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Religious Architecture
Throughout the history of the world's monotheistic religions, the followers
have built structures and monuments to enhance the rituals and ceremonies of
worship. Some of these structures are very simple and others have, as the worship
became more complex, developed into styles of religious architecture that are
so familiar today. For example, today's Gothic cathedrals are easily identified
as part of the Christian tradition. Of course, these styles have borrowed from
the past, selected parts of older styles such as the classical Greek and Roman,
and even sometimes simply converted older structures to fit a new religion.
Divide students into groups and assign one of the following groups of structures or monuments. Ask students to research the structures and to find a picture of each that they can print from the internet or copy from a book. Students should cut poster board into "pages" to create a viewbook to hold their pictures, leaving enough room on each page to accommodate an informative caption about each picture.
Create a cover for the viewbook. On the last page of the book, students should include a paragraph or two discussing the similarities and differences that seem to emerge from their pictures. Books should be shared and students should be available to answer questions about their work.
|
Christian
|
Islamic
|
Jewish
|
Hindu
|
Buddhist
|
| >National
Cathedral, Washington D.C. >Notre Dame, Paris, France >Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem >St. Peter's Basilica, Rome |
>Blue Mosque,
Istanbul >The Kaaba, Mecca, Saudi Arabia >The Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem >Taj Mahal, Agra, India |
>The Wailing
Wall, Jerusalem >Touro Synagogue, Rhode Island >Beth Sholom Synagogue, Elkins Park, PA |
>Angkor
Wat, Cambodia >Temple Complex, Kanchipuram, India >Meenakshi Temple, Madurai, India |
>The Potala,
Lhasa, Tibet >Dalada Maligawa, The Temple of the Tooth, Kandy, Sri Lanka >Raja Maha Vihara, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka |
Note: Of course, students should be encouraged to include more structures than those on these lists or to substitute similar buildings. For example, a Vermont village church should probably be added to the Christian list.
For older students this lesson might be adapted to include using the yellow pages to find structures and monuments related to these world religions in the student's city. Students then would go to the site to photograph the structures and to visit the inside if that is appropriate. Photos could then be collected in a view book similar to the one above.
Resources Note: These are wonderful Web sites for the buildings listed above. The photos are well done on almost every one, and students may look at more photos than just their own. The first listing for "sacred sites" is especially good and has several of the buildings in one stop.
http://www.sacredsites.com/1st30/potala.html
http://www.anthroarcheart.org/tblm58.htm
http://www.elore.com/el04ho01.html
http://www.cathedral.org/cathedral/discover/index.shtml
http://www.madurai.com/gallery.htm
http://www.shakti.clara.net/photos/ph6.html
http://www.tamil.net/people/yuvaraj/rel.html
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/sinhala/sacri.htm
http://www.liveindia.com/tajmahal
http://www.tourosynagogue.org/
Judaism
A Life Apart: Hasidism in America
http://www.pbs.org/alifeapart/
Remembering the Holocaust
http://www.pbs.org/holocaust/
Heritage: Civilization and the Jews
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/heritage/
NOVA: Lost Tribes of Israel
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/israel/
Shtetl
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shtetl/
Islam
Islam: Empire of Faith
http://www.pbs.org/islam/
Vis a Vis
http://www.pbs.org/visavis/
Adventure Divas: Iran
http://www.pbs.org/adventuredivas/iran/
Christianity
John Paul II: The Millennial Pope
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/pope/
From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/
American Prophet: The Story of Joseph Smith
http://www.pbs.org/americanprophet/
Trail of Hope: The Story of the Mormon Trail
http://www.pbs.org/trailofhope/
Hindu
Adventure Divas: India
http://www.pbs.org/adventuredivas/india/
Buddhism
Dreams of Tibet
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/tibet/
Middle East Issues
Via Dolorosa
http://www.pbs.org/viadolorosa/
Promises
http://www.pbs.org/pov/promises/
General
Religion and Ethics Newsweekly
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/
Genesis: A Living Conversation with Bill Moyers
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/genesis/
Don't miss this program airing in March! Check your local listings for the most accurate air date and time.
Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth
Joseph Campbell, who died in November 1987, was one of the world's foremost
authorities on mythology. During the last two summers of his life, journalist
Bill Moyers interviewed him at filmmaker George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch in Northern
California. The final episode, conducted a few months before Campbell's death,
was filmed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
Religion and Ethics Newsweekly
This program provides insightful coverage of the rich world of religion and
ethics news — offering meaningful and compelling features and profiles of the
people, trends, values and spiritual life that exist behind the headlines. Through
live reports from the show's studios in Washington, DC, and taped reports from
the field, the program offers a mix of top news and important stories affecting
the world's broad religious landscape, as well as the challenges raised by difficult
ethical issues. Newsmakers, scholars and historians offer perspectives and analysis
of significant events affecting the faith community, while personal profiles
explore the different ways people express their faith.
Robert Mirabal: Music from a Painted Cave
Native American flutist Robert Mirabal performs his own powerful, evocative
music that is, at once, both ancient and modern. His melodies spring from the
lively and haunting chants of his Native American ancestors, but are spun and
painted with a contemporary brush. Nationally known drumming legend, Ken Aronoff,
friend and one of Mirabal's influences, is a guest musician. The costumes, dancing
and chanting add a spectacular and colorful visual look to accompany the music.
The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God
This portrait of 200 years of Shaker life is guided by the recollections of
three of the then remaining shakers and others. They tell a fascinating story
of the rise and inevitable decline of a religious group whose influence extended
beyond its numbers. The program features archival materials, gathered from more
than 40 collections around the country, that detail every aspect of the sect
that produced some of the greatest architecture and furniture in American history.
David McCullough narrates.
