Early Christian

Architecture
Examples
Lateran Basilica, Rome

► First church commissioned in Rome

► Erected on the eastern outskirts of the city on the site of a former military
barracks, it was built as the cathedral of the bishop of Rome
► It was a basilica with a wide central nave terminating in an apse, double
aisles at each side
► It had shallowly projecting wings
► The tall nave colonnades carried horizontal entablatures and those of the
lower aisles carried arcades
► There were no galleries
Lateran Basilica, Rome
Basilica of S.Peter Rome

► The church was reconstructed over a cemetery

► A ciborium like canopy with twisted columns were set into the great piers
carrying Michelangelo’s dome and was erected over the tomb of S.Petre
► A broad raised platform extended to each side of this and an apse projected
beyond it
► In front there was basilica 64m wide with its double aisle on each side and
some 90m long
► 22 huge antique columns varying in size and colour with equally varied
capitals supported the nave walls on a horizontal entablature
► Similar numbers of shorter columns carried arcades dividing aisles from
aisle.
S. Stefano Rotondo
► San Stefano Rotondo is the only extant early
Christian Church with a completely circular plan.
► Built to house the relics of St. Stephen, its form
followed in the tradition of the ancient Roman
mausoleums.
► Two concentric rings of columns surround a
central octagonal altar and with the exterior wall
make two annular ambulatories, the outer one of
which includes the entry porch and a number of
chapels.
► The columns could not carry a heavy dome and
probably only supported a light conical roof.
► The central ring is lit by clerestory windows in a
curving wall supported by the columns.
► A transverse arcade which bisects the center was
later added to stabilize the structure and makes a
striking spatial division.
 S. Stefano Rotondo
Details
► The inner ring of columns, which the
transverse arcade bisects, has a diameter
of 76 feet. The outer wall of the church
has a diameter of 210 feet.
► The exterior is brick masonry and the
roof is framed in timber. The
contemporary interior is plain white
stucco, but there is evidence that it was
originally faced in rich marbles.
Lateran Baptistery, Rome
► The font filled the central space between the columns which supported the
timber roof
► The original cathedral Baptistery was octagonal
► However its niches corresponded to the eight sides and the whole interior
opened to the central font

S. Costanza Rome
➢ Initially built as mausoleum , it way later converted into a church
➢ It is of circular form except that the central domed circular space is
completely surrounded by an ambulatory with an annular barrel vault
➢ The dome is carried by an arched colonnade of coupled columns with
separate Corinthian capitals linked by deep common impost blocks
➢ The whole aisle vault still has its original mosaic decoration largely of
geometric motifs and vines.
 S. Lorenzo Milan
► It is basically square in plan opened out by exedra
and surrounded by a two storey ambulatory

► There were towers over the 4 corners of the outer

square

► The central square was originally roofed by groin

vault

► In the front of the original narthex was an atrium,

approached through a colonnade which still
survives

► Grouped around the church are several subsidiary

octagonal structures which retain their original
marble and mosaic decorations
Church of Holy Apostles
/S.Nazaro Milan
► S.Nazaro Milan was originally built as the church
of Holy Apostles

► The cross involved consisted of long aisle-less

nave from which two arms projected and were
partly cut off by colonnades

► Altar shrine was in the centre of the cross

Assignments

► Sketch out the detailed features of following:

1. Baptistery Milan
2. Baptistery Nocera
3. Cathedral Bosra
4. S. Simeon Stylites
5. S.Clemente Rome
6. Church of Holy Cross Aghtamar
7. Church at Samtavisi
Lateran Baptistery Rome
Byzantine architecture
 BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Byzantine Empire - Early Period Introduction
Timeline:
• 330: Emperor Constantine founds a new capital of the Roman
Empire at the Greek town of Byzantium, renaming the city
Constantinople after himself
• 395: Death of Emperor Theodosius – Empire permanently split in
two halves. Constantinople is capital of the Eastern Roman Empire
• 527-565: reign of Emperor
Justinian I. Greatest
expansion of Byzantine
Empire
• 1453: of Byzantine
Fall
Empire
 BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Introduction

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
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 pendentives 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 circularform
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 dramaticinteriors
• 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
Early Prototypes (St Vitale Ravenna)
• Byzantine architecture had 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 wantto 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, lightingand
decoration have been integrated in
the interior of thechurch
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 vibrantmosaics.
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Early Prototypes (St. Sergius and Bacchus, Constantinople)
•It was built as a palace
church between A.D. 527-
536
• It is based on the four-
lobed alternative church

