CHARACTERISTICS OF MODERN ECCLESIASTICAL ARCHITECTURE IN NIGERIA: A CASE STUDY OF SOME SELECTED CHURCH BUILDINGS

As each epochal period of ecclesiastical architecture manifested its own characteristics to exhibit its own time, this study investigated the characteristics of modern ecclesiastical architecture in Nigerian between 1980 and 2010 with a view to identifying how the previous epochal period transformed to the period under study. The study area was Lagos State in Nigeria because of a number of reasons. The area pioneered the emergence and development of ecclesiastical architecture in Nigerian and arguably the cradle of Christian evolution and growth in Nigeria. It is one of the Christian religious cities in the world having a long history of Independent African Churches. Since this study is historical in nature qualitative research methods were adopted to gather data and also for the analysis. Three Church facilities were selected for this study through random sampling spread across the study area. The study discovered that the period was characterized by high increase in church building stock, functionality and simplicity inspired the designs, creative open floor plans were adopted, materials usage was honest as they were not hidden, roofs had bold lines, windows were primarily for ventilation and lighting and established materials were blended with new materials and new technologies. It noted that there was a departure from the characteristics of the early period in Nigeria. The study concluded that this outcome could form a basis for assessing the characteristics of the future epoch