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Islamic art term paper
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The Hagia Sophia and the Dome of the Rock are two of some of the greatest and most important monuments in the Eastern and the modern world. The Hagia Sophia is an amazing depiction of the Byzantine architecture. It symbolizes the “Golden era” of the Byzantine Empire and is a symbol of modern day Istanbul. The Dome of the Rock is located in Jerusalem. The Dome of the Rock is currently a shrine for Islamic believers and some Jews that believe the grounds are sacred. It holds a great religious significance to the rise of Islam in Jerusalem. Even though these major achievements in architecture were built at different times and were built with different styles, they hold many similarities. These similarities include such fascinating examples of …show more content…
The first church in the series is the Magna Ecclesia which was first built by Constantius II and later inaugurated into the church by Arian bishop Eudoxius of Antinoch. The Hagia Sophia was next to the Imperial Palace. After the death of the ruler, the Patriarch in Constantinople had an argument with the empress, Aelia Eudoxia, who was exiled because of it. During the riots the first church was burned to the ground. The second church was ordered to be built by Theodosius II. The Hagia Sophia was then accepted by the church in October of 415. The Basilica, which had a wooden roof, was created by the architect Rufinus. Several slabs of marble from the original church have survived to present day. These historic slabs of marble reside in a pit next to the museum’s entrance after being discovered in 1935 beneath the courtyard. Later excavation of the Hagia Sophia was banned for reasons of unstable foundations. This second church burned down during the Niak Revolt in January 532. Just a few weeks after the second church was destroyed Justinian I ordered the construction of the third church that would be larger and covered with art. The architects were Isdore of Miletus, a physicist, and Anthemius of Tralles, a mathematician. Anthemius died during the first year of construction. Justinian I ordered art from across the empire including such magnificent additions as columns from the temple of Artemis …show more content…
The Hagia Sophia was constructed first and it was meant as the main church of the Byzantine Empire. It is said that they built the Hagia Sophia in only 5 years, while it took nearly a century for the Notre Dame cathedral to be completed. While it did have what some would consider an extremely short construction time, they did have many issues with the dome. It nearly collapsed more than a few times. Once the builders and architects figured a plan to keep it stable, one on looker said, ”it is as if the Dome is suspended from Heaven itself”. The Dome of the rock was constructed for Christians, Jews, and Muslims but was to attract new followers to Malik’s Islamic brotherhood. The project for the construction had many issues, not only with the Dome itself, but also with revolts that would postpone construction for years. Once completed, many followers believed that Jerusalem was the third holiest place in the world due to Muhammed’s journey to Heaven in order to talk to God. The art within the Hagia Sophia was beautiful Mosaics and paintings of the Virgin Mary with Jesus. These were meant to represent how holy the building was. When the Muslims claimed the Hagia Sophia they did not want to destroy it due to beliefs so they renovated the building. They did this by breaking down images of humans and animals due to their belief that no images of figures
One of the most defining features of both the Pantheon and Jesse Hall is the larges domes that sit atop their structures. When the Pantheon was created, there was no dome ever created to the scale or size of the one that tops the building to this day. The dome itself sits on a drum like structure that supports the structure. The top is not completely curved like many other domes today. A stepped dome is used near the bottom and begins to curve more towards the top where the oculus sits. This oculus allows any sort of element into the building including sunlight, rain, and snow. The Pantheon, being a space of religious worship when originally created used the dome for many different purposes. In Understanding Architecture, extra contributor David Wat...
Although Cordoba’s Mezquita and Rome’s Pantheon share similar architectural qualities, each of these buildings has their own unique characteristics. Cordoba’s Mezquita is an Islamic religious architecture where the community comes together for their daily prayers. Rome’s Pantheon is a temple used as place to display all the gods. A unique feature of the mosque is that some of the arches are horseshoe-shaped, a quality possibly originated from earlier Mesopotamian
Eloquently described, every detail of the H. Sophia is perceived to be beautiful and god-like, which is pointed out by Krautheimer as well but in a materialistic view. Fig 2. shows the broad marble and gold foil, which Krautheimer expands and states that to build such a building would cost one-hundred eighty million US dollars Ibid. , 206. In the primary writings of Procopius, he does not allude to any economical proportions like Krautheimer does. Procopius fails to know context of Fig.
