COMPARISON BETWEEN EARLY CHRISTIAN AND BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE

Early Christian vs. Byzantine Architecture

  Early Christian Byzantine

Where in Europe: West. East.Capital: Rome. Byzantium/Constantinople.

Language: Latin. Greek.

Relationship between church and state:

Separation between church and state. Union between church and state.

Type of Christianity: Catholic. Orthodox.

Art: Catacomb paintings, mosaics. Mosaics, icons.

Architecture: Basilica-plan church. Central-plan church.Roof: Flat timber. Domed.

Roof support: Post and lintel. Pendentives.Example: S. Apollinare. Hagia Sophia.

Time: 3rd-7th century CE 330-1453 CE(Source: http://www2.palomar.edu/users/mhudelson/StudyGuides/ECvsByz_WA.html)

Student: Nguyen Tuan Viet – 13KTT

EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE- Time period: 3rd-7th centuries- The term Early Christian refers to the architecture related to Christian religion.- After Christianity is recognized receiving official approval from Roman Empire. Christians begin constructing religious structured adapted from Roman prototypes.

- Time Period: 330-1453 CE- The Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire maintains Roman culture and buildings tradition before and after the fall of the city of Rome in 476 CE. - Imperial patronage encourages the Christian religion and the buildings of new structure. Orthodox Byzantine churches are domed and centrally planned with distinctive iconographic mosaic.

I. Historical and Social

1) Early Christian Architecture- Christianity comes into being following the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth about 33 CE.  For the next three centuries, membership increases, but Christianity has little legal standing in the Roman Empire. - In 313 CE, Roman emperor Constantine wins battle that he attributes to the Christian God and gives the tolerance for all religions. He personally sanctions Christianity and raising its status. Soon Christian churches and other structures spring up in Rome, Constantinople and other cities. Constantine himself is the patron for the Old Saint Peter basilica in Rome. In 330CE he moves the capital to Constantinople (today Istanbul) and rules Roman Empire from the East. In 404 CE emperor Honorius moves the capital to Ravenna to prevent it from being overtaken. But his effort was unsuccessful and in 476 CE Ravenna and Rome were overtaken, making the fall of Roman Empire. With the fewer invasions the eastern portion prospers as Byzantine Empire.

2) Byzantine Architecture

- Emperor Constantine moved the capital of Roman Empire to Constantinople, which is renamed Greek city Byzantium. Later Justinian creates that state when he makes Christianity the only legal religion in the 6th century, he maintains an autocratic rule the combines the position of bishop and caesar. Soon court and church become synonymous. In 1054 Eastern Church separates from the Western Church.- Byzantine history is history of rise and fall. In 6th century Justinian was trying to build the buildings that will reestablish the glory of Roman Empire. Crusades, beginning in 1095, revive trade and commerce, when they sack Constantinople in 1203-94, empire starts to decline. The city eventually falls to Ottoman Turks, ending the Empire in 1953.- In addition to maintaining Roman laws, government and culture the Byzantine Empire preserves ancient Greek culture. Empire supports the vigorous intellectual life in which classicism is a source of inspirational and renewal. Byzantine scholars help initiate study of Greek manuscripts in Italy, which contributes to the development of Renaissance.- Byzantine Empire continuous classical Roman and Early Christian traditions, blending them into a distinctive church architecture and decoration, that reflects an imperial, precisely Christ and saints at the head of theocratic society.

II. Architecture1) Plans - The Early Christians followed the basilican models for their new churches. - May also have used old Roman halls, baths, dwelling-houses, and even pagan temples as places of worship.

Early Christian Architecture Byzantine Architecture

Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine

- Byzantine churches are all distinguished by a great central square space covered with a dome, supported by means of pendentives, shown above in figures J and K.

- On each side extend short arms, forming a Greek cross, which with the narthex and side galleries make the the plan nearly square . The narthex was was placed within the main walls.

Early Christian Architecture Byzantine Architecture

2) Walls- These were still constructed according to Roman methods of using rubble or concrete, faced with plaster, brick, or stone.- Mosaic decoration was added internally, and sometimes also externally on west facades.- Little regard was paid to external architectural effect.

- These were often constructed of brick. Internally, all the oriental love of magnificence was developed, marble casing and mosaic being applied to the walls; hence a flat treatment and absence of mouldings prevailed.

- Externally the buildings were left comparatively plain, although the facade was sometimes relieved by alternate rows of stone and brick, in various colors.

3) Openings

- Doors and windows are semicircular headed (see above), but segmental and horse-shoe arched openings are sometimes seen.- The windows are small and grouped together (see above). The universal employment of mosaic in Byzantine churches, and the consequent exclusion of painted glass, rendered the use of such large windows as the Gothic architects employed quite inadmissible, and in the bright climate very much smaller openings sufficed to admit the necessary light. - Portions of the windows are occasionally filled with thin slabs of translucent marble (G above).

- Arcades, doors, and windows were either spanned by a semicircular arch.-  Which in nave arcades, often rested directly on the capitals without any entablatures, or were spanned by a lintel.

