Yousef Alloughani Grossmont College Dr. Sizonenko March 15, 2016 The Comparison and Contrast: Architecture of Pantheon (Rome) and Hagia Sophia (Constantinople). 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. As one of the greatest structures in Rome, the Pantheon was built between 118 and 128 CE. It is described as the most remarkable ancient building surviving in Rome. After being destroyed and rebuilt twice, it was renamed the “Temple of the Gods”. In 126 AD, the Pantheon was restored to its glory, by the architects who at that time has learned and mastered their craft in concrete construction in the Greek Classical order. They constructed a massive 25 foot thick walls which was to support the huge dome made of concrete to be placed at the top. The dome was the largest ever made of unreinforced concrete at 43.4 meters in diameter (Matthews, Roy and Platt pg. 5). …show more content…
Commissioned by the Justinian Emperor and constructed by around 10,000 workers, the building was magnificent. Its construction was first defied by building four columns each and then topped them with four arches. Then spaces left between the arches were filled with masonry and aided in creating the curved triangular shapes known as the pendentives, which along with the arches formed a strong base for the dome. The dome was made-up of 40 equally spaced ribs. The Engineers of the Hagia Sophia Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus the Elder designed the structure and saw it built in a record time of 5 years, 10 months and 4 days. The massive diameter of 102 feet made of thick concrete dome made it arise the similarities to that of the Roman Pantheon (Matthews, Roy and Platt pg.
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
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
Many years separate the construction and initial use of these two buildings, yet they share a similar purpose and structural elements. The differences are few, they are obviously different buildings. One paid homage to one goddess, while another worshipped all. Their uses after their high time varied as well. In the end though, both are known and celebrated as representative of the classical styles of their time for the cultures. Pillars and columns are used in architecture even now to give the idea of prominence and power. In brief, this short essay discussed the highlights of both
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...
Although the Pantheon and the Cathedral of Chartres are both some of the greatest architectural advances in history they are very different. We can compare the time that each of the buildings was built, where and for who they were built for, and why they were built. Another thing we can compare is the structure of the buildings and the type of material they are built from.
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
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World demonstrate individuals’ incredible creativity and imagination. God, of course, is responsible for these creations as He is the one who blessed mankind with such imagination and creativity. Some of these amazing pieces of history include the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, and the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. The complex architectural feats that each wonder displays are truly remarkable. However, six of these wonders have unfortunately been destroyed. The only structure that remains is the Great Pyramid of Giza. When observing this great ancient wonder, it is interesting to consider its general facts, theories of construction, and strategies of preservation.
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...
But the piers could not hold the dome, eventually the dome collapsed on itself again after 20 years. Then another younger architect named Isidore rebuilt it, this time with more stronger structures. Instead of instlling pilliars to hold it up he put up spherical triangles that fitted into a square compartment with the support of pendentives. This allowed the builders to add more onto the building such as windows. There are 40 windows that allow sunshine into the building.
The engineering discoveries of ancient Rome have played a key role in the history of architecture and engineering. Many of Rome’s roadways, bridges, and aqueducts have been in use from the first century until the twentieth century. Many American buildings have used the Roman dome. Several major structures from early Rome still stand, including the Collosseum. These remnants of feats of Roman engineering stand as a monument to the ability of ancient Roman builders.
Every structure that they constructed had something to do with the praising of their gods. They made plazas, temples, and pyramids. The pyramids symbolized sacred mountains; they were used to gather people for ceremonies and festivals. These structures were engulfed in images based on the beliefs and practices they had. They were constructed with limestone and faced with lime stucco. They developed the corbel arch, the stacked each block at opposite sides, closer to the middle, and then peaked at the top.
This class has examined the various accomplishments of ancient Rome, many that have been carried on throughout time and influenced numerous cultures around the world. Amongst those accomplishments were the development of concrete and the utilization of arches. This paper will examine the Roman development of both concrete and the infamous concrete arch that is utilized in many modern day structures today.
Built in or around 6th Century AD the Hagia Sophia which; means “Holy Wisdom”, was originally a cathedral in Constantinople (which is now Istanbul Turkey) during the Byzantine Empire. In the beginning it had served as a cathedral for the Constantine. The original was built of wood. During the riots of 404 AD the Hagia Sophia was mostly destroyed by fire and was rebuilt in 405 AD. The second church was destroyed during a revolt in 532 AD. The construction of the Hagia Sophia was a challenge during this time. The dome roof required a lot of support. In the end it was resting on pendentives: spherical triangles that arise from the huge piers that carry the weight of the cupola. The Byzantine had decorated the inside of
Istanbul is primarily known for its Byzantine and Ottoman architecture which can be seen all throughout the city. Its buildings and structures reflect the various peoples, cultures and empires that once have previously ruled the city. Istanbul is even much older than the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire surfaced around 324 AD - 1453. For this reason, there are lots of historical museums which stores unique artifacts dating back to the Byzantine era, many churches and historical buildings can be seen throughout the city. It also has many beautiful and historical palaces that can be visited by native countrymen and tou...