BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE

History of
Architecture 01

Ar. Diane A. Jose, MBA

 Byzantine 324 C.E.

• Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the

Byzantine Empire.
• The empire gradually emerged as a distinct artistic
and cultural entity from what is today referred to as the
Roman Empire after AD 330, when the Roman
Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman
Empire east from Rome to Byzantium. Byzantium,
"New Rome", was later renamed Constantinople and
is now called Istanbul.
• The empire endured for more than a millennium,
dramatically influencing Medieval and Renaissance
era architecture in Europe and, following the capture
of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks in 1453,
leading directly to the architecture of the Ottoman
Empire.
 Byzantine 324 C.E.

• After the death of Constantine in 337, the Roman Empire was

split into Eastern and Western Empires
• The Western half declines and the eastern half, with its capital
in Constantinople (now Istanbul) flourished.
• in 527 it gained further strength with the reign of Justinian
(Golden Age of Byzantine)

Roman Empire -300 A.D. Byzantine Empire- 500 A.D.

 Byzantine Architecture

• Early Byzantine architecture was built as a continuation

of Roman architecture.

• Stylistic drift, technological advancement, and political

and territorial changes meant that a distinct style
gradually emerged which imbued certain influences
from the Near East and used the Greek cross plan in
church architecture.
 Byzantine Architecture

• Buildings increased in geometric complexity, brick and

plaster were used in addition to stone in the decoration
of important public structures, classical orders were
used more freely, mosaics replaced carved decoration,
complex domes rested upon massive piers, and
windows filtered light through thin sheets of alabaster to
softly illuminate interiors.
 Byzantine Architecture
• Prime examples of early Byzantine architecture date from
Justinian I's reign and survived in Ravenna and Istanbul, as
well as in Sofia (the Church of St. Sophia).

Hagia Sophia
Golden Age Of Byzantine Art

 Hagia Sophia
(Church of the Holy
Wisdom)
Constantinople (Istanbul),
532-537 AD
 Stone
 Architects:
Anthemius of Tralles and
Isidorus of Miletus
 After the conquest of
Constantinople by the
Ottomans in 1453, Hagia
Sophia was turned into an
Islamic mosque. The four
minarets were added to the
building in the 16th century.
 Byzantine Architecture
• One of the great breakthroughs in the history of Western
architecture occurred when Justinian's architects invented a
complex system providing for a smooth transition from a
square plan of the church to a circular dome (or domes) by
means of squinches or pendentives.
The Art of Byzantium
Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus
Hagia Sophia
Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey,
Architecture ca 532-537

The architects were ahead of their time in

that they used pendentives to transfer the
weight from the dome to the piers beneath,
rather to the walls. In this, the space
beneath the dome was unobstructed and
allowed room for windows in the walls,
which created the illusion of the suspended
dome. This technicality can be explained by
experts today, but was a mystery to
Anthemius' and Isidorus' contemporaries in
the 6th century.

Additionally, the fusion of two independent

architectural traditions [the vertically
oriented central-plan building and the
horizontally oriented basilica] was previously
unseen, and was the successful conclusion
to centuries of experimentation.
PENDENTIVE - A concave, triangular
piece of masonry (a triangle section of a
hemisphere), four of which provide the
transition from a square area to the circular
base of a covering dome. Although they
appear to be hanging (pendant) from the
dome, they in fact support it.
The Art of Byzantium
Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus
Hagia Sophia
Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey,
Architecture ca 532-537

The mystical quality of the light that floods the

interior has fascinated visitors for centuries. The
canopy-like dome that also dominates the inside of
the church rides on a halo of light from windows in
the dome's base.

The forty windows create the illusion that the dome

is resting on the light that comes through them--like
a "floating dome of heaven." Thus, Hagia Sophia
has a vastness of space shot through with light and
a central dome that appears to be supported by the
light it admits.

Light is the mystic element that glitters in the

mosaics, shines from the marbles, and pervades
spaces that cannot be defined. It seems to dissolve
material substance and transform it into an abstract
spiritual vision.
The Art of Byzantium
Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus
Hagia Sophia
Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey,
Architecture ca 532-537

The poet Paulus described the vaulting as

covered with "gilded tesserae from
which a glittering stream of golden rays
pours abundantly and strikes men's
eyes with irresistible force. It is as if
one were gazing at the midday sun in
spring."

The use of the gilded mosaics serves to

create a more radiant light when the sun
hits it; the light is more complex and
multidimensional and creates a different
aura than if the light had just hit a plain
mosaic.

