After the fall of the Roman Empire the political atmosphere was transformed in Western Europe. As the West witnessed a change, brought about by the constant invasion of barbarians, the Eastern Roman Empire remained intact and grew incredibly prosperous. The Eastern Empire had much closer ties between the state and the Christian Church. These ties lead to many elaborate Byzantine churches being built in Constantinople, emphasizing the importance of the Eastern Church in everyday life.
The Byzantine architecture maintains a sense of well-balanced proportions and favors a more simple approach to the building’s exterior. The Byzantines established an architectural style, different from the Romans generally by plans that were well thought out and intricate ("Western Architecture" p.138-139). One of the most important works of Byzantine architecture is the Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia, which took less than six years to build, was one of the largest Christian churches in the world. In order to build the dome that crowns the magnificent structure, builders needed to use pendentive construction, a technique that the Byzantines invented which involves mounting a dome over a square chamber. Once inside the Hagia Sophia the amount of elaborate detail in the mosaics, impressive columns, and awe inspiring half domes it is easy to see the importance the people placed on religion.
Examples of Byzantine architectural inspiration can also be found in Italy. The city of Ravenna, which lays on the East coast of northern Italy, was subject to Byzantine influence. Ravenna has the most well-kept Byzantine style art. The Church of San Vitale, built during the reign of Justinian, is octagonal and features a central-plan of its walls and dome b...
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Gothic architecture thrived in Western Europe, predominantly in the north. Gothic churches are distinguished from the Romanesque style in their more elaborate appearance. Sculpture on Gothic churches is found on the surface, including ornaments, figures, and narrative scenes.
The cathedral at Chartres is considered to be the first work of High Gothic architecture (Coldstream p.140). The church’s vertical design has a three-part division, the nave arcade, the triforium, and the clerestory windows. The rose window, which was to represent the Virgin Mary, was framed in tracery and filled with different colored glass.
Sacred Medieval architecture went through many changes throughout its period. From Byzantine to Gothic the architecture of sacred buildings continued show the importance that was placed on religion and the power religion had on its people.
been a church on the site since AD 606. It lies on the south bank of the river Thames close to London Bridge and it acquired the status of cathedral in the year 1905 after it became the seat of the Anglican Bishop of the new diocese of Southwark (Sacred destinations, 1995-2011). The millennium commission partly funded a project on the cathedral renovations which was given the name; Southwark Cathedral Millennium Project. The project was undertaken from 1997 to 2001 using a design made by Richard
In The Sacred & The Profane: A Nature of Religion, Mircea Eliade attempts to define the sacred by stating it is “the opposite of the profane” (pg. 10). Through out the book he tries to explain this statement through the concept of hierophany (the idea that one can experience, sensorily, the manifestation of the holy/sacred), however his main explanation of the sacred being “the opposite of the profane” is the comparison of a modern religious man and a modern non-religious man (a profane man). Eliade
changes in the architectural technique of the Romanesque style of architecture and come to a conclusion as to whether the shift in technique led to the rise of the more grandiose Gothic architecture in Europe. All art is inspired and the influences that caused the change in technique will also be investigated. In order to come to a conclusion I read books on the two styles I compared, studied some examples of each form of architecture through photographs, and listened to a few podcasts on the topic
Paris is a medieval cathedral and one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. It is well-known for its fascinating architecture, paintings, sculptures, furniture and the treasury. Perhaps, the most appealing and mysterious elements of this magnificent structure are gargoyles. Gargoyles are frightening grotesquely-shaped waterspouts that look down from above, watching. According to Morain “Some historians believe demonic carvings were added to churches as a kind of "sacred scarecrow"
Middle Ages as the Age of Faith The Middle Ages is often referred to as the Age of Faith and it is correct to do so, as during this period religion dominated all aspects of life from architecture, literature, art and music. The dominant religion during this period was Christianity. The middle ages saw "the emergence … of Christian literary forms… a popular religious culture centred around processions, icons, and relics" (George Holmes 42). The crusades were wars fought in the name of God
