1.

5 EARLY CHRISTIAN
History
In 63 BC, the Romans conquered Judea in the Eastern
Mediterranean. Main inhabitants were the Jews. They believed
that one day the “Messiah” or “Christ” would free them from the
Romans.
In 27 AD, Jesus began preaching to people in Galilee,
north of Judea. After three years, he was arrested by the Jews and
found guilty of offending their God. He was nailed to a cross and died a painful death. He appeared to his
disciples after his resurrection from the dead. Belief that Jesus was the Christ and the Son of God -
Christianity was born. Disciples spread stories of Jesus’ life and teaching by word of mouth and by
written account in the New Testament. They Moved from Judea to Antioch in Syria and into the Northern
Mediterranean and founded new communities along the way, carried by St. Peter, St. Paul and other
missionaries to Rome, the center of the Empire and fountainhead of power and influence. Emperor Nero
ordered Christians to be fed to wild beasts or burned to death. Despite this, in 4th century Rome,
Christianity grew.
In 312 AD, Constantine, a converted Christian, named it the official religion of the Roman
Empire. Then By 600 AD, most roman villages had their own churches, governed by a bishop. The
Patriarchs based in Jerusalem, Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople and Rome.
Geography & Geology
I. Geographical- Christianity had its birth in Judaea, an eastern province of the Roman Empire,
but directly it became a living organism it was naturally carried by S. Peter, S. Paul, and other
missionaries to Rome, as the centre of the World-Empire. There at the fountain-head of
power and influence, and in spite of opposition and persecution, the new religion took root
and grew, till it was strong enough to become the recognised universal religion of the whole
Roman Empire. Early Christian architecture at Rome was influenced by, and was the logical
outcome of, existing Roman art, and it was modified in other parts of the Empire according
to the type already recognised as suitable for the geographical situation of those countries,
such as Syria, Asia Minor, North Africa, and Egypt.
II. Geological - Geological influences may be said to have acted indirectly rather than directly
on Early Christian architecture, for the ruins of Roman buildings often provided the quarry
whence materials were obtained. This influenced the style, both as regards construction and
decoration ; for columns and other architectural features, as well as fine sculptures and
mosaics from older buildings, were worked into basilican churches of the new faith.
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
By the end of the first century, it is evident that Christian places of worship had developed a
somewhat standard form of architecture. Churches from the 1st through the 3rd centuries took classical
Greek and Roman architecture in its most flourished form as its main influence. Classical architecture
had at this time reached its height after developing for thousands of years.
The tendency to use Greek and Roman architectural styles was made without reference to their
original symbolism. This allowed for a more complete freedom of architectural styles. There were,
however, unique designs that were created specifically for churches. One of the few architectural
developments made by early churches was the construction of a dome on top of a polygon.
The Basilica
The term Basilica originally denoted anything kingly or lordly. The basic characteristics of a
basilica in terms of a place of worship are: a rectangular ground plan divided longitudinally into three or
five aisles by columns which support the roof. The roof above the middle aisle (the nave) is raised above
the adjacent aisles so that its supporting walls have openings for air and light. A half dome projects
beyond the rectangular plan.
By the third century, it was the Middle East that was the most flourished region for Christianity.
This area mostly included Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt. Unfortunately it is in this area that early Christian
monuments have either been completely destroyed or hardly explored. Many of these early churches
were likely converted by Islam into mosques, the most notable example being Hagia Sophia.
Here Syria is an exception. The conquest of Islam left the greater part of this area an empty
desert. Since most of these early churches were built of stone, they have survived. They are therefore
some of the best available examples of Christian architecture from the third and fourth centuries.
Constantine ordered a church to be built over the place of Jesus' birth in 339 AD. Two crusading kings
were later crowned here.
Plan Views of Early Churches

St. Lorenzo, Rome; (B) Basilica in Suweda, Syria; (C) Basilica Ursiana, Ravenna; (D) St. Paul's, Rome.(E)
Xenodochium of Pammachius, Porto; (F) St. Maria Maggiore, Rome; (G) Basilica in Kalb-Luseh, Syria.
Exterior and Interior Views of Early Churches

Turmanin,Syria.

