HID 2- Byzantine Art & Architecture

edict of milan

edict of milan

AD 313

by constantine and licinius

granted the toleration of christians which followed the building of churches

two centers of christian church

• roman catholic (latin church)

• eastern orthodox (green church)

roman catholic

greek word katholikos meaning “general” or “universal”

owed its allegiance to rome

eastern orthodox

meaning “true” or “correct”

belief acknowledges the honorary primacy of the patriarch of Constantinople

iconoclastic movement

by emperor III

forbade all representations of human or animal forms in sculptures which affected byzantine church architecture

iconoclasm

meaning the “destruction of images”

represents a period of Byzantine history when the state prohibited the production of religious images

BYZANTINE CHURCHES

ARE DISTINGUISHED BY THE CENTRALIZED TYPE OF PLAN, HAVING A DOME OVER THE NAVE.

DOMED BASILICA

PROVIDED SUFFICIENT SPACE FOR A LARGER CONGREGATION.

CROSS-DOMED CHURCH

OFFERED AN EFFECTIVE STRUCTURAL DESIGN FOR AN INTERMEDIATE CONGREGATION

CROSS-IN-SQUARE CHURCH

WAS IDEAL FOR SMALLER CHURCHES WITH A DOME FEWER THAN 20 BYZANTINE FEET IN DIAMETER.

simple dome

dome and pendentive are parts of the same sphere

compund dome

dome constructed separately from the pendentive

a. dome on top of a pendentive

b. dome raised on a drum on top of a pendentive

melon-shaped dome

with convolutions or ribs

pendentive

spherical triangle forming the transition from the circular plan of a dome t the polygonal plan of its supporting structure

lunette

an area in the plane of a wall framed by an arch or vault, containing a window, painting, or sculpture

pendentive dome

a spherical dome formed by removing four segments so that it merges with its pendentives and sits of a square plan

elements of a christian basilica

MOSAIC

USED BROADLY AS A COMPLETE LINING TO A ROUGH STRUCTURE, AND ARCHITECTURAL LINES WERE REPLACED BY DECORATIVE BANDS

ORNAMENT MOTIFS

• fish (ikhthus)

• dove

• peacock

• lamb (good shepherd)

• grapevine

• endless knot

• chi ro

  • symbolic groups of saints

fish / ikhthus

mentioned and given symbolic meaning several times in the gospels

symbol for jesus

dove

symbol of peace and unity

peacock

emblem of immortality and resurrection

lamb / good shepherd

refers to jesus’ role as a sacrifice atoning for the sins of man in Christian theology

grapevine

symbolized the idea of the vital union of the believers with Christ and among each other

endless knot

emblem of eternity

chi rho

formed by superimposing the first two letters of the word “christ” in greek

invokes the crucifixion of jesus as well as symbolizing his status as the christ

FRESCO PAINTING

the art of painting on fresh, moist plaster with pigments dissolved in water

opus alexandrinum

utilized tiny, geometrically shaped pieces of colored stone and glass paste that were arranged in intricate geometric patterns

dotted with large disks of semiprecious stones

Opus Sectile

made from larger, specially cut pieces, usually of tile or stone

Hagia Irene

was the first church built in Constantinople

served as the church of the Patriarchs before the great Hagia Sophia was completed two centuries later

name, meaning “Holy Peace” in Greek

Hagia Sophia

The largest and most elaborate of its time, rebuilt under Emperor Justinian

Huge rectangle enclosing a central square space with four pillars carrying a vast dome, which dominates the whole interior

was the seat of the Orthodox patriarchy of Constantinople and a principal setting for Byzantine imperial ceremonies

Byzantine column

= like a Corinthian column with an intricately spiky overall foliage carving, like a lacy veil, as opposed to acanthus foliage

St. Basil's Cathedral

has 9 unique onion domes, each with 9 individual chapels

It has strangeness that astonishes by its unexpectedness, complexity and dazzling interleaving of the manifold details of its design

monastery Church

at Hosios Loukas, Phocia, Greece

the facing was executed using the cloisonne technique

stones are framesd all around with bricks