BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE

Lecture #2
 Byzantine Empire
 The Byzantine Empire was the predominantly Greek-
speaking continuation of the Roman Empire during Late
Ancient times and the start of Middle Ages. Its capital city
was Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), originally
known as Byzantium.
BYZANTINE EMPIRE
 Despite the eventual recovery of Constantinople and
re-establishment of the Empire in 1261, Byzantium
remained only one of several small challenging
states in the area for the final two centuries of its
existence. Its remaining territories were
progressively attended by the Ottomans over the
15th century. The Fall of Constantinople in 1453
finally ended the Empire.
 The Fall of Constantinople (Conquest of
Istanbul) was the capture of Constantinople, the
capital of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire,
which occurred after a invasion Ottoman Empire,
under the command of 21-year-old Ottoman Sultan
Mehmed II, against the defending army commanded
by Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI.
BYZANTIUM
Byzantium……………………Greek
Constantinople…………….Constantine
Istanbul……………………….Muslim
Istanbul is called the “Gateway to Europe” . It
is known to be built on seven hills. Its location
is of strategic importance. 97% of Istanbul lies
in eastern end (Asia) and 3% lies in Europe.
It links the two continents –Asia and Europe.
On east side is Asian Istanbul and on west side
is European Istanbul.
 HIGHLIGHTS OF BYZANTINE
ARCHITECTURE
 Byzantine style is culmination of Early Christian
Architecture developed after 330AD ,when
Constantine established the imperial capital at
Byzantium.
 Efforts were to make new capital as traditionally
Roman as possible but gradually a new and
original style emerged. Its character was a
compound of elements both Roman and oriental
Greek.
 As the buildings were executed by Greek
craftsmen, therefore Greek artistry gorgeous
coloring and richness in detail, got intact with
Roman structural and engineering techniques.
ARCHITECTURAL
CHARACTERISTICS
Mathematics was considered as the
highest of sciences. They believed that
architecture was application of geometry
to solid matter.
Pendentive and squinch are byzantine
inventions. Greek cross inscribed in a
square capped by a dome.
Classical orders were no longer observed,
classical details of all kinds were not
seen.
The complex symbolism was expressed in
Domical roof forms
Basilican type plans
Colored glass
marble and opaque glass
 mosaics
continuous pattern in abstract and natural
forms
portrait and natural pictures.
CHARACTERISTICS OF
BYZANITNE STYLE:
Byzantine architects rejected most of the
forms of interior architectural decorations that
had been employed in Roman antiquity . Like
the early Christian they preferred to leave
surface of walls and vaults unbroken by
moldings.
Colored glass marbles and opaque glass
mosaics were used more extensively and
richly than ever before to cover.
Walls ,domes, apses , vaults and arches with
continuous pattern of decoration in abstract
and natural forms ,portraits and pictures.
A design often used was to fill the central
dome with the face of Christ, with the
figure of the saint on angel on each
pendentive.
Saints and the scenes from the gospel
storey decorated other parts of church in
the vivid picture stories, which were both
impressive and understandable to peasant
folk who could neither read and write.
INFLUENCES
Geographical Factors:
 The Position:
 - It stood at the junction of the Bosphorus and the Sea of
Marmora, where Europe and Asia are divided by only a
narrow strip of water.
 This gave it a commanding and central position for the
government of the eastern and most valuable part of the
Roman Empire.
 It was also at the intersection of two great highways of
commerce, the water highway between the Black Sea and
Mediterranean, and the trade route between Europe and
Asia.
 The natural harbor of the Golden Horn possesses
advantages for commerce.
 For its four miles in length, unaffected by tides, and of
sufficient depth to render its quays accessible to ships of
deep draught.
 Byzantine Art :
 Pervaded all parts of the Eastern Roman Empire and was
carried by traders to Greece, Serbia, Russia, Asia Minor,
North Africa and further west, and it had considerable
influence on the architecture of these districts.
Geological Factors:
