ON THE ORIENTATION OF EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCHES IN PRÆFECTURA ILLYRICUM

Abstract

We measure the orientation of 297 early Christian churches (mainly in the Eastern Illyricum) by remote

sensing (i.e. Google Earth). Of this, we select a subset of 194 churches that do not seem restricted in their

placement by their surroundings, and conclude that 98% of them point within the solar sunrise arc. The

mean orientation is towards the equinox sunrise, although the concept of equinox seems ambiguous. Even if

there is some circumstantial evidence, there seems to be no accepted custom of orientation based on the date

of foundation, on the sunrise on the patron saint’s feast, or towards the sunrise on major feasts.