Early Christianity,

Byzantium,

and Medieval Islam

Christ’s empty tomb

40 days later, Christ ascending

into heaven

stone carving, 4th century

catacombs, Rome
passageway
 catacombs, Rome
passageway

Chi-Rho, with Alpha and Omega, identify Severus as a Christian

Roman symbol of victory. The head thing.

 fish design from
the catacombs at
Rome

Greek letters for “fish”

may stand for “Jesus
Christ, Son of God,
Savior.”
Art from the catacombs: Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead
 Catacombs, Rome
3rd century
Christ as the Good
Shepherd

Wearing a tunic with bands.

Jesus as Apollo
tomb mosaic at Rome, 3rd
century
Emperor Constantine
311 C.E., saw the Chi Rho in the
sky, with a message: “In this
sign, conquer.”

Allowed Christianity.
Rome became Christian.
Apollo, the Sun God, on the Arch of Constantine
 western Christian church style

Meet in a place for people to sit.

Basilica: structure.
Main church in Rome is dedicated to St peter

Old St. Peter’s, Rome—built by Constantine, ca. 320

Church of St. Peter’s at Rome; Constantine

basilica: cutaway view

clerestory windows

side aisle
nave

Very hierarchal. Priest is special. Building is set

Up to have apse at the end to show importance.
 Council of Nicea
convened by Constantine in
325 to decide proper
Christian beliefs

Wanted people to believe on a set of beliefs.

Theodosius
in 380, he
made
Christianity
the official
religion of
Rome
Roman Empire falls apart after many centuries.
Migration by barbarians foreigners).
Immigration from the east.
Stilicho, a Vandal who was
regent for the western Roman
emperor Honorius

He repelled Alaric the Goth

twice before he was executed for
suspected treason. In 410, Alaric
sacked Rome.
In 452, Pope Leo stops Attila the Hun from attacking Rome
(Rafael, 1510)
Byzantine Empire in 565
 apse

nave

side aisle

campanile
St. Apollinaire in Classe, floor plan
St. Apollinaire in Classe, Ravenna, built 534 C.E.

clerestory windows
nave side aisles campanile
St. Apollinaire in Classe, interior
clerestory
windows

apse

cushioned
capitals
 Byzantine recycling:
cushioned capital

Between ionic and parenthian.

mosaics
St. Apollinaire in Classe clerestory windows
St. Apollinaire:
the saints

togas

alpha and omega

portieres

alpha and omega

Eastern Church Architecture: Modified basilica with dome

Hagia Sophia, Constantinople

Hagia Sophia
floor plan

built
532-537 by
Justinian

diameter of dome:
33 meters
pendentives supporting the dome
pendentives supporting the dome
inside Hagia Sophia: the dome
inside Hagia Sophia: the dome
Church of St. Vitale, Ravenna built 526-548
 St. Vitale, Ravenna--plan

octagonal plan preferred by the Eastern church

St. Vitale, Ravenna
Justinian mural
Emperor Justinian, with military and religious leaders, San Vitale

Know they are religious leaders by the cross,

Justinian is holding a bowl of bread because of

The mass. Bread and wine becomes the body of
Christ. Making a priest claim with the bowl.

quadrilateral, sign of authority

The Empress Theodora, San Vitale, apse
The Empress Theodora, San Vitale, apse

She has the cup for the wine.

Baptist bath.
Silk, pearls, bright colors, patterns are eastern
Influence.
 Baptistery
of the
Arians,
Ravenna

ca. 500

A form of Christianity.
Were not accepted by the Christian western church.
 Baptistery of the
Arians, Ravenna

dome mosaic:
John baptizing Jesus

Dove is the symbol of the holy spirit.

Providing the holy water.
Baptistery of the Arians,
Ravenna:
detail
 Byzantine cross presented to Rome by
Emperor Justin II in 575

Mixture of Greek and Latin Cross

Gemstones on cross.
gospel book--ivory

Vocab word: Built by repousse.

Took one man about a year to copy out a book.

 ribbons are
Persian
influence

Ribbons are a Persian influence.

mosaic floor, Antioch—5th century

Byzantine Egypt: fish, 5th century
 Ivory diptych, Egypt
Christ enthroned

Two pieces that are hooked together.

Story of Joan…more stories
Jonah and the whale, from same diptych
Christ Pantokrator (ruler of all)
from the monastery of St.
Catherine at Sinai
Monastery of St. Catherine at
Sinai

Theotokos (mother of God)

and child
Monastery of Osios Loukas, near Delphi; built 1011
horseshoe arch, colored voussoirs Osios Loukas, crypt
Osios Loukas: the anastasis
(harrowing of hell)
cathedral—Monreale, Sicily
begun 1172

mixture of Norman, Byzantine, and

Islamic styles
cathedral of Monreale--nave

Lots of gold, decorated with stories.

Wooden sealing.
cathedral of Monreale--cloister
 King William II presenting the
new church to the Virgin Mary

Greek and
Latin labels

Hand of God reaching down. East and the west

Are coming together.
A sleeping prince
 Islam

25 year old man married to 40 year old widow.

Went up in the mountains and meditated in a cave.
God talked to him.
Collected into a book called the Qur'an.
Arabic is written right to left.

Muhammed, surrounded by
angels, receives revelations
Islamic

An Islamic is suppose to make a

Pilgrimage once in his life.

drawing of the Great Mosque at Mecca; Kaaba in the center

 Ka’aba today—
the Hajj

Millions come to this. Pilgrimage starts out in

The village and end up circling the Ka’aba 7
Times.
 The Qur’an has very good stuff in it. How to be fare.

How to divide up wills mathematically.

spread of Islam in its first 118 years

Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem built 687-691

Build in the 7th century.

Sacred place for the Jews.
Place where Abraham said to sacrifice his son.
Sacred place for Christians, and someone else.
Place where Jesus rose from the dead.

Hadith: Arabic: ‫ اﳊﺪﻳﺚ‬al-ḥadīth, pronounced:

/ħadiːθ/; pl. aḥādīth; lit. "narrative") are
narrations originating from the words
and deeds of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
Hadith are regarded by traditional schools of jurisprudence as important
tools for understanding the Qur'an and in matters of jurisprudence.[1]
Hadith were evaluated and gathered into large collections mostly
during the reign of Umar bin Abdul Aziz during the 8th and 9th
centuries. These works are referred to in matters of Islamic law
and history to this day. The two main denominations of Islam,
Shi`ism and Sunnism, have different sets of Hadith collections.
The Mosque of Cordoba
8th century

colored voussoirs
Horseshoe arches.
stalactic cupola in Maristan Nuri in Damascus, 1154
Rock crystal ewer
ca. 975
leaf from
Qu’ran
13th century
Spain
“In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate” in various scripts
bowl
9th century
dish, 9th century

white slip with

brown inscription

“Knowledge: it’s
taste is bitter at
first, but in the
end, sweeter than
honey.”
 Decoration is script.

portion of “St. Josse silk”, 960

Sassanian (eastern Iran)
 gilded silver dish
9th century Iran

Prohibition.
Showing the throne and the caliphate(leader)
mosque lamp
13th century—blown glass
 Elephant Clock

from The Book of Knowledge of

Ingenious Mechanical Devices
by al-Jazari

715 A.H. / 1315 A.D

estimated 4’ long, 6’ high

 astrolabe, 1291

One shows the position of the starts in the sky.

One knows the time.
Used till 1650.
 13th century miniature
showing wheel used to
raise water into
irrigation canals

Water to go into irrigation canals.

waterwheel still
standing in Syria