The gilded mosaic changes the color of

the light to a softer, more ethereal realm
that lends itself to the atmosphere of
Hagia Sophia.
DOME OF THE ROCK, Jerusalem (691-92)
DOME OF THE ROCK, Jerusalem (691-92)
 313 CE - Constantine converts to Christianity
 324 CE- The Byzantine Empire, founded when the capital of the Roman Empire
was transferred from Rome to Constantinople
 326- CE- the pilgrimage of Constantine’s mother, Empress Helena, to Jerusalem
where she finds relics and dedicates the building of churches (Church of the
Holy Sepulchre )
 527 CE- Golden Age of Byzantine-Justinian
 532-537-Hagia Sophia -Constantinople (Istanbul)
 547 CE- The Emperor Justinian and his Attendants-mosiac
 614 CE when the Persians invaded Jerusalem, destroyed many of the churches
and monasteries.
 638 CE Jerusalem was captured by the Muslim Caliph Umar, six years after the
death of Muhammad
 685 CE- THE DOME OF THE ROCK starts construction by Caliph Abd al-Malikibn
Marwan - completing it in 691 CE.
 725 to 842 CE -Iconoclastic Controversy in Christian religion
 842 CE-the Second Golden Age of Byzantine
 1063- St. Marks –Venice
 1453 CE The Fall of Constantinople was the capture of the Byzantine capital by
the Ottoman Empire
 Dome of the Rock
 Mt. Moriah (site of Jerusalem)was
considered highly sacred for several reasons
 Jewish-
› It was considered to be the site where
Abraham (2000 BCE) had built an altar
on which he prepared to sacrifice his
son Isaac.
› At this same site, the patriarch Jacob
gathered stone from the altar upon
which his father Isaac was to be
sacrificed, and using this stone as a
pillow spent the night sleeping upon
the rock. Upon waking from a stunning
visionary dream, Jacob anointed the
stone pillow with oil he had received
from heaven and the stone then sank
deep into the earth, to become the
foundation stone of the great temple
that would later be built by Solomon.
› The First Temple of the Jews was built
during the reign of King Solomon (960
BCE).
› Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon forced
the Jews into exile (most went to
Babylon), and completely destroyed
the temple in 586 BC.
› In 539 BC, Persia conquered Babylon
and allowed the Jews to return to
Jerusalem. Reconstruction began and
the Second Temple was completed by
515 B.C.E
  Greek Rule Jerusalem was captured by
Alexander the Great. For most the next five
centuries Greeks ruled over the Judah.

 Roman Rule
› In 64 BC, the Roman general Pompey
Christianity
The conversion to Christianity of the
Byzantine Emperor Constantine (306-337)
and the pilgrimage of his mother,
Empress Helena, to Jerusalem in 326.
Helena's pilgrimage and Constantine's
royal support made possible the building
of many Christian shrines in the city.
The Christian control of Jerusalem was
carried on until 614 AD when the Persians
invaded the city, destroyed many of the
churches and monasteries.
captured Jerusalem, ushering in several
centuries of Roman rule. During this
period Herod the Great (ruled 37-4 BC)
rebuilt and enlarged the Second Temple
and created the famous Western Wall
(also called the Wailing Wall) as part of
the supporting structure for the enlarged
Temple Mount.
› During the next two centuries the Jews
twice revolted against their Roman
oppressors, the city of Jerusalem suffered
greatly and the Second Temple was
demolished in 70 AD.
› In the year 135 AD, the Roman Emperor
Hadrian began construction of a new city,
upon the ruins of old Jerusalem. Upon the
site of the destroyed Jewish temple,
Hadrian built a temple to the god Jupiter,
but this temple was itself demolished by
the Byzantines after the empire became
Christian.
 Islam-
› Jerusalem was captured in 638 CE, six years after the death of
Muhammad, by the Muslim Caliph Umar. Soon after his occupation of the
city, Umar cleansed the Temple Mount, built a small mosque and
dedicated the site to Muslim worship.
› Nearby they built a more spectacular building, the Dome of the Rock, not
only to proclaim the supremacy of Islam, but also to ensure that the new
followers of Islam would not be tempted by Christianity.
› Importance of the temple mount:
A certain passage in the Koran links the Prophet Muhammad with
Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. That passage, the seventeenth Sura,
entitled 'The Night Journey', recounts the story of a dream Mohammed
has where he takes a midnight ride (al-Isra) on his flying horse al-Buraq,
which had the face of a woman, the body of a horse and the tail of
Peacock. The narrative of the Koran in Sura 17 describes it as follows:

