Byzantine Architecture – A Quick Overview of Unique Features and 7 Examples

Byzantine architecture stands as a testament to its unique synthesis of influences, amalgamating classical Roman, early Christian, and Eastern elements into a distinctive style.

What is Byzantine Architecture?

Byzantine architecture refers to the architectural style that emerged in the Byzantine Empire, which existed from the 4th century AD to the mid-15th century. The Byzantine Empire was the continuation of the Eastern Roman Empire after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century. The architecture of the Byzantine period was characterized by a unique blend of Roman, early Christian, and Middle Eastern influences.

Span of Byzantine Architecture

• 330 AD to 1453 (4th century AD to the mid-15th century)
• Early Christian Architecture – Roughly 4th to 6th centuries AD

Byzantine architecture was the architecture of the Byzantine Empire. (Present day – Istanbul)

History – Early Christan Architecture to Byzantine Architecture

Roman life focused on pleasures which are well illustrated by the Roman Baths. The baths served three vital functions:

• Needs of the body in the pools and exercise gardens.
• Feed the mind in libraries
• Visual interest by the spaces filled with multi-colored marble.

The focus of Roman life and the Roman Empire changed from secular matters to religious matters. This led to the need for new buildings such as courts, administrative buildings, and houses. The other change was the impact of the new religion which was astonishing. It grew from just ten followers to one-tenth of the population in just a century.

In early Christian architecture, the Christian disciples gathered at Roman houses for congregations. Then these houses were converted for the use of such congregations. Whenever there was a Mass congregation, Paul visited them, and a suitable hall was rented for their activities. During the early periods, there was no particular architecture for the churches.

Constantine selected the Greek city of Byzantium and built a new Christian capital called Constantinople with new administrative buildings and churches. As Christianity was considered an official state religion and the growth of large communal gatherings, there was a necessity for a building type to be developed both functionally and symbolically.

After struggling and defeating the Eastern and Western Caesars, Constantine was the sole ruler of the United Roman Empire in which he gave Christianity equal rights with other religions. Christianity was a new force transforming the entire Roman Empire. Church Buildings solved the problem of communal worshipers.

The transition from Early Christian to Byzantine architecture marked a shift from simplicity and functionality to a more complex, symbolic, and ornate style. The adoption of centralized plans and the incorporation of domes and mosaics became defining features of Byzantine architecture.

Factors Influencing Byzantine Architecture

Geographical Factors

Location of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul): The strategic location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia facilitated cultural exchanges and exposure to diverse architectural traditions, contributing to the synthesis seen in Byzantine architecture. The hilly terrain in Constantinople influenced city planning and the layout of structures, such as the placement of defensive walls and the adaptation of buildings to the landscape.

Geological Factors

The ruins of Roman buildings had an impact on the architectural style of the basilican churches of the Christians. Construction and decoration were influenced by the columns, architectural features, and marble from older buildings.

Climatic Factors

The Mediterranean climate of the Byzantine Empire influenced architectural choices, such as the use of domes to manage temperature and ventilation in buildings. Protection from extreme weather conditions, such as hot summers and cold winters, influenced the design of structures to ensure comfort and durability.

Religious factors

In the year 313 AD, Constantine issued a decree from Milan, granting Christianity equal rights with other religions. By 323 AD, Constantine himself adopted Christianity, making it the official religion of the Roman Empire. The architectural layout and features of churches were influenced by the liturgical practices of the Eastern Orthodox Church, leading to the development of the iconic centralized plan with domes.

Social and Political Factors

After changing the capital from Rome to Byzantine in 324 AD, Constantine became an absolute monarch until he died in 337 AD. The independence of the West allowed the development of Romano-German civilization, which led to the creation of new states and nationalities, strengthened the Christian Church, and established the authority of the Bishops of Rome.

Architectural features of Early Christian Architecture

The architecture of earlier church buildings was much simpler primary elements without any elaborate forms or details. They were remodeled after Roman temples. Early Christian architecture adopted the Basilican plans, characterized by rectangular shapes with a central nave and side aisles.