 Building Material:
 Constantinople had no good building stone,
and local material such as clay for bricks and
rubble for concrete were employed.
Other materials more monumental in
character had therefore to be imported
(marble was brought from the quarries in the
islands).
Byzantine architecture was further
considerably influenced by the multitude of
monolithic columns of such sizes as were
obtainable from the different quarries.
Climatic Factors:
The Roman adapted their methods of
building to suit the needs of the new
eastern capital and to those conditions of
life which had there already created
traditional forms of art, thus these
features formed the style of Byzantine
architecture:
Flat roofs for summer resort were
combined with oriental domes.
With small windows often high up in
otherwise unbroken wall.
Sheltering arches surrounded the open
BUILDING EXAMPLES
Hagia Sophia
 HISTORY OF HAGIA SOPHIA:
 The Byzantine Church of Hagia Sophia stands atop the first hill of
Constantinople at the tip of the historic peninsula, surrounded by the
waters of the Sea of Marmara, the Strait of Bosporus.
 It was built by Justinian I between 532 and 537 and is located in close
proximity to the Great Palace of the Emperors . It is a former Greek
Orthodox basilica(church), later an imperial mosque and now a
museum in Istanbul Turkey.
 It is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to
have changed the history of architecture. It remained the world's
largest cathedral.
 It took five years to reconstruct the dome after it collapsed in an
earthquake in 557.
 The Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, which put an end
to the Byzantine Empire, began the era of Islamic worship in the holy
structure, which Mehmed II converted into a mosque immediately
after his conquest.
 Known then on as the Ayasofya Mosque, the Hagia Sophia remained
the Great Mosque of the Ottoman capital till1934. Little was modified
during the initial conversion when a mihrab, a minber and a wooden
Material Ashlars masonry and Brick .
 Brick Length 82 m (269 ft)
Width 73 m (240 ft)
 Height 55 m (180 ft)
 Beginning date 532 AD
Completion date 537 AD
Since it was built by Emperor Constantine.
Architects were Justinian and Isiporus in 6 AD.
Dimensions: (214 x 107 x 180)ft i.e length x
width x height.
The columns supporting dome are 45 ft in
height and 25 sqft in plan.
Diameter of dome is 107ft. Dome rises to
56m (183ft) with pierced ring of 40 windows.
The light dramatize the spiritual aspect of the
interior and dome appears suspended in
space and thus representative of heaven.
Ravenna
 The Basilica of San Vitale is a
church in Ravenna, Italy and one of
the most important examples of
early Christian Byzantine art and
architecture in western Europe. The
building is a basilica and the Roman
Catholic Church. The church has an
octagonal plan. The building
combines Roman elements: the
dome, shape of doorways, and
stepped towers; with Byzantine
elements: polygonal apse, capitals,
and narrow bricks. The church is
most famous for its wealth of
Byzantine mosaics, the largest and
best preserved outside of
Constantinople. The church is of
extreme importance in Byzantine art,
as it is the only major church from
the period of the Emperor Justinian I
to survive virtually intact to the
present day.
The stories are
depicted on the walls
in series of mosaic
paintings. On the side
walls the corners, next
to the mullioned
windows, have
mosaics of the Four
Evangelists, under
their symbols
BASILLICAN AND BYZANTINE
CHURCH

 Basillican church plan has been used in

conjunction with the idea of directional
emphasis i.e. Latin cross ,unequal arm and
length. But byzantine church was a
centralized plan i.e Greek cross with arms
of equal length .
Basillican plan has axial emphasis while
byzantine plan had radial.
Basillican interior: emphasizes horizontal
lines leading the eye with rows of columns
to the apse which was the dominant
feature of the church. While Byzantine
interior: emphasizes vertical line leading
the eye upward by means of piers and half
dome to the dominating central dome.
Byzantine church forbade the use of
human figures in sculpture although
permitting it in painting or mosaic. This
edicts force the artists to evolve new
forms based upon plant life and
geometrical figures. Byzantine art also
showed that a great art need not to be
realistic pattern.