Dig Into History

41

Byzantine Arts

T

he Byzantines elaborated on ancient Roman

mosaicart forms to decorate the interior of

their churches. Byzantine artisans incorporated

into their works glittering, colored-glass fragments and

jewels. They used these objects to depict figures in

scenes that included plants, animals, and starry skies.

Complex and abstract patterns of glowing, colored

marble shapes graced their floors. Magnificent

examples of their work can be found in churches in

Israel, Palestine, and Ravenna in Italy.

Illuminated icons featured religious figures painted

on wood panels and incorporated dazzling wax

pigments that often included gold leaf. These icons

were not intended for worship. Rather they were seen

as aids that could be used by people praying and

meditating. Intricately colored, miniature illustrations

often decorated Biblical texts. Today, the monastery of

St. Catherine in Sinai, which was founded by the

emperor Justinian, houses a beautiful collection of

illuminated icons.

Byzantine architecture

incorporated Roman

temple design elements

into its buildings. The

Byzantine church plan,

for example, featured

a square central space

that was set in a cross

shape with four arms of

equal length. Above this

was a domed roof. To allow this

of roof to rest on a square base,

Byzantines used complicated

pports that included the squinch

pendentive (see illustrations at

uter surfaces were decorated

ricate brickwork patterns,

ers, arched colonnades, and

aceful buttresses. Byzantine

acred structures featured soaring

paces with vaulted, coffered

ceilings and sumptuous marble

and mosaic decor. Few secular

antine structures stand today.

re known mostly from

orary descriptions.

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They a

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word “squinch”!Never heard the

But

now I will look for
one next time I visit
a major church or
building. I have put
“pendentive” on my
“must-see” as well!

Hagia Sophia

O

riginally a small church, the Hagia Sophia, or

Church of the Holy Wisdom, was destroyed

during riots in 532 Ƌƍ Rebuilt in 537Ƌƍas

a grand new center of Eastern Christianity, it is

considered one of history’s greatest architectural

achievements. The innovative design included a huge 105-

foot dome supported on a pendentive and two semi-

domes that rest on great marble piers. Window light

reflects on the golden mosaics, concealing the supports

and making the ceiling appear to float. Nine centuries

after its construction, conquering Ottoman Turks

converted Hagia Sophia into a magnificent mosque.

illustrations by John Gordon Swogger

A mosaic is a design that consists of small pieces of

colored glass, pottery, or stone set in concrete or plaster.

dome

pendentive

squinch

dome

Squinch refers

to a design

that has an

arch in each

corner of a

square shape,

transforming

all into an

octagon.

Pendentive

refers to a

spherical

triangle that

acts as a

transition

between a

circular dome

and a square

base on which

the dome is set.