EARLY CHRISTIAN AND

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" .I York I ·- �
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Sd .hester • . • Ca �)
terbury
;
1\.ix-la-Chapelle • ,
• Treves

/
GAUL ,.-')
• S. Gall
Nevers • • Autun ,,, Feodostya
,
Torccllo
N�ranco. •Vienne '• Grado en • •r� GEORGIA
Escalada .
Ravenna• � Parenzo
Aries •
Banos • • Florence
• Echmiadzin
• Rome• ENIA
Tarragona
Naples •
I A 5th-6th centuries
Hippo Kalat Seman
Tigzirt • Carthage
•
s Tourmanin
Timgad • •
Te bessa Qalb Louzeh
Roueiha

AFRICA c. 4th ceJJ!u1y

(innumerable small bishoprics, \

basilicas, baptisteries and chapels) COPTIC 4 uries

(origins of monasti�ism)

Christianity accepted as the state given to their external appearance.

religion in A.D. 337. Basilican '"rhe term 'basilica' was used for
churches were built throughou
'-
lt, � ��t churches from the -J.th century,
�
the Roman Empire to house } a rc � �� lans being similar to those of
congregations. In contrast to Roman basilicas or l-Ialls of
Classical temples little regard was ._._._.__l!!!!::iB�:i!l!!
e�!iii'IJ Justice.

EARLY CfiRIST'IAN continued in Rome

Architectural periods: 337 WESTER 1 c.6oo 8oo

LATIN
CHRISTIANITY made EMPIRE
the State religion of the ends 4 76 Western
D ivision of
ROMAN EMPIRE A.D. 337 394 E-=====-...:::.=:!=.:. 5 89
the Church -...
'"rhe capital of the Empire Eastern •
moved from EMPIRE
Rome to Byzantium A.D. 3 26
First lcono­
Architectural periods: Justinian Period contro-

68
BYZANTINE INTRODUCTION

Angouh�me Sucavita •
•
cello

The Byzantine Empire

under Justinian, A.D. 527-56 5
L..._
..J..._
_ ____ 5oo mi I es

c. A.D. 8oo A.D. 10-fl

Frankish
Empir·

--

Islam Latin and Greek �burch

Churches in the Eastern Byzantine

"
Byzantine churches were plain
Empire were built with a central without and resplendent inside
dome erected over a square-planned with coloured marbles, tnosaics
space by means of pcndcntives and wall-paintings

and many
"
Italian CitieS

8oo 1000 1200 1500

ROMANESQUE GC)T'IIIC
Western Latin Catholic Church
The Great Schism 104 1
Eastern Greek Orthodox Church -
')
)
clastic Second Third
versy 'Golden' Period Period
EARLY CHRISTIAN

/ Stephana Rotondo
orne (restored),
A.D. 4 7 0
•
•
•
•
•
,
• •
• •
•
•
•
•
S. Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna.
• <?�· •
•
A.D. 534-539
<? •• J'/,0 • •
•
/J'/. • •
:('0 • • �
• •
• •
• •
of S. Peter, Rome •
•
•

•
(restored),
•
•
•
A.D. 330. •
•

Pulled down 1 n . .;:,.<S'

<.'
the 15th century ��

timber roofs Church, Roueiha (restored),

c. 6th century ,A�...£:_
't

•
•
Baptistery of •

S. Costanza, Constantine,_
Rome, Rome, •
•

A.D. 330 A.D. -J.30--J.-J.O

•

Visigothic before the Moslem jnvasion, with horse-shoe arch:

S. Juan de Banos, Cerrato, Spain, c. A.D. soo-7 I 3

70
 COMPARATIVE PLANS
plans and sections in black to the same scale
_______.

S. Clemente. Rome,
rebuilt I o84- 1 1 o8 over
a 4th-century church

Carolingian:
S. Riquier.
nr Abbeville,
France
(restored

G Oratory.
Gern1igny-des-Pres, �
France. A.D. 8o6

S. Maria de Naranco Spanish- Romanesq uc:

Asturia, Spain, Mozarabic. 'Arabized Span ish': S. \Ticentc de Cardona,
A.D. 8 2-J.-8-fO S. Miguel de Escalada, I_Jeon, A.D. 91 3 Catalonia, t. 1 02-:J-- 1 o-4-o

/I
ROMAN BASILICA EARLY
� Basilica of UI pia,
Rome, c. A.D. 98-1 1 2:
a part of
Trajan's Forum

•
built by the
• • Hellenistic architect,
• •

•
•
•
• Apollodorus
•

of Damascus
•
•

• . . /-. .
•
•
•
•
•
.
•

•
•

'
'
..
'
'
'

•
•

TIMBER ROOFS

Rafters tend to push·walls outwards � joints and

E::�
A beam supports rafters at AA
and a post at B
A tie-beam B king-post
C queen-posts D straining-piece

-=-- i•
S. Paolo fuori le Mura, Rome

!��� to>
" � �
;:
1
<--.2.!!-'!!' ,. /
Sci tie-beam constructiOn : � Ill I /
�� S
f ;; ? I
� '• -:=- -
� � --- �....
�= -...7
·..� :.-----.-
.;: - ..- ..
'----=.
king-post or suspensory tie B �
holds up the tic-beam AA Tie-beams lengthened by scarf-joints and iron bolts

