| The early Christians and Jews both used the homes and villas of the faithful for their gathering places of worship. For the Jews, there was only THE temple in Jerusalem; other places of worship, that is, not containing the Ark of the Covenant nor the Tablets, were called "synogogues" or places of assembly by the Greeks. Early Christians did not begin building churches until Constantine allowed freedom of worship. |
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The Church of San Vitale in
Ravenna, Italy, c.526-47, has an octogonal plan and
a domed central core. Its plan is much like the Pantheon,
although the
"dome" is also octagonal. This plan is very typical of the early
Christian
and Byzantine structures. In the west, however, church building is not extensive until the "Romanesque" and Gothic eras, thus the eastern or Byzantine styles initially dominate Church construction. |
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| The Church of the Hagia Sophia ("Holy Wisdom") was built under the Emperor Justinian c.532-33 in Byzantium (Istanbul), the then center of the Roman Empire. The height of the dome is 183 feet. The buildings surrounding the church provide respite -- shelter, food, medical care -- for the many pilgrims of that time. When completed, Justinian is rumored to have exclaimed: "Solomon, I have outdone thee." The tall thin towers, "minarets," were added in the 15th century when the structure was converted to a Mosque under the conquering Muslims. Today, the "Hagia Sophia" is a museum. See page 313* in the Gardner textbook. |
| The same "central dome" plan seen at Ravenna and in the Hagia Sophia is also seen in Moscow at St. Basils Cathedral, the quintessential Byzantine structure. "Arms" extend to form a Greek cross, but the octagonal center remains the same. |
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The "onion" shaped domes are
distinctively Russian. Notice the octagonal shapes on which they
sit. Each "arm" of the Greek cross is topped with a dome, along
with a dome in the center; this arrangement is called a
"quincunx." Originally the domes were white with gold; the colors were added later, perhaps to reflect Russian ethnic art. |
| *Page numbers refer to Gardner
13th
edition. Page Updated 8/03/09 |
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Copyright M. Hoover and San Antonio College,
September, 2001. Al rights reserved.
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