Peristyle

The peristyle (Greek περίστυλον peristylon; Latin Peristylium ) is in the ancient architecture, a rectangular courtyard, which on all sides by continuous porticoes ( colonnade ) is surrounded. The Greek word is made up of peri " around " and stylos "pillar" together and actually means " the pillars of cloaked ". Occasionally, only the surrounding porticoes are totum pro parte also called a peristyle.

Hellenistic architecture

The peristyle was developed as a building type in Greek and Hellenistic architecture and occurs since the 5th century BC. It combines the idea of the courtyard with the Stoa ( portico ). The cobbled courtyard has a rectangular or square in shape and is surrounded on all four sides of uniformly designed buildings, which open with colonnades towards the courtyard. The rear sides of adjacent Hofhallen can either further parts of the building or an exterior wall. Peristyle can be built on two levels, the upstairs resulting approach then has a smaller column position with retracted parapets. The peristyle is often a key component of the stately residential building ( for example, in the palaces on the acropolis of Pergamon ) and the colonnades connected directly to another representative spaces such as the Andron.

Roman Architecture

In the course of the 2nd century BC the peristyle was incorporated into the Roman architecture and developed the so-called Gartenperistyl. The traditional Italic town house ( domus ) had in the back of the house a walled garden ( hortus ), which has now been transformed increasingly looking like a Greek peristyle at more representative houses. On the yard area an ornamental garden was preferred created, the sight of the adjacent dining rooms could be enjoyed (eg triclinia ) from. Also in the luxurious villas ( villae urbanae ) of the Roman upper classes in the country the peristyle was an important component. Many villas owned several Peristyle considerable size, of which then often as a Gartenperistyl, often equipped with ponds and fountains, and a paved peristyle were created as in the living area (example: Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum ). The Roman architectural theorist Vitruvius recommended for the villa, the sequence of input, peristyle and atrium in the center axis of the building, while the city hall, the reverse sequence was common in lies the atrium at the entrance and the peristyle in the rear, private area of the house.

Christian religious architecture

In the early Christian basilica, the atrium surrounding the porticoes are also called peristyle courtyard itself as the atrium (see Narthex ). The terms are consistent with the ancient architectural designs of the same name match only partially. The Hofhallen were generally performed as arcades ( arcades ).

Image examples

Roman peristyle, representation from the 19th century ( John William Waterhouse )

Little Peristyle at the Getty Museum, reconstructed after the model of the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum

Peristyle of the Imperial Palace of Diocletian in Split

Peristyle in the early Christian St. Peter's Basilica ( predecessor of St. Peter's Basilica )

See also

• Atrium
• Patio