"Glory be to Him, who carried His servant by night

from the Holy Mosque to the further mosque, the
precincts of which we have blessed."
… and from the sacred rock atop of the temple mount he made a spiritual
trip to heaven and met the prophets before him) (it is stated in
refeneces that this vision is around 617 and 624 A.D ).
 Islam-
› Muslim believe the two temples mentioned in this verse as being in
Mecca and Jerusalem.
› At this hallowed site, known in Arabic as Haram al Sharif, the 9th Caliph,
Abd al-Malik, built the great Dome of the Rock between 687 CE and 691
CE to protect pilgrims.
› Adjacent to the Dome is the Al-Aqsa Mosque wherein Muslims make their
prayers towards Mecca.
› Designed by Byzantine architects (not all text’s agree with this) engaged
by the Caliph, the Dome of the Rock was the greatest monumental
building in early Islamic history and remains today one of the most
sublime examples of artistic genius that humanity has ever produced (the
Great Mosque of Damascus, being a true mosque, is the earliest surviving
monumental mosque).
The Dome of the Rock-details
 The structure is octagonal and the dome is
borne by a double system of pillars and
columns. The walls, ceiling, arches, and vaults
are decorated with floral images. The dome,
on the inside, is covered with coloured and
gilded stucco.
 The dome is 20 meters high, 10 meters in
diameter, and its supporting structure, made
of lead, was originally covered in pure gold (In
1960, as part of Jordan’s restoration, the dome
was covered with a durable aluminium and
bronze alloy made in Italy. The restoration was
completed in August 1964.
 In 1998 the golden dome covering was
refurbished following a donation of $8.2
million by King Hussein of Jordan who sold one
of his houses in London to fund the 80
kilograms of gold required. (Wipedica)
 The sacred foundation stone is encircled by
sixteen arches that formerly came from
different churches in Jerusalem, which were
destroyed during the Persian occupation of the
city in 614 AD. Writing of the sublimely
beautiful structure with its heavenly dome, its
columns of rare marble and its brilliant
mosaics
 The facade is made of porcelain
The Koranic ura, or chapter, is
inscribed across the top in the tile
work commissioned in the 16th
century by Suleiman the
Magnificent. The sura al- Isra (The
Night Journey), is inscribed above
Ya-Seen.
GREAT MOSQUE,
Damascus (706-715)
CHURCH OF ST DEMETRIOS, Thessalonica
Church of Sts Sergios and Bacchos, Istanbul
(527-36)
St Sophia, Istandbul (532-37)
St Sophia, Istanbul
(532-37)
Hosios Loukas, Katholikon (1020)
Pantanassa, Mistra (XII-XX)
Arta, Parigoritissa (1283-96)
 St. Marks in Venice
•This is the largest and most
lavish decorated church in the
Second Golden Age
•It was built to hold the body of
St. Mark
•It is based on a typical Greek
cross plan
•Each arm has a dome of it’s own
•The exterior has many mosaics
The cathedral church of the Roman
•Four horses formerly stood
Catholic Archdiocese of Venice,
northern Italy. It is the most famous of above the main entrance (they
the city's churches and one of the best are now preserved in a museum)
known examples of Byzantine
architecture. It lies at the eastern end of
the Piazza San Marco, adjacent and
connected to the Doge's Palace.
St. Mark’s Basilica
 Byzantine art

 Byzantine art was very religious. Most Byzantine art was

created for the Eastern Orthodox Church. Much Byzantine
art was made by servants of the courts or members of
religious orders. Most of these artists remained anonymous.
 Mosaics and Fresco paintings covered the domes of many
churches. They were often made of precious materials such
as lapis lazuli, gold and silver. Byzantine artists had to follow
many rules about subject matter, content, and form.
 Symbolic representation was very important in Byzantine art.
The subjects appear flat and fairly abstract compared to the
liveliness and individualism of Western art because
Byzantine artists used little shading or other techniques that
would have made their subjects more lifelike.
Mosaics

 Conveyed messages of salvation through mosaics

 They achieved an incredible degree of expressiveness in
this medium
 Roman mosaics were made of polished, colored stone,
but Byzantine mosaics were made of brightly colored
glass (tesserae) pressed into wet plaster
 The glass pieces were set on a slight angle to reflect the
light.
 Green and gold are used most often, but there are also
scarlets, purples and blues

Mosaic-A picture or design made of tiny pieces (called tesserae)

of coloured stone, glass, tile or paper adhered to a surface. It is
typically decorative work for walls, vaults, ceilings or floors, the
tesserae set in plaster or concrete.
The Art of Byzantium
Justinian, Bishop Maxanius and attendants,
mosaic from the north wall of the apse,
San Vitale, Ravenna, italy,
Mosaics ca. 547

The golden wreath of victory Christ

extends during the Second Coming
to Saint Vitalis is also extended to
Justinian, for he appears on the
Savior's right side in the dependent
mosaic below and to the left of the
apse mosaic.

