What are the architectural features of Hagia Sophia?
Hagia Sophia combines a longitudinal basilica and a centralised building in a unique Byzantine way—with a huge 32-metre main dome supported on pendentives (triangular segment of a spherical surface) and two semi-domes.
What style of architecture is Hagia Sophia and what Roman emperor had it built?
The Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya in Turkish) was originally built as a basilica for the Greek Orthodox Christian Church. However, its function has changed several times in the centuries since. Byzantine Emperor Constantius commissioned construction of the first Hagia Sophia in 360 A.D.
What architectural feature is found in the dome of the Hagia Sophia?
Pendentives
Pendentives to Support the Dome
The Hagia Sophia dome is supported by four pendentives that were built at each corner of the square base of the cathedral. The use of pendentives by Isidore marked the first large-scale incorporation of this constructive element, which became distinctive of Byzantine architecture.
What type of building is the Hagia Sophia?
The Hagia Sophia, whose name means “holy wisdom,” is a domed monument originally built as a cathedral in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) in the sixth century A.D. It contains two floors centered on a giant nave that has a great dome ceiling, along with smaller domes, towering above.
What are the characteristics of Byzantine architecture?
Byzantine structures featured soaring spaces and sumptuous decoration: marble columns and inlay, mosaics on the vaults, inlaid-stone pavements, and sometimes gold coffered ceilings.
What is a key architectural feature of the Hagia Sophia quizlet?
* In order to create the largest interior space possible, they designed an enormous dome and supported it using a revolutionary construction method called pendentives.
Why is Hagia Sophia important in the history of architecture?
Built between 532 and 537, Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom, Ayasofya) represents a brilliant moment in Byzantine architecture and art. It was the principal church of the Byzantine Empire in its capital, Constantinople (later Istanbul), and a mosque after the Ottoman Empire conquered the city in 1453.
How would you describe Islamic architecture?
Islamic architecture is a centuries-old category of architecture that is rooted in the principles of Islam. The striking sculptural forms and often dazzling ornamental detail that characterizes Islamic buildings include some of the most awe-inspiring built structures on Earth.
What is Byzantine architecture called?
Byzantine architecture is a style of building that flourished under the rule of Roman Emperor Justinian between A.D. 527 and 565. In addition to extensive use of interior mosaics, its defining characteristic is a heightened dome, the result of the latest sixth-century engineering techniques.
What is the best example of Byzantine architecture?
the Hagia Sophia
The most famous example of Byzantine architecture is the Hagia Sophia, and it has been described as “holding a unique position in the Christian world”, and as an architectural and cultural icon of Byzantine and Eastern Orthodox civilization.
What are the two architectural forms that best describe the plan of Hagia Sophia?
Two architectural forms that best describe the plan of Hagia Sophia are basilica plan with a central plan on an vast scale. Two architectural forms that best describe the plan of Hagia Sophia are palace plan with a octogonal plan on an vast scale.
How does the Hagia Sophia show Greek and Roman architectural elements?
The Hagia Sophia combines both Greek and Roman architectural elements. Some examples of this are the famous dome on this beautiful building was like that of the Ottoman Turks of the Roman Empire. It seems to have three or four large pillars which are made of marble which is like in Athens, Greece.
What is Hagia Sophia and why is it significant?
What are the five elements of Islamic architecture?
Characteristics. Some characteristics of Islamic architecture were inherited from pre-Islamic architecture of that region while some characteristics like minarets, muqarnas, arabesque, Islamic geometric motifs, pointed arch, multifoil arch, onion dome and pointed dome developed later.
What is special about Islamic architecture?
Islamic architecture is one of the world’s most celebrated building traditions. Known for its radiant colors, rich patterns, and symmetrical silhouettes, this distinctive approach has been popular in the Muslim world since the 7th century.
What is special about Byzantine architecture?
What is the most famous example of Byzantine architecture?
What is the style of Byzantine architecture?
Byzantine architects were eclectic, at first drawing heavily on Roman temple features. Their combination of the basilica and symmetrical central-plan (circular or polygonal) religious structures resulted in the characteristic Byzantine Greek-cross-plan church, with a square central mass and four arms of equal length.
What is the name of the most famous Byzantine architectural structure?
the Hagia Sophia of Constantinople
The largest, most important and still most famous Byzantine church, or indeed any building, is the Hagia Sophia of Constantinople, dedicated to the holy wisdom (hagia sophia) of God.
What is the most unique identifying feature of the Byzantine structure Hagia Sophia?
In Istanbul, the Hagia Sophia’s most prominent and celebrated feature is its large dome, soaring above the city, while its square brick edifice and two massive towers, create an impression of fortress-like solidity.
What was Hagia Sophia architectural importance?
It served as a center of religious, political, and artistic life for the Byzantine world and has provided us with many useful scholarly insights into the period. It was also an important site of Muslim worship after Sultan Mehmed II conquered Constantinople in 1453 and designated the structure a mosque.
Why is the Hagia Sophia so famous?
What is the most famous Islamic architecture?
the Taj Mahal
Today the Taj Mahal is the most famous piece of Islamic architecture in the world, with the possible exception of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.
What are the 4 main Islamic structures?
They are found in many types of buildings including mosques, madrasas, palaces, and caravanserais. A common layout is the four-iwan plan.