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)

Northeast (rear) view of Little Hagia Sophia in 2013

By user:Bollweevil - Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 3.0,

Colonnade
By User:Ggia - Own work, CC BY-SA3.0,
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 pendentivedome
•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
 BYZANTI
NE
(Hagia Sophia, Constantinople)
ARCHITECTU
• Its architects were Isidore
RE and Anthemius
of Miletus
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)

•Hagia Sophia is covered by a

central dome 102 feet (31 m)
across, slightly smaller than the
Pantheon's
• The dome is carried on
Pendentives
• The weight of the dome
passes through the
pendentivesto four massive
piers at the corners
• Between them the dome seems to float uponfour great arches
•These four concave triangular sections of masonry solved the problem of
setting the circular base of a dome on a rectangular base
 BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE

(Hagia Sophia, Constantinople)

• The dome seems rendered weightless by the unbroken arcade of
arched windows under it, which help flood the colorful interior with light

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 andby
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

•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)
• Hagia sophia dominated church
architecture after the 6th century AD
•For over 900 years it was the seat of the
Orthodox patriarch of Constantinople and
a principal setting for imperial
The Dome, exterior view
ceremonies
•Hagia Sophia was onverted to a
mosque at the Fall of Constantinople
to the Ottoman Turks under Sultan
Mohammad II in 1453
•Its rich figurative mosaics were
covered with plaster and replaced by
Islamic motifs
• It was for almost 500 years the
principal mosque of Istanbul
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
(Hagia Sophia, Constantinople)
•Hagia Sophia served as model for many of the great Ottoman
mosques of Constantinople such as the Shehzade Mosque, the
Suleiman Mosque, and the Rustem Pasha Mosque
• After continuing as a mosque for many years, it was in 1934 turned
by Turkish authorities into the Hagia SophiaMuseum

Shehzade Mosque Suleiman Mosque

BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
IN OTHER PLACES -
•Byzantine churches, each with a central dome opening into
surrounding semi domes and other vault forms and accompanied by
the characteristic iconography proliferated throughout the Byzantine
Empire Greece, Balkans, Asia manor, part of north Africa andItaly
• It also influenced the design of churches in western Christendom
• The later churches however lacked the power and vigor of the Hagia
Sophia and were of a smaller scale compared toit
• As Byzantine architecture spread, it also developed with a regional
flavor
• Many cities built Byzantine churches that were reflective of regional
practices
•Some of the most prominent ones are Santa Sophia Kiev, SaintBasils
Moscow,Monastry of Hosios Loukas, and Church of Graenica
Yugoslavia
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
IN OTHER PLACES - St Sophia, Kiev
• Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev was
named after the Hagia Sophia cathedral
in Constantinople
• The first foundations were laid in 1037
by prince Yaroslav
• The church measures 37 X 55 meters
• The cathedral has 5 naves, 5 apses, and
13 cupolas (domes)
• It is surrounded by two-tier galleries
from three sides
• In 1934 the cathedral was confiscated
by the Soviets and turned it into an
architecturaland historical museum
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
IN OTHER PLACES - St Basils, Moscow
•Commission by Ivan the Terrible of
Russia and built as the capitals
main parish church

•The ground plan is an eight pointed star

at the center of which is a rectangular
chamber and an apse
• Eight domed tower chapels are
distributedaround the central chamber
St Basils, Moscow AD 1551-1536
 BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
(In other Places) St Basils, Moscow
In Saint Basil Moscow, the
Byzantine dome finally
became onion shaped tops of
towers,

The Byzantine program of

interior lighting and decoration
was also lost

Instead, it was replaced by the

use of brilliant exterior colors

St Basils, Moscow AD 1551-1536

BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
IN OTHER PLACES - Monastry of Hosios Loukas
• Built around 1020 A.D.
• It has a complex plan with 8 piers
carrying its large central dome
• The church plan integrates a cross in
square with an octogan dome scheme
which resulted in effect of
interpenetrating space

•Combined with lights from its dome and

its decoration it give a clear expressing of
its Byzantine character
•On the outside, its construction
materials reflect localpractices
 BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
IN OTHER PLACES -
St Mark Venice
• St Mark is also a notable example of
Byzantine architecture

