Beschreibung:
F. Bache : The Funerary Function of the Narthex in Byzantine Churches of the 12th to the 1 4th centuries. Churches without narthexes have been built in all periods. However, when present, a narthex should not be considered as an addition, like a chapel. With the naos and the hema it represents an essential element of a Byzantine church. Unlike funerary chapels, which were specialized, the narthex’s funerary purpose was only one of its functions. As a place of burial, it was reserved for the great churchmen and some laymen, such as founders and benefactors. Funerary preparations and commemorations of the dead also took place in the narthex. Texts which mention narthexes, however, provide great diversity of details concerning their function.