EARLY BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE

role of architecture in defining the new religious structure of the Roman empire

INTRODUCTION

• PRE-CHRISTIAN ROMAN RELIGIOUS ARCHITECTURE

Roman religious architecture focus on the exterior side of the temple.

The interior space called cella is dedicated to the status of the deity.

The main religious practices and ceremonies take place in front of the temple around the altar.

Religious buildings, like other Roman structures, have a massive grandiose look, and an outside orientation, which reflect the paganism ideology.

Temple of Isis, Pompei

Believers sacrifice and celebrate in front of the temple

• EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCHES

Christianity is a mystery religion; practices take place inside church-houses while the young religion was oppressed by the Roman authorities .

The remains of Dura-Europos house-church in Syria.Studies suggest that it was a normal house and between 233 and 256 it was converted to worship.

When the house was converted to a church a wall was taken down to make a larger room. The baptistery is the most elaborate room from which we can conclude how much initiation is important for Christianity as a mystery religion.

• CONSTANTINE AND LEGALIZATION OF CHRISTIANITY

In the early 4th century Christianity became a popular mystery cult.

After his victory on his rival Maxentius in 312, emperor Constantine established a “new Rome” in the east.

In 313 Christianity became legal after the Edict Of Milan.

Constantine which dedicate his victory to the Christian God start a mission to convert the Empire to the new religion. And his main propaganda tactic was architecture.

Inasmuch of ideological and liturgical differences between Paganism and Christianity, Constantine’s architects searches different physical form for the temple inspired from pre-existed architectural forms.

• HOW CAN WE UNDERSTAND THE NEW FEATURES OF THE TEMPLE (CHURCH) IN THE LIGHT OF CHRISTIAN LITURGY AND IDEOLOGY?

FEATURES OF BYZANTINE RELIGIOUS BUILDINGS

• PLANS:

The classic plan of the Roman temple was inappropriate for the new religion liturgy.

Christians need a building to be used from the inside not the outside, like Roman Basilica which became the most used afterward in the west.

Basilica Aemilia 179 B.C

Roman basilicas were used as formal public meeting hall, law courts or simply as a roofed market.

Being used as a law court, or as a audience hall were the emperor address to people; it’s interior architecture focus on one point in the front, the magistrate in the apse were the emperor or the judge sit.

Interior of basilica Julia 46 B.C

The basilica plan seems to be the most logical plan to be adopted as church. The priest take the place of the judge or the emperor symbolizing the law which is Jesus teaching in this case. At the same time the altar take the place of the magistrate.

interior of sant apollinare.You can notice how much the interior reassemble to a Roman basilica.

In the east centralized plan was the most abundant.

This plan can be derived from roman mausoleum or other buildings types like baths.

The use of domes and transepts leads to this style.

Plan of Hagia Sophia Plan of St.Mark Venice

Chatedral of St.Simon the styliste, Syria

Transepts were added as symbolic feature (cross) and to create a space for the increasing number of clergy and for the proper celebration of the service.

• DOMES

Domes were a likeable feature in the east.

East impose it’s culture after the establishment of the “New Rome” Constantinople in the east.

Domes represent the cosmos, the sky.

In the Christian ideology the church represent the house of god, by other mean heaven, from this point of view we can understand the abundant use of domes.

Another thing, domes make the building look more high from the outside and more light from the inside which reflect the idea that church is a place to meet god which is in the Highest Place, the light weight of the dome help up to flight spiritually to his realm.

St.Mark Venice, the building look light and sky oriented while the former Roman temple is massive and earth oriented.

The main innovation of the Byzantine architecture is the Pendentive.

The pendentive make a link between a square ground plan and a circular dome which give the chance to profit from the usable space of the ground and the esthetique of the circular dome at the same time.

The pendentive was first used in Hagia-Sophia and from this point it was regarded as a main feature of the byzantine architecture. The emperor Justinian consider the innovation a victory on the pagans religion simply because Christian architecture take over pagans’.An architectural project like Hagia-Sophia is a large propaganda for the new religion.Domes in Byzantine architecture are a great example how some architectural features became in a close relation with a particular ideology.

