A Liturgical Examination of Lighting and Lighting Elements in Religious Buildings from the Middle Ages to the Present

Abstract

There have been different historical processes in the use of lighting. It started with a fire in the Paleolithic Period and continued until the Modern Age with lighting elements such as torches, candles, and kerosene. The differences in this process are related to the change in sociological needs and often stem from the form. Especially in the lighting of religious buildings, sociological needs, symbolic narratives, and liturgy were the main elements of differences until the modern age. This research investigates the various forms that lighting elements have taken throughout history, based on different functions, from the Middle Ages to the present. These forms are examined in terms of their liturgical meanings based on their intended use, as well as their requirement for effective symbolic expression in lighting elements as part of the mission they undertake in religious buildings.