• Basilica Form
• Rectangular plan
• The central nave is typically larger than the side aisles
• Nave along with 3 or 5 aisles on either side
• Interior colonnade
• Wooden roofs
• Mosaics in the interior
• Atrium

Building Types of Early Christian Architecture

Basilicas

Features of Basilica:

• Atrium: A forecourt, an open court surrounded by arcades that formed an impressive approach for the Basilica. There was a fountain or a well in the middle of the atrium that was used for washing.
• Narthex: Covered portion next to the church which was used for the penitents.
• Nave and Aisles: Central hall for public gatherings that was lighted by a clerestory of small windows.Aisles on either side, usually half the width and height of the nave.
• Transept: Also called the “bema” which is at the end of the nave, at a right angle to it, converting the plan into a Latin cross.
• Altar: In the front of the Apse

Centralised Plan Churches

Basilicas of Early Christian Architecture

Constantine and church officials chose to use Roman basilicas as their model for churches. Originally built for public gatherings, the basilica symbolized fair administration of justice. It was easy to convert the small altar for the emperor into one where the Eucharist could be celebrated. The axis of the basilica helped direct attention towards the altar. The main change was moving the entrance to the opposite end of the apse and altar.

Old St. Peter’s Basilica (319-329)

Basilica of St. Peter was the main Constantine church of Rome. It was one of the largest basilicas of Rome. The plan was in the form of “T”; the cross plan became symbolic of early Christians. The main features of the Basilica are:

• Axial plan with a central nave and two aisles along the sides.
• The central nave rises in a clear story with many tall windows.
• The cross arm(transept) attached to the nave at the west gives the plan a “T” Shape.
• From the center of the transept, a semicircular apse extends capped by a half dome.
• Atrium with colonnade

New church Basilicas, In addition to the above features, the plan

• Entry was from one end where the narthex was created, with the altar placed at the far end of the semicircular apse.
• A large atrium with a colonnade was added outside the Narthex.
• The entrance to the atrium was through an imposing propylon or gate.

San Apollinare in Classe (532-549)

The Basilica of Sant’Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna, Italy is an example of both Early Christian and Byzantine architecture. It exhibits the architectural features that form a transition from Early Christian architecture to Byzantine architecture. The bais layout follows the Basilican plan of early Christian architecture with its central long nave and side aisles which end in a semicircular apse, while the interiors are decorated with elaborate mosaics, a feature of Byzantine architecture.

The mosaics, especially those along the nave, depict a procession of martyrs and saints. This narrative approach and the level of detail in the mosaics are characteristic of Byzantine art.

Centralised Plan Churches

The centralized plan and the use of a dome in this early Christian construction foreshadowed the development of Byzantine architecture and its iconic domed churches, particularly exemplified by structures like Hagia Sophia.

Santa Costanza (337–351 AD)

Santa Costanza is notable for its centralized plan, which differed majorly from the traditional Basilican plan. It is a circular building with a domed roof, pierced with windows at the top that allow light inside. Its central place was comprised of a central hall. Around it, there is a covered passageway (known as Ambulatory), which provides access to smaller niches or chapels. It is covered by a barrel vault decorated with mosaics. Columns with ornate capitals separate the central hall from the passageway.

Features of Basilica:

Architectural features of Byzantine Architecture

Byzantine Architecture was prominent for its use of domes, which were considered the symbols of heaven. This church design included a central square section with four arms of equal length extending from it and a dome sitting above the square. An arch was placed in each corner of the square to hold up the dome. The result of the design was a Greek cross plan. Central spaces of the church were huge and the decorations were impressive – marble columns, mosaics, and sometimes even gold detailing.

• Centralized Plans
• Domes and Pendentives
• Iconostasis – a screen or partition adorned with icons
• Elaborate mosaics
• Marble columns and capitals
• Hagiosoritissa – an enclosed space or chapel within a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, often adorned with special decorations and mosaics.
• Materials used:
  • The use of lime concrete continued from the times of the Romans.
  • Concrete and masonry – adapted from Roman Architecture.
  • Brickwork for the construction of walls and Domes.
  • Marble – varied colors of white, blue, and green marble were acquired from different parts of Rome. Used for flooring and cladding walls.
  • Mosaics – use of elaborate mosaics in interiors

Building Types of Byzantine Architecture

Byzantine Churches

Churches of Byzantine Architecture

Once the Byzantine pendentive was created, architects started using it to place round domes on square structures. This led to the development of various plan variations, such as dividing large squares into nine smaller squares. The domes were then placed at the center and the corners (called the quin cunx plan), or at the center and on the cross axes.

