christian and medieval churches (see Romanesque, Gothic ) importance.

Description

Large medieval church vessels often have the shape of a cross with a longitudinal and a ( more or less frequently) transverse axes. As it is said of Christ Oriens orientium universe obtinet and the sunrise was a symbol of resurrection, the longitudinal axes of the churches were aligned afterwards. The choir with the altar is therefore generally in the East, the main entrance to either the west or north or south. In the early Christian basilicas in Rome, however, is the front of the church to the east and the apse in the west. Since the sun does not rise every day at the same place, some churches are always faces east to the rising point of a particular day out. At St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna as it is December 26, 1137 (the day of the patronal feast of Saints in the year of commencement ).

In addition to the alignment at sunrise - and thus at the symbolic resurrection - the easternmost of this orientation to the Heavenly Jerusalem or in the place of paradise was common in Southern and Western European churches.

Already in the Middle Ages but also urban planning considerations played a role, which could lead to modifications of this scheme ( for example, when the church building was integrated into a military stronghold ). During the Renaissance and especially Baroque arrived in Europe a tendency occasionally to build churches as central buildings in which no direction is preferred and the Ostung loses its meaning.

Another result of the urban orientation was the access to the church. For example, the Ostung favor of " Westung " abandoned in the construction of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Access via the Tiber bridge, the Ponte S. Angelo, and from there through the Borgo Santo Spiritu from east to west almost forced the Westung.

The Jewish Temple in Jerusalem was oriented as other ancient Near Eastern temple vice versa: The main entrance was on the east, the Holy of Holies in the west.

A Ostung is also common at the funeral: In burials, the dead are buried on many cemeteries so that their faces look east in the direction. There, in the east await the dead in the Christian view on Judgment Day the second coming, the second coming of Jesus Christ.