Comparison between early christian and byzantine architecture

COMPARISON BETWEEN EARLY CHRISTIAN AND BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Early Christian vs. Byzantine Architecture
Early Christian Byzantine
Where in Europe: West. East.
Capital: Rome. Byzantium/Constantinople.
Language: Latin. Greek.
Relationship between church and
state:
Separation between church and
state.
Union between church and state.
Type of Christianity: Catholic. Orthodox.
Art: Catacomb paintings, mosaics. Mosaics, icons.
Architecture: Basilica-plan church. Central-plan church.
Roof: Flat timber. Domed.
Roof support: Post and lintel. Pendentives.
Example: S. Apollinare. Hagia Sophia.
Time: 3rd-7th century CE 330-1453 CE
(Source: http://www2.palomar.edu/users/mhudelson/StudyGuides/ECvsByz_WA.html)
Student: Nguyen Tuan Viet – 13KTT

EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE BYZANTINE
ARCHITECTURE
- Time period: 3rd-7th centuries
- The term Early Christian refers to the architecture
related to Christian religion.
- After Christianity is recognized receiving official
approval from Roman Empire. Christians begin
constructing religious structured adapted from Roman
prototypes.
- Time Period: 330-1453 CE
- The Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire
maintains Roman culture and buildings
tradition before and after the fall of the city of
Rome in 476 CE. - Imperial patronage
encourages the Christian religion and the
buildings of new structure. Orthodox
Byzantine churches are domed and centrally
planned with distinctive iconographic mosaic.

I. Historical and Social
1) Early Christian Architecture
- Christianity comes into being following the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth about 33 CE. For the
next three centuries, membership increases, but Christianity has little legal standing in the Roman
Empire.
- In 313 CE, Roman emperor Constantine wins battle that he attributes to the Christian God and gives
the tolerance for all religions. He personally sanctions Christianity and raising its status. Soon
Christian churches and other structures spring up in Rome, Constantinople and other cities.
Constantine himself is the patron for the Old Saint Peter basilica in Rome. In 330CE he moves the
capital to Constantinople (today Istanbul) and rules Roman Empire from the East. In 404 CE emperor
Honorius moves the capital to Ravenna to prevent it from being overtaken. But his effort was
unsuccessful and in 476 CE Ravenna and Rome were overtaken, making the fall of Roman Empire.
With the fewer invasions the eastern portion prospers as Byzantine Empire.

2) Byzantine Architecture
- Emperor Constantine moved the capital of Roman Empire to Constantinople, which is renamed
Greek city Byzantium. Later Justinian creates that state when he makes Christianity the only legal
religion in the 6th century, he maintains an autocratic rule the combines the position of bishop and
caesar. Soon court and church become synonymous. In 1054 Eastern Church separates from the
Western Church.
- Byzantine history is history of rise and fall. In 6th century Justinian was trying to build the buildings
that will reestablish the glory of Roman Empire. Crusades, beginning in 1095, revive trade and
commerce, when they sack Constantinople in 1203-94, empire starts to decline. The city eventually
falls to Ottoman Turks, ending the Empire in 1953.
- In addition to maintaining Roman laws, government and culture the Byzantine Empire preserves
ancient Greek culture. Empire supports the vigorous intellectual life in which classicism is a source of
inspirational and renewal. Byzantine scholars help initiate study of Greek manuscripts in Italy, which
contributes to the development of Renaissance.
- Byzantine Empire continuous classical Roman and Early Christian traditions, blending them into a
distinctive church architecture and decoration, that reflects an imperial, precisely Christ and saints at

II. Architecture
1) Plans
- The Early Christians followed the
basilican models for their new churches.
- May also have used old Roman halls,
baths, dwelling-houses, and even pagan
temples as places of worship.
Early Christian Architecture Byzantine
Architecture
Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine
- Byzantine churches are all distinguished by
a great central square space covered with a
dome, supported by means of pendentives,
shown above in figures J and K.
- On each side extend short arms, forming a
Greek cross, which with the narthex and
side galleries make the the plan nearly
square . The narthex was was placed within
the main walls.