Hagia Sophia (360–537)

Hagia Sophia or the church of holy wisdom was an architectural masterpiece of Byzantine architecture that combined elements of Roman, Greek, and Middle Eastern architecture. Originally it was built as a cathedral, but later it served as a mosque under the Ottoman Empire. It is now a museum(20th century).

The Church was constructed during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I in the 6th century (completed in 537 AD). After a massive earthquake, it was rebuilt with the help of architects – Isidore of Miletus and Anthemios from Tralles. As the cube is surmounted by a dome, it was considered a model of the universe, the earth covered with the dome of heaven. It was a marvelous achievement of architecture with geometry, balanced masses, and extraordinary harmony.

Hagia Sophia features a centralized plan, emphasizing a centralized dome. The main space is a vast, open interior with a nave and two side aisles. The features of the early church were

• The Church plan was rectangular measuring 230x250ft.
• It was a double-shell building, the center was a square with four massive piers to a side.
• The central square was covered by a central dome and the dome was carried by Pendentives.
• The plan was centralized as well as axial along the principal axis, the inner squares were extending into semicircular apses rising to half domes.
• Along the principal axis, the outward thrust of the central dome was carried downward by a series of half domes and barrel vaults.
• On the cross-axis, the walls were flat with the presence of windows.
• Forty windows(between radiating ribs) were pierced at the base of the dome.

Interiors

• The pendentives of the dome were covered with mosaics with a gold-leaf background.
• The interiors of the walls were cladded with different colored marbles.
• Materials were reused from ancient temples.
• Interiors were illuminated with hundreds of windows with reflections of the Sun’s rays from the marble.

It was a former church, later converted to a mosque and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. Also designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Hagia Eirene (532)

Hagia Eirene is one of the important examples of Byzantine architecture which maintained the ordered, characteristic of a Basilican plan. Also known as Saint Irene, it is an Eastern Orthodox church located in Istanbul, Turkey. Built by the Roman Emperor Constantine in the 4th century, The church underwent several reconstructions over the centuries due to earthquakes and other events.

With a simple architectural style and unadorned facade, it had a basilican plan with a nave, aisles, apes, and a dome – an important characteristic of Byzantine architecture.

Church of the Holy Apostles (1312-1315)

The church of the Holy Apostles is an example of late Byzantine architecture (of the 14th century), located in the north Greek city of Thessaloniki. With its exterior walls intricately decorated with brick patterns, the church exemplifies the architectural traditions of the Byzantine Empire during the late Palaiologan period.

It follows a typical Byzantine cross-in-square plan (a square plan contains another square divided into a Greek cross), a design that features a central dome supported by four columns, creating a cross-shaped layout. The central dome is supported by a tall drum and the pendentives facilitate the smooth transition from the square base to the circular dome. Even though the decor of the interiors was damaged over a period of time, they were adorned with vibrant frescoes and mosaics.

Saint Mark’s Basilica (1063–1095)

Saint Mark’s Basilica, known as Basilica di San Marco in Italian, is one of the most iconic and significant landmarks in Venice, Italy. It was originally built in the 9th century to house the remains/relics of St. Mark, the patron saint of Venice.

San Marco is a good example of Byzantine architecture with a Greek cross church of five domes. It has four square arms that project from a slightly larger square in the center. Each square is covered by a dome. The walls of the church are covered in a gold-backed mosaic that depicts figures of the apostles, saints, and angels. The vestibule to the west was added later. Over the centuries, Saint Mark’s Basilica underwent several renovations and additions, incorporating elements of Venetian Gothic architecture.

Conclusion

The features collectively contribute to the unique identity of Byzantine architecture, showcasing a combination of spiritual symbolism, artistic expression, and engineering innovation. The enduring legacy of Byzantine architecture lies not only in the physical remnants of grand structures but also in its influence on subsequent architectural styles. From the grand domes of Orthodox churches to the intricate mosaics that continue to inspire artists, Byzantine architecture remains a testament to the ingenuity and creativity of a civilization that sought to build not only monumental structures but also a lasting cultural and artistic legacy.