Exploration of the Predominant Determinants of Ecclesiastical Architecture in Nigeria

As ecclesiastical architecture transformed from one style to another, a number of factors were identified to have influenced their development and many studies argued that one determinant or the other should predominate. Among these determinants five of them that influenced the development of ecclesiastical architecture in Nigeria were explored. These determining factors were classified as Existing Building Materials and Current Architectural Style, Basic Theology and liturgy, Free Expression of Styles and the Knowledge of the “Masters”, Moving with Time Like Evangelical Way, and finally Church Building is Heresy and Apostasy. As this study is theoretical and historical in nature, qualitative methods were employed to gather the data and the data were analyzed by description. This study found out that all these determinants were prevalent at different times during the three phases of the development of ecclesiastical architecture in Nigeria. Two or more of these factors were identified determinants during the same phase. This study concluded that no particular factor predominated throughout the three phases of ecclesiastical architecture in Nigeri