72
CHRISTIAN CHURCHES

100

Q
Columns
supporting
fl
a flat entablature: lJ /
S. Maria Maggiore,
Rome, A.D.+3 2

Columns
.

su pport1ng semi-
.

circular arches:
S. Apollinare in Class ,
Ravenna, A.D. 53+- 53 9

Aisles in
two storeys:
Basilican church of S. Paolo fuori le Mura, Rome, A.D. 3 20; S. Agnese fuori le M ura,
burnt down in 1 8 3 2 and rebuilt to the original design Rome, A.D. 62 5-63 8

73
BYZANTINE
ROMAN

S. George. Salonika, S. Vitale, Ravenna, SS. Sergius

c. A.D. 400 A.D. 5 26-54 7 and Bacchus,
The Minerva Medica, Constantinople,
Rome, c. A.D. 2 6o A.D. 527-553

The Pantheon, Rome,

A.D. I 20- I 24 S. Sophia, Constantinople, A.D. 532-537

SYRIA:
S. George,
Ezra,
C. A.D. 5 I0

74

. .
 COMPARATIVE PLANS

. .

Carolingian
cathedral,

[�,. .' .....

Aix-b-Chapelle,
796-804
----,..
A.D.
1042-1o8s
S. Mark, Venice, A.D. '
= ·��·�,�
=-=-�cJ
�
f\i
-·-..-.'/\/'
·'_A'/.' �.
'o�' I�� �f.·:
a?i
·s.� �� �·
;��, Q-]I ) �.:
"
I
�
1. .
·U
,1
...
• -- -" • #.•
•..
•
e
p:-
� •
'• ....

•
,.

�-�
•

S. Basil,
II I '
I Moscow,
\-
. -·

t-- .,-.�-
(
..
I (
.

J
•....:, ·-- A.D. ISS-t-Is6o

:- � .
:G3
I .

��
; ;.:,-J..
.. . .•I I �,.--- '\�
1-1•-!1•
.... . . .
•
1

la...l ' = _

=
S. Saviour
S. Irene, Con�tantinople,
Church, Daphni, nr Athens, Pantepoptes,
A.D. /-J.O
. c. 1 1 th century A.D. Constantinople,
� V·
� early 12th century
y---..,_
'"' J_ 1..!
�-� I

I r1l r1
.
I<
, • • ,. ·

:�L I
I
r • r•
••• ···-
..
( 1 I
_

• - -" I

� l ::·�·� r
S. Sophia, Salonika,
c_ 6th century A.D. S. Front, Pcrigucux, F ra n ce , A.D. 1 1 20

iS
EARLY CHRISTIAN
6o

The Mausoleum of S. Costanza, Rome, built by Constantine, c. A.D. 3 24-3 29.

The dome constructed of concrete with brick ribs and set on a drum supported upon
1 2 coupled granite columns, the thrust neutralized by the barrel vault of the circular aisle

The Tomb of Galla Placidia, Ravenna, c. A.D. 4 20

An early cruciform plan with a dome and pendentives forming the same hemisphere, of
concentric courses of brick; filling-in of amphorae set in mortar A; mosaics line the interior

Capitals: S. Demetrius, Salonika, sth century A.D.

For capitals Roman Ionic, Corinthian and Composite types were used, and a cubiform type
was_evolved, carrying a dosscret block D to support wide voussoirs of arches or thick walls
BYZANTINE MES

e'=').
2 inches ·��
\-� \

S. Vitale, Ravenna, A.D. 526-547

Founded by Justinian to commemorate the recovery of Ravenna. Built of brick; the dome
constructed of terracotta jars embedded in mortar which produced a lightness of structure.
The transition of the octagonal space into the circular dome was made by angle-niches A;
the lateral thrust of the dome was resisted by the 7 semicircular recesses, the cross-vault
of the choir and the butresses on the external walls. The only mosaics not destroyed are
in the choir and apse

77
 Pendentives Dome and pendentivcs
parts of one hemisphere

So

To build an arch
centenng IS necessary,
-----

but a dome can be built Domes on pendcntivcs

SUCCCSSJVe nngs
. . .

Ill built with bricks

of horizontal arches not radiating
without centering S. Sophia, Salonika, c. A.D. -+95 from centre

a
R \

/
/
Metropole Dome with drum:
Cathedral, Athens, A.D. I 250 cross-in-SLl uarc plan

;H
 DOMES ON PENDENTIVES
18o

section bowing
�
angles of bricks

100 A
A

Bronze rings A,
tie-rods B to
res1st pressure

S. Sophia (IIagia Sophia= divine wisdom), Constantinople, .-\.D.�532-537 (plan P·74)

Built for Justinian by two Greek
architects, Anthcmius of Tralles
and Isodorus of Milctus. Built of
brick; the dome probably ercetccl
without centering, with bricks 1 oo

about 24--2 7 inches square ancl

2 inches thick I aiel in deep mortar
and covered with t inch lead;
the dome supported on 4 piers,
the thru�t being taken by 2 semi­
domes and -1- massive buttresses;
the interior lined throughout in
coloured marbles and mosaics

i9