Basilica in Kalb-Luseh, Syria

St. Apollinare in Nuovo, Ravenna. Sixth century. St. George, Ezra, Syria.

1.6 Byzantine Architecture

History
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.
Byzantium, "New Rome", was later renamed Constantinople and
is now called Istanbul. The empire endured for more than a
millennium, dramatically influencing Medieval and Renaissance era architecture in Europe and, following
the capture of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks in 1453, leading directly to the architecture of the
Ottoman Empire.
ARCHITECTURE

It's characterized especially by massive domes with square bases and Architecture rounded
arches and spires. Early Byzantine architecture was built as a continuation of Roman architecture and the
buildings increased in geometric complexity
Greek Cross
A square plan in which the nave, chancel and transept arms are of equal
length forming a Greek cross, the crossing generally surmounted by a dome
became the common form in the Orthodox Church, with many churches
throughout Eastern Europe and Russia being built in this way.The example is
Byzantine Church of the Pisa Cathedral
Hagia Sophia
“Church of Holy Wisdom,” chief church in Constantinople it is
built in AD 537 at the beginning of the middle ages, it was famous in
particular for its massive dome. It was the world's largest building and
an engineering marvel of its time. It is considered the epitome
of Byzantine Architecture
DOME
(from Latin: domus) is an architectural element that
resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere or a rounded vault
forming the roof of a building or structure, typically with a circular base.
Byzantine Dome construction

To allow a dome to rest above a square base,

either of two devices was used: the squinch (an arch in
each of the corners of a square base that transforms it
into an octagon) or the pendentive. Windows were
formed in the lower portion of the dome which, in the
later period, was hoisted upon a high "drum"Light as the
mystic element, The mystical quality of the light that
floods the interior has fascinated visitors for centuries.
The canopy-like dome that also dominates the inside of
the church rides on a halo of light from windows in the
domes base.
Examples of Byzantine Architecture:

Basilica of Sant’ Apollinare Nuovo Ravenna,

Italy, It was built as an Arian church by Theodoric the
Great, King of Ostrogoths (475-526) in the early 6th century.
When Italy was conquered by the Byzantines during the Gothic
War of 535-554, Justinian I had it converted into an Orthodox
church and dedicated it to Saint Martin of Tours. The basilica
was named Sant’ Apollinare Nuovo in the mid-9th century
when it became home to the relics of Saint Apollinaris. Also
home to splendid early Byzantine mosaics, in 1996 the basilica
was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list as a part of the site of “Early Christian
Monuments of Ravenna”.

Basilica of San Vitale,

It's also a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the
“Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna”. It too was built by the
Ostrogoths (but completed by the Byzantines) and just like the
Basilica of Sant’ Apollinare Nuovo, it is decorated with
spectacular mosaics which are widely considered as the finest
and most beautifully preserved example of Byzantine mosaic art
outside Constantinople. Built on what is believed to be the site of
martyrdom of Saint Vitalis (also known as Vitalis of Milan), the
basilica was consecrated in 547.
Hagia Irene or Hagia Eirene,
It's one of the earliest churches built in the Byzantine capital. It was
commissioned by Constantinople’s founder, Roman Emperor Constantine the
Great (r. 324-337) but unfortunately, the original church was destroyed during the
Nika riots in 532. Emperor Justinian I had it rebuilt in the mid-6th century but the church suffered severe
damage during an earthquake two centuries later. Much of the today’s appearance of the church thus
dates to the 8th century. Hagia Irene is now a museum but it is also used to host various musical events

