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Byzantine Architecture: Pravara Rural College of Architecure, Loni
Byzantine Architecture: Pravara Rural College of Architecure, Loni
Constantinople (Istanbul)
• By the end of the 5th century AD, Rome had completely declined
• It had been sacked twice and was then under occupation
• Its influence was significantly reduced and the Impetus for
architectural innovation shifted to the Byzantine Empire
• This shift also marks the movement from early Christian civilization to
the Byzantine civilization
• Under the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, the Byzantine style of
architecture evolved
• His interest in church building led to the discovery of the groin vault
and the evolution of the Byzantine style
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Introduction
• Although it is impossible to identify two similar Byzantine churches,
it is still possible to identify the basic characteristics of an ideal
Byzantine church
• The attributes of the ideal church included:
– The use of a centralized church plan
– The use of surrounding isles
– The use of pendantives and dome on pendentives
– And the use of a complex program of interior
structure, lighting and decoration to create fascinating interiors
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Domes and Domes on Pedentives
• Byzantine architecture gave us the pendentive domes and the
dome on pendentives
• The pendentive dome and the dome on pendentives provided the
Byzantine architects with a unique way of adjusting the circular form
of a dome roof to a square or polygonal plan
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Domes and Domes on Pedentives
• This type of dome was invented by the
Romans but was rarely used by them
• It was the Byzantine builders who used it
to create dramatic interiors
• In the Pantheon in Rome, the Dome roof
had to be supported by a circular plan
• The walls of the
plan had to be
thick to
counterbalance
the forces from
the Dome
parts of the building
circular concept. Pantheon, Rome, 118-125 CE
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Domes and Domes on Pedentives
• The pendentive dome is
derived by trimming the sides
of a regular dome over a
square plan as shown in A.
• The pendentive dome enables
the transfer the total load of
the
• dome to the four corners of a
building, meaning that only the
• four corners need to be
reinforced
• This allows the dome roof to be
adapted for a square building
• as shown in B
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Domes and Domes on Pedentives
• Additionally, the top of the
pendentive dome can be trim
to
• introduce another dome on top
• of it as shown in C
• The additional dome can
further be raised to introduce a
cylinder between the
pendentive dome and the
additional dome as in D
• Windows can then be
introduced in the cylinder
enabling architects to creating
dazzling interior light effects
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Early Prototypes (St Vitale Ravenna)
• Byzantine architecture has its early
prototypes in two churches, San Vitale
(526-47), Ravenna and in Saint Sergius
• and Saint Bacchus in Constantinople
• Ravenna once served as the seat of
the Roman Empire
• The church is among the most
important monument of Byzantine
architecture
• It was also the prototype for the Hagia
Sophia which was built 10 years later
• The exterior is very plain – no interest in
impressing from the outside, but want to
impress through the interior design and
its meaning.
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Early Prototypes
(St Vitale Ravenna AD 526-547)
• The church is octagonal in
plan
• It has a domed octagonal
core surrounded by
ground level ambulatory
Plan with a gallery above it
• The outer wall of the
ambulatory is also
octagonal
• It has an apse which
extends from the central
core to one of the 8 sides
of the outer octagon
Section
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Early Prototypes (St Vitale Ravenna AD 526-547)
• The domed roof of the church is raised
on a drum allowing it
• greater height and lighting
• The dome has a diameter of 17 meters
and a height of 30 meters
• The Byzantine characteristics of the
church include:
• Its central planning
• The structural arrangement of its
central dome
• The use of surrounding isles
• And the way structure, lighting and
decoration have been integrated in
the interior of the church
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Early Prototypes (St Vitale Ravenna)
• Series of smaller arches supporting a
centrally domed space. At one end of the
plan there is an area that protrudes outward
for the altar space Filled with decorative,
colorful and vibrant mosaics.
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Early Prototypes (St Vitale Ravenna)
• Central image of Christ. Emphasis on natural
landscape, with greenery and flowers. But,
behind him is a heavenly realm characterized
by a gold background. Shows Christ as the
ruler of the world, and he wears purple
garments.
• Panels that show the donors themselves. The
Emperor Justinian, wearing the same kind of
clothes that Christ is depicted as wearing,
shown presenting a liturgical vessel to the
bishop of the church. He is flanked by the
imperial troops that contain the chi ro symbol
– first developed through Constantine.
Narthex
plan of early Christian Nave
architecture
• The church in plan consist
of an octagonal core set in a
very loose rectangular form
• The form of the church
was not a perfect square
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Early Prototypes
(St. Sergius and Bacchus,Constantinople)
Colonnade
By User:Ggia - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Early Prototypes (St. Sergius and Bacchus, Constantinople)
• The central space was covered by a
dome
• The octagon of the central dome has
a small but true pendentive dome
• This church was constructed very
shortly before Hagia Sophia and was
believed to be a experiment
• The dome, its adaptation to a
squarish form, the use of pendentive
and the lighting and decoration scheme
in the interior gives it its Byzantine
characteristics
General view from the gallery.