4) Roofs

- The method of roofing these buildings was by a series of domes formed in brick, stone, or concrete, with frequently no further external covering.- In S. Sophia the vaults are covered with sheets of lead, a quarter of an inch thick, fastened to wood laths, resting on the vaults without any wood roofing. Hollow earthenware was used in order to reduce the thrust on the supporting walls (No. 83 d).- The Byzantines introduced the dome placed over a square or octagonal plan by means of pendentives, a type not found in Roman architecture.- In early examples the pendentives were part of one sphere. In the later type the dome is not part of the same sphere as the pendentives, but rises independently from their summits. The early domes were very flat; in later times they were raised on a drum or cylinder.

- Timber roofs covered the central nave, and only simple forms of construction, such as king and queen post trusses, were employed.- The narrower side aisles were occasionally vaulted.- Apse was usually domed and lined with beautiful glass mosaics, which formed a fitting background to the sanctuary.

St Peter’s Basilica

5) Columns

- Differ both in design and size, often taken from earlier Roman buildings. It was natural that early Christian builders should use materials and ornament of the pagan Romans.- Used Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, or Composite from ancient Roman buildings, except those in S. Paolo fuori le Mura..- The carved capitals are governed by Roman pagan precedent and sometimes by that of Byzantine, and in both the acanthus leaf forms an important part.

- In the earlier buildings, these were taken from ancient structures. which not being so numerous in the East as in the neighborhood of Rome, the supply was sooner exhausted; and thus there was an incentive to design fresh ones.- An altered shape of capital was required to support the arch, a convex form being best adapted. The surfaces of these capitals were carved with incised foliage of sharp outline, having drilled eyes (No. 88) between the leaves.- Columns were used constructively, but were always subordinate features, and often only introduced to support galleries, the massive piers alone supporting the superstructure.

6) Mouldings

- These were unimportant, their place being taken by broad flat expanses of wall surfaces. - Internally, the decorative lining of marble and mosaic in panels was sometimes framed in billet mouldings, probably derived from the Classic dentils, and flat splays enriched by incised ornamentation were used.- Externally, the simple treatment of the elevations in flat expanses of brickwork, with occasional stone banded courses, did not leave the same scope for mouldings as in other styles.

- Coarse variations of old Roman types, and the carving, though rich in general effect, is crude ; for the technique of the craftsman had gradually declined.- Enrichments were incised on moldings in low relief, and the acanthus ornament, although still copied from the antique, became more conventional in form.

7) Ornament- The introduction of color gave richness and glimmering mystery to interiors. - The mosaics which was the principal form of interior ornament, lined the domed apses generally represented Christ surrounded by apostles and saints with all those symbolic emblems. - Usually made of glass.- Fresco painting usually in figure forms.

- The walls being lined with costly marbles with the veining carefully arranged so as to form patterns, and the vaults and upper part of walls with glass mosaic having symbolic figures, groups of saints and representations of the peacock, the whole forming a striking contrast to the less permanent painted frescoes usually adopted in the Western Romanesque churches.- Mosaic thus was used in a broad way as a complete lining to a rough structure, and architectural lines were replaced by decorative bands in the mosaic.- Greek rather than Romain technique was followed in the carving, due to the origin of the craftsmen. The carving was mainly executed in low relief, and effect was frequently obtained by sinking portions of the surfaces.

III. Architectural Characteristics

- 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 and the focus in the examination of the Early Christian and Byzantine Architecture 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 not new but 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.

1) Building and other arch. elements

2) Materials, construction and technology

- The Early Christian and Byzantine period also had access to similar building materials and construction technology as the Roman civilization.- Building materials were common between the two locations.- Where materials were not available, they were imported from colonies of the empire.- In construction technology, the greatest contribution during the Early Christian and Byzantine era was the discovery of the pendentiveand Dome on pendentive.- Using pendentivesand 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.

S.Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna, Italy (532-549 CE), Early Christian Architecture

Hagia Irene Istanbul, Turkey, 4th century, Byzantine Architecture

• 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.

3) Principles of Arch. Organization

• Introduction- It is possible to understand forces and principles shaping Early Christian and Byzantine architecture by examining the following issues:–Religious Ritual –Symbolism–Construction Technology

• 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.

Altar of the Crucifixition, Church of the Holy Sepulchre

• 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.- 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.

• Construction Technology - Construction technology was a major influence on Church form during the ECB 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 pendentivesand dome on pedentiveschanged technology for

church construction.- Provided means to achieve church forms that reflected the significance of churches as house of God.

References

- http://lena-arch.blogspot.com/p/byzantine-architecture.html- http://historyofarchitecture.weebly.com/byzantine.html- https://prezi.com/nzbm2vwoelmm/early-christian-architecture/#- http://

www.slideshare.net/CarlaFaner/hoa1-lecture-6-early-christian-architecture?related=6

- http://www.victorianweb.org/art/architecture/byzantine/bf1.html- https://

vi.scribd.com/doc/46345527/Early-Christian-Byzantine-and-Romanesque-Architecture