The most generally accepted shape for Christian churches is the
oblong, in imitation of a ship. By giving their churches such a shape,
Christians express the thought that, as a ship, under the direction of a good
helmsman, carries men through stormy seas into a peaceful harbor, so the
Church, governed by Christ, saves men from drowning in the deep waters of sin
and brings them into the Kingdom of Heaven, “where there is neither sorrow nor
sighing.” Churches are frequently built in the shape of a cross, to show that
Christians obtain salvation through faith in Christ crucified, for Whose sake they themselves are ready to suffer all things.
Sometimes a church is given the shape of a circle in token that the Church of Christ (i.e.,
the community of those who believe in Christ) shall exist through all eternity
and that it will for ever and ever unite the faithful with Christ, for the
circle is the emblem of eternity. Sometimes, again, the shape is that of an
octagon, — the shape of a star — in token that, as a star shows a man his way on
a dark night, so the Church helps him to walk along the path of righteousness
amid the darkness of iniquity which encompasses him. The latter two shapes are
not so often used, as they are inconvenient for the inner arrangement of the
church.
The entrance into a church is almost always from the west, the
church itself being turned with its main part towards the east, in token that
the Christian worshippers enter from the darkness of impiety into the light of
truth (the East being the symbol of light, good, truth; while the West is the
symbol of darkness, evil, error). This rule is departed from only if a building
formerly erected for another purpose is changed into a church, or if a church
is arranged in a private house, when the entrance and the main portion are
located according to convenience.
On the roof there are usually one or several cupolas (towers with
rounded or pointed roofs), signifying that Christians should detach themselves
from earthly attachments and aspire heavenward. These cupolas are sometimes
called crests or summits. One crest or cupola signifies that the community of
Christians has only one head — Christ; three cupolas are erected in honor of
the Most-Holy Trinity; five point to Christ and the four Evangelists, who left
for us descriptions of Christ’s life; while seven indicate the seven sacraments
(through which we receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit), and the seven
Ecumenical Councils, by the ordinances of which Christians are guided to this
day; nine crests remind us of the nine classes of angels who dwell in Heaven,
whom Christians wish to join in the Kingdom of Heaven, while thirteen crests
signify Christ and His twelve Apostles. Every cupola, or, where there is none,
the roof, is surmounted with a Cross, the instrument of our salvation.