BYZANTINE ARCHITECTS:
Byzantine architects were eclectic, at first drawing
heavily on Roman temple features.
Eclecticism
is an architectural style that flourished in the 19th and
20th-centuries. It refers to any design that incorporates elements of traditional motifs and styles,
decorative aesthetics and ornaments, structural features, and so on, that originated from other cultures
or architectural periods.
Anthemius of Tralles,
Born on 474 AD, Aydin, Turkey. Was a Greek from Tralles who
worked as a geometer and architect in Constantinople, the capital of
the Byzantine Empire. With Isidore of Miletus, he designed the Hagia
Sophia for Justinian I. 
Isidore of Miletus,
Isidore of Miletus was one of the two main Byzantine Greek
architects that Emperor Justinian I commissioned to design the cathedral
Hagia Sophia in Constantinople from 532 to 537. The creation of an
important compilation of Archimedes' works has been attributed to
him...Was one of the two main Byzantine Greek architects that Emperor
Justinian I commissioned to design the cathedral Hagia Sophia in
Constantinople from 532 to 537. The creation of an important
compilation of Archimedes' works has been attributed to him.

Trdat the Architect,

Trdat the Architect was the chief architect of the Bagratid kings of
Armenia, and most notable for his design of the cathedral at Ani and his
reconstruction of the dome of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.
MATERIALS UTILIZED:
Concrete
A material used in construction during the late Roman Republic.
Concrete was based on a hydraulic-setting cement. Durable due to its incorporation of volcanic ash and it
consists of an aggregate and hydraulic mortar(workable paste used to bind building blocks).
Bricks
It was abundantly produced during the Roman Empire. The ordinary bricks were like the Roman,
about an inch and a half in depth, and were laid on thick beds of mortar. The carcase (skeleton) of
concrete and brickwork was first completed and this independence of the component parts is
characteristic of Byzantine construction.
Domes
These domes were frequently constructed of bricks and is usually covered with stucco, marble
or stone.
Facades
Walls of earlier churches are smooth plain and unadorned. Later ones are articulated with
architectural elements. As time passes facades grow more complex as in form following the interior
shapes. Circular or polygonal forms, the repetition of windows, walls, and arches create rhythmic
pattern.
Columns
Usually unfluted, with inverted pyramidal impost block (which separates the capital from
springing of arch). Both impost block and capital are covered with complex and pierced lacy undercut
foliage or geometric shapes.
Windows
Windows with round tops punctuate walls and domes, usually placed in the drums of dome so
that dome appear to float.
Roofs
Sloped and gabled rooflines are complicated. Domes over plan centers and crossings are
universal, small chapels may also be domed or semi domed.
FORMS OF DECORATIONS:

Colors:gold, green, red, blue

Floors: have patterns of marble, stone, or mosaics often of geometric patterns.
Walls: are articulated with columns, pilasters, and cornices. Walls are richly colored and decorated.
Mosaics:

Byzantine mosaic,
It is one of the most popular forms of art in the Byzantine Empire. They were extensively used to
depict religious subjects on the interior of churches within the Empire and remained a popular form of
expression from 6th century to the end of the Empire in the 15th century.
Facades,
External facades depended largely on the arrangement of the facing bricks, which were not
always laid horizontally, but sometimes obliquely
Windows,
Are often numerous and made of glass or alabaster(a pale mineral that's soft enough for
carving). A window is an opening in a wall, door, roof or vehicle that allows the passage of light, sound,
and sometimes air. Modern windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or
translucent material, a sash set in a frame in the opening; the sash and frame are also referred to as a
window.
Doors,
It is made of iron, bronze or wood. A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows
ingress and egress into an "enclosure". The opening in the wall can be referred to as a "portal". A door's
essential and primary purpose is to provide security by controlling the portal
Ceilings,
It is the center or crossing of churches have domes, surrounded by smaller or half-domes.
Central dome supported by pendentives, which provided a transition from a circular dome base to
squared plan.
Decorative art,
It is rich in details, jewels, complex geometric carvings. Icons become important for public and
private worship. The decorative arts are arts or crafts whose object is the design and manufacture of
objects that are both beautiful and functional. It includes interior design, but not usually architecture. 