Early Christian Architecture Byzantine Architecture
2) Walls
- These were still
constructed according to
Roman methods of using
rubble or concrete, faced
with plaster, brick, or
stone.
- Mosaic decoration was
added internally, and
sometimes also
externally on west
facades.
- Little regard was paid
to external architectural
effect.
- These were often constructed of brick.
Internally, all the oriental love of
magnificence was developed, marble
casing and mosaic being applied to the
walls; hence a flat treatment and
absence of mouldings prevailed.
- Externally the buildings were left
comparatively plain, although the facade
was sometimes relieved by alternate
rows of stone and brick, in various colors.

3) Openings
- Doors and windows are semicircular headed (see
above), but segmental and horse-shoe arched
openings are sometimes seen.
- The windows are small and grouped together (see
above). The universal employment of mosaic in
Byzantine churches, and the consequent exclusion
of painted glass, rendered the use of such large
windows as the Gothic architects employed quite
inadmissible, and in the bright climate very much
smaller openings sufficed to admit the necessary
light.
- Portions of the windows are occasionally filled with
thin slabs of translucent marble (G above).
- Arcades, doors, and windows were either spanned
by a semicircular arch.
- Which in nave arcades, often rested directly on the
capitals without any entablatures, or were spanned by
a lintel.

4) Roofs
- The method of roofing these buildings was by a
series of domes formed in brick, stone, or concrete,
with frequently no further external covering.
- In S. Sophia the vaults are covered with sheets
of lead, a quarter of an inch thick, fastened to
wood laths, resting on the vaults without any
wood roofing. Hollow earthenware was used in
order to reduce the thrust on the supporting walls
(No. 83 d).
- The Byzantines introduced the dome placed
over a square or octagonal plan by means of
pendentives, a type not found in Roman
architecture.
- In early examples the pendentives were part of
one sphere. In the later type the dome is not part
of the same sphere as the pendentives, but rises
independently from their summits. The early
domes were very flat; in later times they were
raised on a drum or cylinder.
- Timber roofs covered the central nave, and only
simple forms of construction, such as king and
queen post trusses, were employed.
- The narrower side aisles were occasionally
vaulted.
- Apse was usually domed and lined with beautiful
glass mosaics, which formed a fitting background
to the sanctuary.
St Peter’s Basilica

5) Columns
- Differ both in design and size, often taken
from earlier Roman buildings. It was natural
that early Christian builders should use
materials and ornament of the pagan Romans.
- Used Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, or
Composite from ancient Roman buildings,
except those in S. Paolo fuori le Mura.
.- The carved capitals are governed by Roman
pagan precedent and sometimes by that of
Byzantine, and in both the acanthus leaf forms
an important part.
- In the earlier buildings, these were taken from
ancient structures. which not being so
numerous in the East as in the neighborhood
of Rome, the supply was sooner exhausted;
and thus there was an incentive to design
fresh ones.
- An altered shape of capital was required to
support the arch, a convex form being best
adapted. The surfaces of these capitals were
carved with incised foliage of sharp outline,
having drilled eyes (No. 88) between the
leaves.
- Columns were used constructively, but were
always subordinate features, and often only
introduced to support galleries, the massive
piers alone supporting the superstructure.

6)
Mouldings
- These were unimportant, their place
being taken by broad flat expanses of wall
surfaces.
- Internally, the decorative lining of marble
and mosaic in panels was sometimes
framed in billet mouldings, probably
derived from the Classic dentils, and flat
splays enriched by incised ornamentation
were used.
- Externally, the simple treatment of the
elevations in flat expanses of brickwork,
with occasional stone banded courses, did
not leave the same scope for mouldings as
- Coarse variations of old Roman types, and the carving,
though rich in general effect, is crude ; for the technique
of the craftsman had gradually declined.
- Enrichments were incised on moldings in low relief, and
the acanthus ornament, although still copied from the
antique, became more conventional in form.

7) Ornament
- The introduction of color gave richness and
glimmering mystery to interiors.
- The mosaics which was the principal form of
interior ornament, lined the domed apses generally
represented Christ surrounded by apostles and
saints with all those symbolic emblems.
- Usually made of glass.
- Fresco painting usually in figure forms.
- The walls being lined with costly marbles with
the veining carefully arranged so as to form
patterns, and the vaults and upper part of walls
with glass mosaic having symbolic figures, groups
of saints and representations of the peacock, the
whole forming a striking contrast to the less
permanent painted frescoes usually adopted in
the Western Romanesque churches.
- Mosaic thus was used in a broad way as a
complete lining to a rough structure, and
architectural lines were replaced by decorative
bands in the mosaic.
- Greek rather than Romain technique was
followed in the carving, due to the origin of the
craftsmen. The carving was mainly executed in
low relief, and effect was frequently obtained by
sinking portions of the surfaces.