The Hagia Sophia is a stunning, spherical-shaped building made of marble and gold (Doc. 4). Justinian built the Hagia Sophia, which means “Holy Wisdom” in Greek, after a church of the same name was destroyed in riots in Constantinople (outside information). Procopius, Justinian’s court historian, described the church as “suspended from heaven by the fabled golden chain” (Doc. 4). Undoubtedly, visitors to the Hagia Sophia are left breathless by its beauty (outside information). Other churches that Justinian built include the Church of St. Salvator in Chora and the Church of the Apostles (Doc. 5). Justinian’s churches were beautiful; however, they were created to be more than just a display. The churches caused people to feel a connection with God, which helped unify the empire under a single faith. The bonding of the Romans under one faith helped strengthen the entire empire. Moreover, the abundance of churches in Constantinople helped make the city the center of religious power (Doc. 5). Evidence of Justinian’s legacy can be found when one realizes that the Byzantine Empire’s revived culture influenced Orthodox Christianity, a major branch of modern
Throughout the years, technology has changed the way live. This has included the way we build magnificent buildings. Old wonders like the Pyramids at Giza have fascinated people for years. There is another building concept that has attracted people’s attention for ages as well, domes.
When Emperor Constantine found the city of Constantinople, it was soon to become the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. But the Christin city needed a great church to represent it’s great value, so the Hagia Sophia was built (Krystek, Lee). The Hagia Sophia was built by the Byzantine Empire in 537 C.E., which was an Empire influenced greatly by the greek and roman styles (Krystek, Lee). It has a square base with a large dome on the top. Round arcs surrounded the large dome, adding mystical beauty to the Hagia Sophia (Krystek, Lee). Also, multiple colors of bricks were used to create patterns on the outside of the Hagia Sophia. On the inside, the walls are made of marble with glass panes which bring beautiful sunlight into the large museum (Krystek, Lee). The Hagia Sophia is very significant because it was rebuilt many times. The first church was built and then burnt down in 404 C.E. (Krystek, Lee). It was then rebuilt and burned down by riots in 502 C.E. (Krystek, Lee). Then the 3rd church was built by Justinian. After long periods of time, Sultan Mehmed conquered Constantinople and changed it to an islamic city, converting the church to a mosque (Krystek, Lee). In 1934, President Ataturk changed the mosque to a museum for the people and tourists, instead of a sacred place of worship (Krystek, Lee).
Pantheon and Hagia Sophia Pantheon and Hagia Sophia are two extremely outstanding architectural pieces of their times. They have been built according to the traditions of those particular times. The materials used to built these buildings and the purpose for which they were used are all very important aspects and have been briefly covered in this report. Pantheon The statesman Agrippa built pantheon in 27 B.C. Then it was completely rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian. The Pantheon is remarkable for its size, its construction, and its design. The dome was the largest built until modern times. The present structure was probably originally built as a temple for all the pagan gods. We do hear of it as being a law-court and a reception area for Emperor Hadrian meeting his quests too. Some say that the rotunda of the building was once a Roman bath. Due to all this mystery, the Pantheon is often referred to as the Sphinx of Rome. The visitor will probably not appreciate the construction as much as the Flavian amphitheatre, but it is still a great masterpiece of engineering and well worth a visit. Most Roman and Greek temples at the time of the Pantheon's construction were large, colonnaded, rectangular enclosures with sanctuaries situated in their centers. The Pantheon was different. It consisted of a large circular drum topped with a hemispherical dome. It is a masterpiece of both engineering and art a lasting memory of Ancient Rome’s might. Roman architecture is architecture of wall and enclosed tactile space. Individual column with entablature is no longer the basic architectural unity. Spatially, it shows a development from closed, simple space units and regular articulation to more complex spatial relations, more fluid interpenetrati...
