Comparative review of ideal layouts in Han Buddhist and Catholic monasteries

Abstract

ABSTRACT In recent years, the comparison of spatial layouts has gradually become a central issue for scholars to focus on in their comparative reviews of Eastern and Western religious spaces. For the first time, two ideal plans, namely, Illustrated Scripture of Jetavana Vihara of Sravasti in Central India (667) and the Plan of St. Gall (816), are compared side by side in this article. This research integrates architectural history and architectural design theory to examine the characteristics of the two ideal plans. Establishing a comparison basis of the two plans through plan restoration and diagram analysis are fundamental to understanding the peculiarities and generation background of Han Buddhist and Catholic monasteries. This study highlights that the onion structure adopted by both plans distinguish sacredness from secularness. The boundary between the sacred and the secular serves as a bridge that links the two worlds from material and spiritual aspects. Furthermore, the central worship route and independent internal routes guarantee that multiple functions can exist and be performed simultaneously in both monasteries. According to these observations from both plans, the pursuit of independent and self-sufficient life modes is the key to understanding such a layout. This study not only establishes an in-depth understanding of the layout structure of the spatial prototypes in Eastern and Western monastic spaces, but also provides inspiration and guidance for the spatial structure of religious spaces for future development.