III. Architectural
Characteristics
- Early Christian and Byzantine architecture was a continuation of the Roman Empire.
- Buildings and building practices continued from the Roman period to the Early Christian and
Byzantine period.
- All Roman civic and Residential buildings were used during the Early Christian and Byzantine period.
- The only new element and the focus in the examination of the Early Christian and Byzantine
Architecture is the Christian church.
- The spread of Christianity in Rome led to the evolution of the Christian place of worship.
- The form of the early church was not new but an adaptation of the Roman Basilica
- This form later evolved into an alternative church plan that was either round or lobed.
- The Byzantine church form evolved much later than the Early Christian church forms.
1) Building and other arch. elements

2) Materials, construction and
technology
- The Early Christian and Byzantine period also had access to similar building materials and
construction technology as the Roman civilization.
- Building materials were common between the two locations.
- Where materials were not available, they were imported from colonies of the empire.
- In construction technology, the greatest contribution during the Early Christian and Byzantine era was
the discovery of the pendentiveand Dome on pendentive.
- Using pendentivesand Dome on pendentive, Byzantine architects were able to adapt the circular profile of a
dome roof to a square plan.
- By using several overlapping domes, Byzantine architects were able to create an intricate interior structural
system and external roof system.
- Intricate interior structural systems combined with decoration and lighting created fascinating interior effects.
S.Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna, Italy (532-549 CE), Early
Christian Architecture
Hagia Irene Istanbul, Turkey, 4th century, Byzantine Architecture

• Technology
- The Early Christian and Byzantine period saw the most extensive use of clerestory windows.
- From early basilica churches to Byzantine churches, clerestory windows were used to provide
lighting in the interior of churches and together with decoration enabled the creation of interesting
interiors.

3) Principles of Arch. Organization
• Introduction
- It is possible to understand forces and principles shaping Early Christian and Byzantine architecture
by examining the following issues:
–Religious Ritual
–Symbolism
–Construction Technology

• Religious Rituals
- The various ritual that comprise Christian religious worship played a fundamental part in the evolution of the
Christian place of worship.
- Design closely mirror rituals of the religion.
- The initial choice of the Basilica was because of its easy adaptability to a Christian church. Later when
practices started changing, the alternative church forms evolved.
- Ritual practices and function played a more significant influence on church form during the Early Christian
period than during the Byzantine period.
Altar of the Crucifixition, Church of the Holy Sepulchre

• Symbolism
- Symbolism also played a significant role in the evolution of the form of the
Christian church.
- Spirituality and mysticism were integrated into the experience of church
spaces.
- During Christian architecture, Symbolism in the experience of space become
a predominant issue in design.
- The use of light and decoration to create fascinating interiors but function still
predominated.
- During the Byzantine period the Church itself became a symbol of the faith.
- The Church is viewed as a house of god and its design and construction as
a reflection of this symbolism.
- The scale of the church was therefore increased and its decoration became
more complex.
- In this respect we see a contrast between an overriding emphasis in Early
Christian architecture on function and rituals, and in Byzantine architecture

• Construction Technology
- Construction technology was a major influence on Church form during the ECB period.
- The Basilica was chosen during the Early Christian period partly for its ease of construction.
- Ease of construction means places of worship could be provided for the expanding believers.
- During the Byzantine era, discovery of pendentivesand dome on pedentiveschanged technology
for church construction.
- Provided means to achieve church forms that reflected the significance of churches as house of
God.

References
- http://lena-arch.blogspot.com/p/byzantine-architecture.html
- http://historyofarchitecture.weebly.com/byzantine.html
- https://prezi.com/nzbm2vwoelmm/early-christian-architecture/#
- http://www.slideshare.net/CarlaFaner/hoa1-lecture-6-early-christian-
architecture?related=6
- http://www.victorianweb.org/art/architecture/byzantine/bf1.html
- https://vi.scribd.com/doc/46345527/Early-Christian-Byzantine-and-Romanesque-
Architecture

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