Looking south-west
By user:Bollweevil - Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 3.0,
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Hagia Sophia, Constantinople)
• Hagia Sophia or the church of the
holy wisdom is the most
accomplished master piece in the
history of architecture
• The church was constructed in
532 A.D. by Emperor Justinian in
Constantinople now Istanbul
• Hagia Sophia was the greatest
vaulted space without
intermediate supports that has
ever been built and it remained so
throughout the history of the
Byzantine Empire
BYZANTINE
ARCHITECTURE
(Hagia Sophia, Constantinople)
• Its architects were Isidore
of Miletus and Anthemius
of Tralles, professors of
geometry at the
University of
Constantinople
• The church provides an
expert solution to the
problem of how to place
a dome on a square base
• The solution was to use
pendantives
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
(Hagia Sophia, Constantinople)
The Dome,
interior view
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
(Hagia Sophia, Constantinople)
Section
Plan
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
(Hagia Sophia, Constantinople)
• Between them the dome
seems to float upon four
great arches
• These four concave
triangular sections of
masonry solved the problem
of setting the circular base
of a dome on a rectangular
base
• The church form is a
combination of centralized
and longitudinal structure
• Longitudinal direction is
defined by domes to the
east and west
BYZANTINE
ARCHITECTURE
(Hagia Sophia, Constantinople)
• At Hagia Sophia, two opposing
arches on the central square
open into semi domes, each
pierced by 3 smaller radial
semidomes
• At the west (entrance) and east
(liturgical) ends, the arched
openings are extended and by
great half domes carried on
smaller semi-domed exedras
• Thus a hierarchy of domeheaded elements build up to create a vast
oblong interior crowned by the main dome, a sequence never seen
before in antiquity
BYZANTINE
ARCHITECTURE
(Hagia Sophia, Constantinople)
• Of great artistic importance was its
decorated interior with mosaics and
marble pillars and coverings
• The combination of interior
decoration with lights flooding from
its domes creates a glittering internal
environment
Pendentives
• It is a curved support shaped like an
inverted triangle.
• It is used to hold a dome.
• Using pendentives, Byzantine architects
could build a higher and wider dome.
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Material Construction and Technology
• Using pendentives and Dome on
pendentive, Byzantine architects
were able to adapt the circular
profile of a dome roof to a square
plan
• By using several overlapping
domes, Byzantine architects were
able to create an intricate interior
structural system and external roof
system
• Intricate interior structural systems
combined with decoration and
lighting created fascinating interior
effects
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Material Construction and Technology
• The Early Christian and
Byzantine period saw the
most extensive use of
clerestory windows
• From early basilica
churches to Byzantine
churches, clerestory
windows were used to
provide lighting in the
interior of churches and
together with decoration
enabled the creation of
interesting interiors
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Principals of organizations
• It is possible to understand forces and principles shaping Early
Christian and Byzantine architecture by examining the following
issues:
– Religious Ritual
– Symbolism
– Construction Technology
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Principals of organizations -
Religious Rituals
• The various ritual that comprise Christian religious worship played a
fundamental part in the evolution of the Christian place of worship
• Design closely mirror rituals of the religion
• The initial choice of the Basilica was because of its easy adaptability
to a Christian church
• Later when practices started changing, the alternative church forms
evolved
• Ritual practices and function played a more significant influence on
church form during the Early Christian period than during the
Byzantine period
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Principals of organizations -
Symbolism
• Symbolism also played a significant role in the evolution of the form
of the Christian church
• Spirituality and mysticism were integrated into the experience of
church spaces
• During Christian architecture, Symbolism in the experience of space
become a predominant issue in design
• The use of light and decoration to create fascinating interiors but
function still predominated
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Principals of organizations -
Symbolism
• During the Byzantine period the Church itself became a symbol of
the faith
• The Church is viewed as a house of god and its design and
construction as a reflection of this symbolism
• The scale of the church was therefore increased and its decoration
became more complex
• In this respect we see a contrast between an overriding emphasis in
Early Christian architecture on function and rituals, and in Byzantine
architecture on symbolism
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Principals of organizations -
Construction Technology
• Construction technology was a major influence on Church form
during the Early Christian and Byzantine period
• The Basilica was chosen during the Early Christian period partly for
its ease of construction
• Ease of construction means places of worship could be provided for
the expanding believers
• During the Byzantine era, discovery of pendentives and dome on
pedentives changed technology for church construction
• Provided means to achieve church forms that reflected the
significance of churches as house of God
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Reference :
1. http://opencourseware.kfupm.edu.sa/colleges/ced/arc/arc110/
files/Lecture_Slides_Module_8_ECB.pdf
2. http://www.slideshare.net/BinumolTom/byzantine-
architecture-14165924
3. https://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/test-
3/deck/10586103
4. http://jayrichardson.onmason.com
5. www.wikipedia.com
6. www.google.com