Sacred Spaces final

Detailed Architectural Notes

White Temple and its Ziggurat

• Location: Uruk (modern Warka, Iraq)

• Culture: Sumerian

• Date: c. 3500–3000 B.C.E.

• Materials: Primarily constructed from mud brick, which symbolizes the connection of the temple to the earth. The ziggurat served as both a religious and a political center dedicated to the sky god Anu.

• Vocabulary: ziggurat, cella

Great Pyramids (Menkaura, Khafre, Khufu) and Great Sphinx

• Location: Giza, Egypt

• Culture: Old Kingdom, Fourth Dynasty

• Date: c. 2550–2490 B.C.E.

• Materials: Built with cut limestone, reflecting the ancient Egyptian belief in the afterlife and the divine nature of the pharaohs. The Great Sphinx, with the body of a lion and a human head, symbolizes strength and wisdom.

• Vocabulary: ben-ben, Re, serdab, mastaba

Temple of Amun-Re and Hypostyle Hall

• Location: Karnak, near Luxor, Egypt

• Culture: New Kingdom, 18th and 19th Dynasties

• Date: Temple c. 1550 B.C.E.; Hypostyle Hall c. 1250 B.C.E.

• Materials: Constructed from cut sandstone and mud brick, showcasing advanced engineering with massive stone columns and intricate reliefs depicting the pharaoh’s accomplishments. The Hypostyle Hall served both as a space for worship and an architectural feat with its clerestory allowing light to penetrate.

• Vocabulary: hypostyle hall, clerestory

Parthenon, Acropolis

• Location: Athens, Greece

• Architects: Iktinos and Kallikrates, with Phidias overseeing sculptures

• Date: c. 447–410 B.C.E.

• Materials: Made of marble, the Parthenon was dedicated to the goddess Athena and is renowned for its Doric columns and ornate sculptures. Symbolizes the height of ancient Greek architecture and democracy.

• Vocabulary: Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, pediment, metope, triglyph, Athenaeum procession

Great Altar of Zeus and Athena at Pergamon

• Location: Asia Minor (present-day Turkey)

• Culture: Hellenistic Greek

• Date: c. 175 B.C.E.

• Materials: Marble (architecture and sculpture), notable for its intricate friezes depicting the battle between gods and giants (gigantomachy), representing divine struggle and triumph.

• Vocabulary: gigantomachy

Pantheon

• Culture: Imperial Roman

• Date: 118–125 C.E.

• Materials: Constructed from concrete with stone facing, it is famous for its massive dome and oculus, which creates a unique interplay of light inside and has inspired many architectural designs. The Pantheon served as a temple to all gods of Ancient Rome.

• Vocabulary: oculus, coffers

Catacomb of Priscilla

• Location: Rome, Italy

• Culture: Late Antique Europe

• Date: c. 200–400 C.E.

• Materials: Excavated tufa and fresco, famous for early Christian art and tombs, depicting scenes such as the Good Shepherd, emphasizing the tomb as a space for worship and contemplation.

• Vocabulary: tufa, loculi, cubiculum, orant figures

Santa Sabina

• Location: Rome, Italy

• Culture: Late Antique Europe

• Date: c. 422–432 C.E.

• Materials: Brick and stone with a wooden roof, a prime example of early Christian basilica architecture, featuring a simple yet majestic interior, signifying the transition from pagan temples to Christian worship.

• Vocabulary: basilica, apse, nave, narthex

Hagia Sophia

• Location: Constantinople (Istanbul)

• Architects: Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus

• Date: 532–537 C.E.

• Materials: Combination of brick and ceramic elements with stone and mosaic veneer, originally a cathedral, later a mosque, it exemplifies Byzantine architecture with its large dome supported by pendentives and rich mosaics depicting Christian iconography.

• Vocabulary: pendentives, iconoclasm, minarets

Great Mosque

• Location: Córdoba, Spain

• Culture: Umayyad

• Date: Begun c. 785–786 C.E.

• Materials: Stone masonry, it is known for its unique double arches and intricate arabesques, reflecting the Islamic golden age and serving as a center for knowledge and culture.

• Vocabulary: mihrab, qibla wall, voussoirs, arabesque

Church of Sainte-Foy

• Location: Conques, France

• Culture: Romanesque Europe

• Date: c. 1050–1130 C.E.

• Materials: This church features a typical Romanesque layout with rounded arches, thick walls, and small windows, emphasizing the sense of solidity and safety in a turbulent time, centered around the reliquary of Saint Foy.

• Vocabulary: tympanum, mandorla, barrel vault, reliquary

Chartres Cathedral

• Location: Chartres, France

• Culture: Gothic Europe

• Date: Original construction c. 1145–1155 C.E.; reconstructed c. 1194–1220 C.E.

• Materials: Limestone and stained glass, revered for its remarkable stained-glass windows depicting biblical stories, intricate sculptures, and the soaring Gothic architecture that symbolizes the height of religious dedication and community artistry.

• Vocabulary: transept, Latin cross plan, flying buttress, rib vaults, rose window

These details outline key architectural structures spanning various cultures and periods, emphasizing their significance, materials used, and vocabulary relevant to the study of history and art.

Athenaeum procession

userer

fresco

prefiguration

pietra serena

loggia

fresco

sibyl

ignudi

Counter-Reformation

Di sotto en su

trompe l’oeil

foreshortening

sultan

central-plan squiinches

madrasa

minbar

stucco

undulating

Coyolxauhqui stone

Crepissage

Ostrich eggs

Hajj

Mecca

Al- Hajar al-Aswad

Kiswa

Tibet

Jokhand Temple

mundra

Isra and Miraj

Qu’ran

Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif

Muquarnas

iwan

four-iwan plan

mandala

torana

yakshi

Wheel of dharma

stupa

axis mundi

jatakas

tang

shinto

kami

three spheres of buddhism

zen buddhism

sabi

wabi