These rites confirmed and

sanctified his rule, combining the
political and the religious. The laws
of the Eastern Church and the laws
of the state, united in the laws of
God, were manifest in the person of
the emperor and in his God-given
right.

Justinian is distinguished from

those around him, not only by his Each figure's position in the mosaic is important. Justinian, in the
royal purple, but by his halo, center, is distinguished by his holy halo. He seems to be behind
another indication of his god-like bishop to the right, and with the imperial powers to the left, yet his
status. bowl is in front of the bishop, unifying the two groups of people.
The Art of Byzantium
Justinian, Bishop Maxanius and attendants,
mosaic from the north wall of the apse,
San Vitale, Ravenna, italy,
Mosaics ca. 547

All of the figures are

rigid in stature but the
objects everyone is
holding to the right
gives it the sense of
slow motion.

Their feet seem to

float on the ground
like divine powers and
they all have blank
stares and simple
characteristics.

Iconography of
religion is used for
these figures instead
of veristic expression.
The Art of Byzantium
Theodora and attendants,
mosaic from the south wall of the apse,
San Vitale, Ravenna, italy,
Mosaics ca. 547

The empress stands in state

beneath an imperial canopy,
waiting to follow the emperor'
procession. An attendant
beckons her to pass through the
curtained doorway.

The fact she is outside the

sanctuary in a courtyard with a
fountain and only about to enter
attests that, in the ceremonial
protocol, her rank was not quite
equal to her consort's.

It is interesting in that neither

she, nor Justinian ever visited
Ravenna, where they are shown
in the mosaic.
Theodora's portrayal is more
surprising and testifies to her
unique position in Justinian's
court.
Theodora's prominent role in the mosaic is proof of the power she
wielded at Constantinople and, by extension, at Ravenna. In fact, the
representation of the Three Magi on the border of her robe suggests
she belongs in the elevated company of the three monarchs who
approached the newborn Jesus bearing gifts.
The Art of Byzantium
Theadora and attendants,
mosaic from the south wall of the apse,
Mosaics San Vitale, Ravenna, italy, ca. 547

Again, the figures are elongated,

with bent elbows. The faces are
all facing forward, and the eyes
of the prominent figures are
looking towards the viewers.

The hands of the major figures in

the mosaic are across their
heart, and all of the poses are
very regal and stiff, upright.

The dimension of the mosaic is

flat and there is very little
attempt at portraying objects and
people in some type of
perspective.

Key word to use when describing the mosaics on the walls of San
Vitale:

Elongated, spiritual, ethereal, votive eyes, religiously symbolic,

denatured
The Art of Byzantium
Virgin (Theotokos) and Child,
icon (Vladimir Virgin), tempera on wood,
Mosaics Late 11th to Early 12th Century

The Vladimir Virgin clearly

reveals the stylized abstraction
that centuries of working and
reworking the conventional
image had wrought.

The characteristic traits of the

Byzantine icon of the Virgin and
Child are all present: the sharp
sidewise inclination of the
Virgin's head to meet the tightly
embraced Christ Child; the
long, straight nose and small
mouth; the golden rays in the
infant's drapery; the decorative
sweep of the unbroken contour The icon of Vladimir was
that encloses the two figures; placed before or above
the flat silhouette against the stairs in churches or private
golden ground; and the deep chapels, and incense and
pathos of the Virgin's smoke from candles that
expression as she burned blackened its
contemplates the future surface.
sacrifice of her son.
The Art of Byzantium
Virgin (Theotokos) and Child,
icon (Vladimir Virgin), tempera on wood,
Mosaics Late 11th to Early 12th Century

It was exported to Russia in the

early twelfth century and then
taken to Moscow to protect the
city.

The Russians believed that the

Vladimir icon saved the city of
Kazan from later Tartar invasions
and all of Russia from the Poles
in the seventeenth century.

It is a historical symbol of
Byzantium's religious and
cultural mission to the Slavic
world.
These types of images were not
universally accepted by
Christians.
Those who opposed the use of
“icons” are termed iconoclasts
and those who embrace the
concept of the “icon” are known
The following passage from
Exodus 20:4,5 explains the
reason behind the iconclast
ideal: “Thou shalt not make unto thee
any graven image or any likeness of
anything that is in heaven above, or that
is in the earth beneath, or this is in the
water under the earth. Thou shalt not
bow down thyself to them, nor serve
them”
History of Architecture 01

TO END. . .