Byzantine architecture
Hagia Sophia's style
Byzantine architecture is the building style of the Eastern Roman Empire, centered in Constantinople from the 4th to 15th centuries.
It is characterized by massive domes, often on pendentives, elaborate mosaics, and rich interior decoration.
The Hagia Sophia exemplifies the style.
Byzantine influence spread to Eastern Orthodox churches throughout Russia, Greece, and the Balkans, and the term now describes any architecture sharing these features: The cathedral's Byzantine architecture features golden domes and icon-covered walls.
Corner arch supporting dome
- domeRounded vault forming roof
- cupolaSmall rooftop dome
- drumStruck percussion cylinder
- apseVaulted church recess
nave · transept · narthex · ambulatory · clerestory · atrium · pier · vault
Colonnaded church with apse
- cathedralBishop's principal church
- sanctuaryProtected sacred space
- chancelAltar-adjacent clergy space
- altarSacred ritual table
monastery · patriarchate · liturgy · veneration · orthodoxy · ecclesiastical · hagiography · reliquary
Historic Turkish metropolis
- Hagia SophiaHistoric Istanbul religious structure
- RavennaEmilia-Romagna coastal city
- cisternWater storage chamber
- aqueductChannel conveying water distances
Justinian · hippodrome · iconoclasm · Eastern Roman Empire · Thessaloniki · sixth century
Mosaic's constituent pieces
- gold leafUltra-thin decorative metal
- glassTransparent solid from sand
- iconographyAnalysis of artistic symbols
- luminosityIntrinsic brightness of source
iridescence · tilework · geometric · intricacy · craftsmanship · artistry · figurative · nimbus
Overlaid with gold leaf
- intricateElaborately detailed, many parts
- elaborateComplex and detailed
- embellishedDecorated or exaggerated
- opulentOstentatiously wealthy
fretwork · filigree · arabesque · decorative · carved · inlaid · polychrome · lacework
squinch
Corner arch supporting dome
apse · nave · transept · narthex · ambulatory · clerestory · atrium · pier · vault · arcade
basilica
Colonnaded church with apse
altar · monastery · patriarchate · liturgy · veneration · orthodoxy · ecclesiastical · hagiography · reliquary · pilgrimage
Constantinople
Historic Turkish metropolis
- Hagia SophiaHistoric Istanbul religious structure
- RavennaEmilia-Romagna coastal city
- cisternWater storage chamber
Justinian · aqueduct · hippodrome · iconoclasm · Eastern Roman Empire · Thessaloniki · sixth century
tesserae
Mosaic's constituent pieces
- gold leafUltra-thin decorative metal
- glassTransparent solid from sand
- iconographyAnalysis of artistic symbols
luminosity · iridescence · tilework · geometric · intricacy · craftsmanship · artistry · figurative · nimbus
gilded
Overlaid with gold leaf
- intricateElaborately detailed, many parts
- elaborateComplex and detailed
- embellishedDecorated or exaggerated
opulent · fretwork · filigree · arabesque · decorative · carved · inlaid · polychrome · lacework · foliate
- Byzantine EmpireConstantinople, Anatolia, Thrace, Theodora, Asia Minor
- ByzantiumConstantinople, Hagia Sophia, Eastern Roman Empire, Constantine I, Theodora
- IstanbulHagia Sophia, Bosphorus, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Constantinople
- Late AntiquityConstantine, Theodosius I, Constantinople, fall of Rome, Roman Empire
- Palaiologoidouble-headed eagle, double headed eagle, fall of Constantinople, dynastic struggles
- RavennaEmilia-Romagna
Byzantine architectureGothic architecture
Medieval style with pointed arches
modernist architecture · minimalist architecture · Brutalist architecture · International Style · Gothic spires
Byzantine architectureminimalism
Aesthetic of reduction
functionalism · Brutalism · Minimalism · industrial aesthetic · bare concrete
architect, architecture, architects, architectural, Byzantine, Byzantium, architectures, architectonic, Byzantines