2. Overview
Early Christian architecture (313 -800 AD)
Byzantine Architecture(330-1453 AD and later)
[Constantine 272 – 337 AD, Justanian I
482 – 565]
Muslim Architecture (7th century onward)
Romanesque Architecture (12th to 16th century)
Gothic Architecture (12th to 16th century)
Renaissance Architecture (15th to 19th century)
Modern Architecture (20th century onwards)
3. Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the
Byzantine Empire, also known as the Later Roman or
Eastern Roman Empire. This terminology is used by
modern historians because the medieval Roman Empire
evolved as a distinct artistic and cultural entity. This new
empire had its center on the new capital of Constantinople
rather than the city of Rome. The empire endured for more
than a millennium, dramatically influencing Medieval
architecture throughout Europe and the Near East, and
becoming the primary progenitor of the Renaissance and
Ottoman architectural traditions that followed after its
collapse.
[progenitor – ancestral heritage or lineage]
4. But approaching any
work of Byzantine
architecture outside
of its deep connection
to religion gives us an
incomplete picture of
this tradition. While
the Byzantines were
the heirs of the
Roman Empire, they
turned away from the
gods of antiquity to
embrace Christianity
5. Christianity became the
official religion of the
Empire, and faith would
help maintain the
authority and prominence
of Constantinople
Much of Byzantine
architecture was created to
express religious
experience and mediate
between the believer and
God.
6. Taken in its architectural
context, the iconography
of the mosaics and
frescoes shows the
believer within scenes of
the Old Testament and the
lives of Christ and Mary
Mother of God.
[iconography – images
and symbols that are
associated with a person
or subject.]
7. In 330 AD, Constantine the Great transferred the
capital of the Roman Empire to the city of
Byzantion on the shores of the Bosporus. During
the early Byzantine period (330-700), the Empire
included Eastern Europe, the Roman Near East,
Egypt and portions of North Africa.
Byzantine world would soon extend into areas of
Russia, which were never before Romanized.
Constantinople remained as the geographic and
symbolic centre of this cultural and political
sphere until its conquest and collapse in 1453.
9. S. Apollinare In Classe -
Ravenna
The characteristic
nave, side aisles, apse
and clerestory
windows are all
clearly evident.
10. S. Apollinare In Classe -
Ravenna
The exterior
similarly reveals
the basilica style,
though this is a
building less
grand and
imposing than the
Basilica of
Constantine in
Rome.
11. Central Plan Churches
Sta. Constanza in Rome (350 AD), the mausoleum for
Constantine’s daughter, provided a model for Christian
architects who sought to use the more perfect form of the
circle in their designs, without the massive drum of the
Pantheon.
Curiously, the idea originated in Roman bath houses.
13. Sta. Constanza – Rome
Note the annular
vaulting of the
surrounding aisle.
14. S. Vitale - Ravenna
Circular, central
plan churches
were very difficult
to build.
Octagons
supporting domes
became a popular
and simpler to
construct
alternative.
16. S. Vitale - Ravenna
Note how a series of
large supporting piers
rises to support the
dome.
Gone is the
Pantheon’s great drum
and windowless walls.
17. S. Vitale - Ravenna
Around the central
space run side aisles,
beyond the flanking
pillars, which gives
additional space in a
similar fashion to that
of a basilica design.
18. S. Vitale - Ravenna
The austere
brick exterior
belied an
incredibly
ornate
interior of
veined
marble and
intricate
mosaics.
19. Emperor Justinian
In the 6th century, the Emperor Justinian embarked on
an ambitious building programme.
He vastly enlarged the empire, but also decided to
build the most magnificent building on the planet.
His capital was packed with subject people from all
around his vast empire – brand new people with
enormous skills.
25. Building Domes
Arthemius and
Isodorus’ soloution
was revolutionary.
They used triangular
transition features
from four massive
support piers to a
drum and then to the
shallow dome above.
26. Hagia Sophia
This 1852 lithography
clearly shows two of
the great pendentives.
Beyond them can be
seen one of the apses,
whose half dome
serves to resist the
outward thrust of the
building and to enlarge
the great interior
space.
27. Hagia Sophia
The building was enormous and complex, requiring
tremendous mathematical precision.
Figure Cutaway isometric from Great Architecture of the World
32. Ultimately, Byzantine architecture in the
West gave way to Romanesque and Gothic
architecture. In the East it exerted a
profound influence on early Islamic
architecture, and in Eastern Europe it has a
great influence on Russian architecture
during the reign of Alexander II.
33. The Byzantine Legacy
Central planned
churches, based on
domes were copied
extensively by later
builders.
St. Basil’s, in
Moscow, is a
particularly exuberant
example.
35. The Byzantine Legacy
Contact with Constantinople through trade convinced even
the Venetians to adopt this style of Church.
San Marco Cathedral is the direct result.
![Overview
Early Christian architecture (313 -800 AD)
Byzantine Architecture(330-1453 AD and later)
[Constantine 272 – 337 AD, Justanian I
482 – 565]
Muslim Architecture (7th century onward)
Romanesque Architecture (12th to 16th century)
Gothic Architecture (12th to 16th century)
Renaissance Architecture (15th to 19th century)
Modern Architecture (20th century onwards)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)