Hagia-Sophia and it’s large dome and multi-half-domes

• EXTERIOR LOOK

The exterior appearance of Christian churches made a shocking contrast with the pagan temple.

The last one focus on the exterior. Pagan temples look magnificent from the exterior.

In the other hand most Byzantine architects give minimal interest to the exterior of their churches.

Santa Sabina basilica Rome, Italy 432 B.C

Basilica of Sant' Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna, Italy 549 B.C

The minimal decoration of the exterior reflect the interior orientation of Christianity as a mystery religion in contrary of paganism which was a public religion.

• INTERIOR DECORATION AND THE USE OF LIGHT

The decoration and rituals shift together from the outside to inside.

The interior of Byzantine churches is excessively decorated with frescoes, golden mosaics, graved wood or stone, icons … Represent human figures or geometrical and vegetative shapes.

The focus on the interior reflect the Christian idea that the church is a representation of heaven. Heaven is no doubt isolated from the earthy exterior world. That can be a reason why Christians keep the idea of heaven only represented mainly in the interior.

Frescoes of the interior of a basilica dedicated to the Dormition of Virgin Mary, Date back to 6th or 7th century, districts of Kalambaka, Greece.

Note how much concern they give to interior decoration.Walls were covered completely with frescoes.

The same basilica from the outside

Note the shocking contrast.Walls are modest, and the only esthetique features are the architectural forms of the building.

Church of the Acheiropoietos, Thessaloniki, Greece, 5th

century.

Small simple columns were used in the outside.

Larger and more ornamented columns were used in the inside.

La Maison Carree, France

It’s like we take a Roman temple than we folded it outside in.

Masons create new forms different from the classic orders associated with pagan cults.

We found examples in the remains of St.Polyeuktos in constantinople built in the 6th century.

A study suggest that the decoration and dimensions of the church are based on the biblical description of Solomon’s temple.

Solomon’s temple was dedicated to the Jewish God Yahweh. In the Christian tradition Yahweh represent the father in the holy trinity.

Remains of a pier capital from the church

Another capital, we can see a palm

The most important decoration elements in the early Byzantine Churches are mosaics.

This art have perfected and mastered in the Byzantine era.

Golden glass stones took the beauty of mosaics to a new level.

Glass mosaics reflect light entering from many windows carved everywhere we can into the walls.

Light reflecting on the mosaic of St.Catherinemonastery in Sinai Egypt.

Jesus, “light of life”,Is a god of light for the Christians.

Use of light was very important, the church represent the cosmos and heaven should look luster like the heaven.

Details from the mosaic of St.Catherine monastery.

Notice how much care and work those mosaics take.

Mosaic of St.Vitale, 6th century

Because of their ability to reflect light, their beautiful appearance and light weight look… Mosaics take over paintings and frescoes.

Hagia Sophia is a good example of the use of light in Byzantine architecture.

Windows are excessively used around the bottom of the dome so that it seems floating above us.

The reflection of light on Golden glass mosaics help enhancing this effect.

The form of the interior also help in creating this transition between earth and heaven.The square ground represent earth, and the spherical dome represent the cosmos.

Light entering from windows look like heavenly bodies.

This reflect the Christian idea that Jesus is the light who enter the dark body and illuminate the soul.

Basilica of St.Marco Venice

This light weight “heavenly” effect is enhanced byThe vertical lines from ground to dome.

In the former Roman temples interior like the Pantheon, horizontal lines cut the vertical one and give a massive feel.

CONCLUSION

When Constantine establish a new religion and authority he establish in parallel a new architectural style based on the new religion ideology history and liturgy.

The ancient temple style was inappropriate because of fundamental differences in function and symbolism.

The new architectural style was adjusted to make the church a representation of heaven, authority, a place were believers can meet god.

Byzantine architecture focus on the inside where the use of light mosaics and vertical lines was abundant to give a feel of weightless structure.