Laura Westlake Art History Extra Credit There are a lot of amazing sacred buildings throughout our historical times, a lot of these amazing architectural building's, most of these amazing buildings are , churches, places of worship that were built to reflect the people who believed to the different religions to the god's, goddess, figure's of worship they believed in enough to represent these sacred architectural places for other followers and for places of worship even today . I'll be telling
The sacred space of the Cathedral of Chartres in France and the Parthenon will be discussed in comparison with each other. This cathedral was built during the Medieval Period for the worshipers of God. To this day pilgrims come to see the pure, Gothic cathedral. The massive cathedral seems to loom overhead as if a symbol of God watching over the worshippers that visit. The earlier church burned in 1194, it was rebuilt and has gained a much more appreciated and admirable character distinction, statuary
In the medieval town, the cathedral had to be bigger than any other building in the town. The cathedral had stained glass windows to make evident the glory of God to people who could not read. Cathedrals impacted Medieval Europe through their magnificent architecture, social impact, and political impact. To learn about cathedrals, one must first know the origin to the term ‘cathedral’. The word cathedral comes from ‘cathedra’ meaning bishop’s seat. When a cathedral was being built, the builders
Architecture, one of the most fascinating art forms, is often perceived as cultural symbols as well as work of art. For hundreds of thousands of years, people were constantly seeking ways to build bigger and higher architecture. It was until the 12th century, with the innovative engineering breakthroughs, the size and the scale of architecture have reached an unprecedented level that even modern architecture could not compete with. Taller than the ancient pyramids in Egypt, large enough to hold the
The book “The Sacred and the Profane: The Nature of Religion”, written by Mircea Eliade, investigates four aspects of the sacred universe: space, time, nature, and self. Eliade splits each aspect into two forms of perception, the sacred and profane. Religious men, specifically the ancient, traditional men, view the universe as sacred. In other words, they acknowledge a distinct qualitative difference between a sacred and profane (non-sacred) universe; whereas, nonreligious, specifically modern men
consists of two different parts the first is a porch surrounded by classic Greek architecture columns made of marble. The second part of the building is a circular Roman style made entirely of brick and concrete with dome as a roof. The only sources of lighting in the Pantheon are the two large bronze doors and the oculus at the top of the dome. Where the Cathedral of Chartres resembles French gothic style architecture made completely out of stone. The Cathedral of Chartres is built in the shape
the laws of gravity and time. (Icher 30) There were two main types of architecture during the middle ages, the Romanesque style and the Gothic style. The Romanesque period took place approximately between 1096 and 1270 (the eleventh and twelfth centuries) and the Gothic period took place approximately between 1150 and 1450 (the thirteenth through the fifteenth centuries) (Bersson 383). Evidence of both styles of architecture emerged throughout Europe. The political landscape had changed and the
proceed to dance with the fair maiden. Slow duple metre was commonly used in this style of dance, as well as accompanying instruments such as the tabor, the Galliard, the oboe, and the drums. Saltarello is commonly known as a dance in the courts of medieval Europe. The saltarello’s famous move is the double, alongside a hop at the end or on the first upbeat. This dance used a fast triple meter, which made this dance, vibrant, fast-pace, and stimulus. Ronde is commonly known as a line or circle dance
The Medieval Gothic Cathedral The medieval Gothic cathedral was in many ways a civic building as well as a religious one. This particularly was the case with the famous cathedral Notre-Dame de Chartres (Our Lady of Chartres) in the town of the same name, 80km south-east of Paris, built in the 13th century. Chartres cathedral was planned not only as a place of worship, but also developed as the centre of the town's economy and way of life, as the place that housed the relic of the cloak of the
Symbolism Traditions As Stimulated By the Reliquary Bust of Charlemagne (c. 1349) Kerianne Plunkett April 21, 2014 ARH3800 – Medieval Pilgrimages Word Count: 3,289 The Reliquary Bust of Charlemagne (c. 1349) emphasizes the permanence of Charlemagne’s (742/747/748-814) ideal leadership. However, through the traditions and legacies left behind, later rulers were able to imitate his politics in order to amplify their reign. I will argue that in similarities of the sovereigns