•It lies on St Mark's Square, one of the

most famous squares in the world
• The church has five domes each toping a
square
•The church is based on a Greek cross floor
plan, based on part on the Hagia Sophia
and the Basilica of the Apostles, both in
Constantinople
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
IN OTHER PLACES - St Mark Venice
• Each arm of the cross is of the same length and is covered by a dome
• A dome also covers the square space at the center
• While the basic structure of the building has been little altered, its
decoration changed greatly over time
• The front façade is Gothic and was added much later
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Building and Other Architectural Material
• Early Christian and Byzantine architecture was a continuation of the
Roman Empire
• Buildings and building practices continued from the Roman period to
the Early Christian and Byzantine period
• All Roman civic and Residential buildings were used during the Early
Christian and Byzantine period
• The only new element Early Christian and Byzantine Arch. is the
Christian church
• The spread of Christianity in Rome led to the evolution of the Christian
place of worship
• The form of the early church was an adaptation of the Roman Basilica
• This form later evolved into an alternative church plan that was either
round or lobed
• The Byzantine church form evolved much later than the Early
Christian church forms
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Material Construction and Technology
• The system of construction in concrete and brickwork introduced by
the Romans was adopted by theByzantines.
• Where materials were not available, they were imported from
colonies of the empire
• The carcase (skeleton) of concrete and brickwork was first
completed and allowed to settle before the surface sheathing of
unyielding marble slabs was added, and this independence of the
component parts is characteristic of Byzantine construction.
• Brickwork, moreover lent itself externally to decorative patterns and
banding, and internally it was suitable for covering with marble,
mosaic, and fresco decoration.
• The ordinary bricks were like the Roman, about an inch and a half in
depth, and were laid on thick beds of mortar.
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Material Construction and Technology
• Brickwork emphasised special care in making mortar, which was
composed of lime and sand with crushed pottery, tiles, or bricks, and
much of it remains as hard as that in the best buildings of Rome, while
the core of the wall was sometimes of concrete, as in the Roman
period.
• The decorative character of external facades depended largely on the
arrangement of the facing bricks, which were not always laid
horizontally, but sometimes obliquely, sometimes in the form of the
meander fret, sometimes in the chevron or herring bone pattern, and
in many other similar designs, giving great variety to thefacades.
• An attempt was also made to ornament the rough brick exteriors by
the use of stone bands and decorative arches.
• Walls were sheeted internally with marble and vaults and domes with
colored glass mosaics on a golden background
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Material Construction and Technology
•In construction technology, the greatest
contribution during the Early Christian and
Byzantine era was the discovery of the
pendentives and Dome on pendentives

Pendentives
• It is a curved support shaped likean
inverted triangle.
• It is used to hold a dome.
• Using pendentives, Byzantinearchitects
could build a higher and widerdome.
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
fundamentalpart 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 stillpredominated
 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 designand
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 Byzantineperiod
• The Basilica was chosen during the Early Christian period partlyfor
its ease of construction
•Ease of construction means places of worship couldbe 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
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque in Italy

► Central Italy ► Northern Italy ► Southern Italy

► Examples: ► Examples: ► Examples:
1. Pisa Cathedral 1. S. Michele Pavia 1. S.Nicola Bari
(cathedral Cefalu Cathedral
2. S.Zeno Maggiore 2.
Baptistery)
2. Campanile Pisa (Bell
tower)
3. Campo Santo
(cemetery)
Romanesque in France
► Examples:
1. S.Philibert Tournus
2. S.Sernin Toulouse
3. Angouleme cathedral
4. Abbaye-Aux-Hommes
Romanesque in Germany
► Examples:
1. Aix-La-Chapelle cathedral
2. Church of Apostles, Cologne
3. Worms Cathedral
Romanesque in England
► Examples:
1. Durham Cathedral
2. Fountains Abbey, Yorkshire
3. Canterbury Cathedral
4. Oxford Cathedral
5. Peterborough abbey
6. Winchester cathedral
► Gothic architecture
Characteristics
Examples

► 1. S. Dennis Sharp, near Paris

► 2. Chartres Cathedral
► 3. Cathedral Of Bourges
► 4. Reims Cathedral
Examples

1. Canterbury Cathedral
2. Durham Cathedral
3. Ely Church
4. Lincoln Cathedral
5. Peterborough
6. Westminster Abbey
7. Winchester
Renaissance Architecture
Origin and features
Architects : Early Renaissance
1. Michelozzo
Architects : Early Renaissance
2. Alberti
Architects : High Renaissance
3. Bramante
Architects : High Renaissance
4. Sangallo
Architects : Mannerism
5. Michelangelo
Architects : Mannerism
6. Palladio
Renaissance : Netherlands
Renaissance : England
Renaissance : Spain
Baroque architecture