Justinian brought with his reign the construction of countless architectural successes that bolstered his empire into a Golden Age. The most well-known and prominent of his works is the Hagia Sophia, an awe-inspiring structure that upon completion 537 C.E. remained the world’s largest cathedral for hundreds of years to come. It captivated the people with its beautiful gold covered ceilings and felt as if though it were suspended from heaven, this perfection was seen as only possible through the influence of God. Not only was it a place of worship but an attraction that brought many travelers that came to marvel the sight, thus promoting trade and cultural diffusion. The creation of the Wall of Theodosius, Wall of Constantine, aqueducts, roads and the Hippodrome were all beneficial to the Byzantine Empire in terms of economic, cultural, and resistance related undertakings. Constantinople was the Rome of the Byzant...
Architecture is one important aspect of Byzantine culture. One of the most famous Byzantine architectural achievements is the Hagia Sophia, which is located in modern-day Istanbul. The basic design of the cathedral has a dome over a square base, which required a new innovation. At the time, it was kn...
The Pantheon (Rome) and the Hagia Sophia (Constantinople) are notably two of the most notable sites in both Rome and Istanbul. Being architectural masterclasses in unique ways, the two are landmarks in terms of changing history and defining the culture of the two locations.
The original basilica, built by Emperor Constantine in the fourth century, is the foundation to this building. To those of the Christian faith, this building is the epitome of belief. St Peter’s Basilica is where the Catholic faith starts.
Monuments such as the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and San Vitale in Ravenna, perform a great importance in Byzantine and Islamic architecture. Both of these structures did not exclusively represent the main place of worship, but most importantly as a symbol of achievement and growth within the current times of construction. Starting in 524, under the influence of Orthodox bishop Ecclesius, the development of San Vitale was to represent the achievements of the emperor Justinian. Julius Argentarius was the sponsor for this structure and it was dedicated by Bishop Maximian in 547. The Dome of the Rock is built on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in 692 with the help of Abd al-Malik with the suspected intention to symbolize Islams influence in Jerusalem and its involvement in a highly Jewish and Christian supremacy. Although separated by over 100 yrs, both of these domes share multiple similarity's including a projected confidence of their originating culture.
The Hagia Sophia was the biggest church in Europe at that time. The church was a symbol that the Bryzantine Empire was the strongest, Wealthiest, and most beautiful city in Europe. The church was so big that when traders were sailing they could see the church from the water. Justinian donated a lot of money towards education of art in hope that art prospers. Most of the art they had during that time was mosaics; much of bryzantine art was used to make religious statues and figures.
Hagia Sophia, a beautiful landmark in Istanbul, was originally constructed to be a Church by the Byzantines. Yet, after the invasion of the city by the Turks, Hagia Sofia was turned into a mosque immediately because it was thought to represent the power of Byzantine. Western history books refer to Hagia Sofia and the invasion as an unfortunate event because supposedly all the images of Jesus and other holy figures, which were masterpieces of the artists of Byzantine, had been destroyed by the brutal Turks. I know that this is not true, because I have personally seen all the icons from the Byzantine times in Hagia Sofia, which is now a museum. What is more ironic is that the biggest destruction of Icons in the history of Byzantine was made
Therefore its threshold represents the dichotomy to the interior is such a shocking transition to the spirit. This supports the conjecture that the most powerful connection to the sacred reality is present in the rites of passage going from the profane to sacred worlds. The sacred view of water represents formlessness. The material used as the flooring of the Hagia Sophia is striated with wave like curves that look similar to ripples in water. Because it symbolizes formlessness the floor of the temple is representative of the chaos of the profane world and the large distance between the floor and dome further emphasizes the distance that separates the world form the glory of God. tmedia of the enormous hemispheric Dome of the