Research on the Evolution of the Architectural Style of Catholic Church in Europe from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance

Abstract

Architects and artists in the Renaissance believed that Gothic architecture was a symbol of Christian theocracy, while ancient Greek and Roman architecture was non Christian. With the impact of humanism and Protestantism on Catholicism during the Renaissance and Reformation, the architectural style of the Catholic Church changed dramatically. From 1500 to 1700, the style of the church also changed from the original Gothic style and the Latin cross to the Greek cross, and even integrated the Baroque style. From the perspective of the time axis, this paper mainly adopts the method of literature analysis, combined with the social background, the evolution of artistic style and other factors, trying to explain and analyze the changes in the architectural style of the Catholic Church during this period. After analyzing the historical trend of Catholicism and the literature at that time, it is not difficult to find that the pursuit of humanism in the Renaissance, the change in the style of the mainstream of art, and the anti-Renaissance movement directly affected the change in the style of the Catholic Church, becoming more secular and popular; this change also reflected the spirit of Florence and other places where the Renaissance originated at that time.