1.7 Gothic Architecture

History
Gothicthe Era Byzantine, Slav Barbarians and Bulgars
from the Northwest were constantly being repelled
Architecture was known during the ‘Opus Francigenum’ or
French work. It originated in the 12th to the 16th Century and
It is originally a very negative, it is Barbaric (It’s from ).
It is the style that flourished in Europe during High
and Late Middle Ages. It evolved from Romanesque
Architecture and was succeeded in Renaissance Architecture.
It used in cathedrals and chapels until the 16th century. It’s the
most prominent features included the use of the RIB VAULT
and FLYING BUTTRESSES (It is which allowed the weight of the
roof to be counter balanced by buttresses outside the building giving greater height and more windows).
Gothic used an extensive use of Stained Glass and Rose windows to bring light and color to the
interior.
Gothic Eras:

Early Gothic - With high ceilings and biblical stories.

High Gothic - With windows are made larger and added rose windows.
Rayonnant Gothic - It is more radiant, more rose windows with a thin frame.
Flamboyant Gothic - It is more extravagant decoration as noble and wealthy as the citizens.
French Gothic

From the 12th century onwards, the Gothic style spread from
Northern France to other regions of France and gradually to the rest of
the Europe. It was often carried by the highly skilled craftsmen who had trained in the Ile-de-France and
then carried their crafts to other cities. The style was adapted to local styles and materials. In the
Southwest of France, the walls were thicker, with narrow openings, and doubled with arches. The flying
buttress were rarely used, replaced by heavy abutments with chapels between. The south of France had
its own distinct variation of the Gothic style: the Southern French Gothic. The Gothic cathedrals were
often built with brick and tile rather than stone. They generally had thick walls and narrow windows, and
were braced by heavy abutments rather than flying buttresses.
Elements of Gothic Style
Plan
the plan of the Gothic cathedral was based on the
model of the ancient Roman basilica, which was a combined
public market and courthouse. The entrance is traditionally on
the west end, has three portals decorated with sculpture,
usually a rose window, and is flanked by two towers. This is
usually divided from the nave by rows of pillars, which support
the roof, flanked by one or two aisles, called collaérals.
The earlier Gothic cathedrals had four levels, from the
floor to the roof. Above these was the triforium, a section of
small arches. On the top level, just below the vaults, were the
upper windows, the main source of light for the Cathedral. The
lower walls were supported by massive buttresses placed directly up against them, with pinnacles on top
which provided additional weight.
Rib Vaul
This required massive columns, thick walls and small windows,
and naturally limited the height of the building. Gothic architects found a
solution through an innovative use of the rib vault.
In the later period of the Gothic style, from the early 14th century,
the rib vaults lost their elegant simplicity, and were loaded with
additional ribs, sculptural designs, and sometimes pendants and other
purely decorative elements.

Flying Buttresse
Another important feature of Gothic architecture was the flying
buttress, designed to support the walls by means of arches connected to
counter-supports outside the walls. In the later 12th and early 13th century,
the buttresses became more sophisticated. New arches carried the thrust of
the weight entirely outside the walls, where it was met by the counter-thrust
of stone columns, with pinnacles placed on top for decoration and for
additional weight. Thanks to this system of external buttresses, the walls could
be higher and thinner, and could support larger stained glass windows.
Height
 An important characteristic of Gothic church architecture is its height, both absolute and in
proportion to its width, the verticality suggesting an aspiration to Heaven. The increasing height of
cathedrals over the Gothic period was accompanied by an increasing proportion of the wall devoted to
windows, until, by the late Gothic, the interiors became like cages of glass.
This was made possible by the development of the flying buttress, which transferred the thrust
of the weight of the roof to the supports outside the walls. As a result, the walls gradually became
thinner and higher, and masonry was replaced with glass.
Stained Glass Windows
It is one of the most prominent features of Gothic architecture
was the use of stained glass window, which steadily grew in height and size
and filled cathedrals with light and color. The small pieces of colored glass
were joined together with pieces of lead, and then their surfaces were
painted with faces and other details. And then the windows were mounted
in the stone frames. Thin vertical and horizontal bars of iron,
called vergettes or barlotierres, were placed inside the window to reinforce
the glass. The stories told in the glass were usually episodes from the Bible,
but they also sometimes illustrated the professions of the guilds which had
funded the windows, such as the drapers, stonemasons or the barrel-makers.
Portals and the tympanum
Early Gothic Cathedrals traditionally have their main entrance at the western end of the church,
opposite the choir. The tympanum, or arch, over each doorway is filled with realistic statues illustrating
biblical stories, and the columns between the doors are often also crowded with statuary. The portals
and interiors were much more colorful than they are today.
Towers and spires
To make the churches taller and more prominent, and visible from a distance, heir builders often
added a flèche, a spire usually made of wood and covered with lead, to the top of each tower, or, as
in Notre-Dame de Paris, in the center of the transept. Later in the Gothic period, more massive towers
were constructed over the transept, rivaling or exceeding in height the towers of the facade.
The towers were usually the last part of the Cathedral to be constructed. They were often built
many years or decades after the rest of the building. Sometimes, by the time the towers were built, the
plans had changed, or the money had run out. As a result, some Gothic cathedrals had just one tower, or
two towers of different heights or styles.
Sculpture and decoration
The exteriors and interiors of Gothic cathedrals, particularly in
France, were lavishly ornamented with sculpture and decoration on
religious themes, designed for the great majority of parishioners who
could not read. They were described as "Books for the poor." To add to
the effect, all of the sculpture on the facades was originally painted and
gilded. Each feature of the Cathedral had a symbolic meaning. The
exteriors of cathedrals and other Gothic churches were also decorated
with sculptures of a variety of fabulous and frightening grotesques or
monsters. The gargoyles, which were added to Notre Dame in about
1240, had a more practical purpose. Another common feature of Gothic cathedrals in France was
a labyrinth or maze on the floor of the nave near the choir, which symbolized the difficult and often
complicated journey of a Christian life before attaining paradise.
English Gothic Architecture

Early English Gothic

It is an architecture began to replace Norman architecture
from about 1180, and lasted until about 1250 when it gave way to
"Decorated Gothic".
Like the early forms of Gothic on the Continent, the English
variety arose out of the efforts of cathedral architects and masons
to redistribute the downward and outward thrust of the vault, so
as to build higher without the danger of collapse.
Decorated Gothic

The Decorated Period in English Gothic architecture (comprising the

Geometric style 1250–90, followed by the Curvilinear style 1290–1350) is
characterised above all by its window tracery. Increasingly elaborate windows
began to appear, subdivided by narrowly spaced parallel mullions (vertical bars
of stone), typically up tothe point at which the arched top of the window
starts.

Perpendicular Period
It is an in english gothic architecture is characterized by a
predominance of vertical lines, especially in stone tracery of windows.
It first emerged around 1350 in works by the royal architects John
Sponlee (d.1386) and William Ramsey (active 1323-1349), and reached its
mature form in the building designs of master masons Henry Yevele
(c.1320-1400) and William Wynford (active 1360–1405). Its verticality is
especially noticeable in the design of its enlarged windows, with slimmer
stone mullions than in previous periods, allowing greater opportunity and
scope for stained glass craftsmen.

NOTHERN EUROPEAN GOTHIC

Between the 13th and 16th centuries, Gothic cathedrals were constructed in most of the major
cities of northern Europe. For the most part, they followed the French model, but with variations
depending upon local traditions and the materials available. The first Gothic churches in Germany were
built from about 1230.
They included 4 in Trier, claimed to be the oldest Gothic church in Germany, and Freiburg
Cathedral, which was built in three stages, the first beginning in 1120, though only the foundations of
the original cathedral still exist. It is noted for its 116-metre tower, the only Gothic church tower in
Germany that was completed in the Middle Ages (1330).

Toledo Cathedral León Cathedral Burgos Cathedral

Southern European Gothic

It is the Strikingly different variations of the Gothic style appeared in southern Europe,
particularly in Spain and Portugal. Important examples of Spanish Gothic include Toledo Cathedral, León
Cathedral, and Burgos Cathedral.

Catalan Gothic Valencian Gothic

Italian Gothic
Architecture went its own particular way, departing from the French model. It was influenced by
other styles, notably the Byzantine style introduced in Ravenna. Major examples include Milan
Cathedral, the Orvieto Cathedral, and particularly Florence Cathedral, before the addition of the Duomo
in the Renaissance.