ROMAN EMPIRE

Rome - part of Europe called Italy. Over many years Romans took over lots
of countries, including them in their huge empire 60 million people in it.
Legend tells us that Rome was founded by the twins named Romulus and
Remus in 753BC.
Rome was ruled first by kings, then senators and finally by emperors.
Romans copied or adapted Greek styles. The romans built everything higher
and grander.
Romans built a fantastic network of roads which allowed the rapid
movement of soldiers and supplies.
These were built originally for military purposes but later functioned to
develop more effective communication and trade throughout the empire.
THE DIVISION OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE 395 A.D
Diocletian became the emperor of Rome in 28 A.D and soon realised that
the Roman empire had grown too large for one man to govern effectively.
He split the empire into two halves and kept the eastern half for himself due
to its greater wealth and trade.
THE DIVISION OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE 395 A.D
Diocletian chose a military officer named Maximian to rule the western half
of the Roman Empire.
Maximian followed Diocletians wishes, though he was belived to be equal in
power to Diocletian.
THE DIVISION OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE 395 A.D
About 20 years later, a civil war broke out in both empires and Constantine,
military commander controlled both halves by 324 A.D.
The Roman Empire was single again with a single emperor and he moved
the capital from Rome to Byzantium.
EARLY CHRISTIAN
BIRTH & SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY
The history of Christianity in Rome is fairly well documented.
Romans didnt accept the Christian religion at first.
Roman history, shows that they accepted numerous other religions and
worked them into their own.
The Romans took the Greek religion and made it their own by
taking the mythology and changing the names of the gods.
The Romans worshipped their emperor as a god, starting with the first
emperor, Augustus Caesar.
The Roman Empire is today famous for their gladiators, men who fought
each other for the entertainment of others.
TRANSFORMATION OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE
By AD 300, some 10 percent of Roman people were Christian and the great
turning point came around the year 310AD when Constantine pronounced
the religion of state to be Christianity after having won the battle against
general Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge.
Emperor Constantine became a Christian and made Christianity the official
religion of the Roman Empire.
Once Emperor Constantine declared the new Roman faith as
Christian, the people of Rome began to follow what the Bible says.
The Christian religion made the people of Rome more soft than their earlier
ancestors.
Gladiator battles were not eradicated immediately. They were slowly wiped
out over time.
Most of the Roman Emperors that came after Constantine were Christians.
Under them Christianity became the official religion instead of the old Roman
religion that had worshipped many Gods.
EARLY CHRISTIAN BURIAL
The Catacombs of Rome, are underground burial places under or
near Rome.
Roman catacombs are made up of underground passages, (ambulacra), out
of whose walls graves (loculi) were dug. These loculi, generally, could
contain one or more bodies.
The early Christians bound the bodies of dead in linen and placed them in
burial niches (loculi), which were sealed with a slab bearing the name, age
and the day of death. Often Christian symbols such as the fish or chi-rho
were included as well. These niches are about 40-60 cm (16-24 in) high and
120-150 cm (47-59 in) long.
Another type of burial, typical of Roman catacombs, was the arcosolium,
consisting of a curved niche, enclosed under a carved horizontal marble
slab. cubicula (burial rooms containing loculi all for one family)
and cryptae (chapels decorated with frescoes) are also commonly found in
catacomb passages.
At first they were used both for burial and the memorial services and
celebrations of the anniversaries of Christian martyrs .
Chi-Rho and fish symbols
Loculi (burial niches)
EARLY CHRISTIAN BURIAL
They probably were not used for regular worship, but, because of the
persecution, many early Christians were forced to worship in the Roman
Catacombs which was one of the few places they would be safe.
In 380, Christianity became a state religion and the practice of catacomb
burial declined slowly, and the dead were increasingly buried in church
cemeteries.
By the 6th century catacombs were used only for martyrs memorial services
By the 10th century the catacombs were mostly abandoned and they
remained forgotten until their accidental rediscovery in 1578 by Antonio
Bosio.
In 1956 and 1959 more catacombs were discovered near Rome.
The catacombs have become an important monument of the early Christian
church.
EARLY CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
In the early days there were no actual Churches where people met for
worship.
The places of Christian worship in Rome were private homes called Tituli
and formed the basis of congregations.
Around the second century the early Christians came to possess public
places of worship as they transformed the early private dwellings (Tituli) into
dedicated buildings with precious paintings and mosaics.
In 313 Constantine began an extensive building program to provide
churches and meeting places for Christians.
The first Christian churches used Roman structural and design elements.
Main Plans
Latin Cross and Steeple (Basilica Plan Church)
Roman style and basilica plan in the shape of a Latin cross
Greek Cross and Dome (Central Plan Church)
Central plan church in the shape of a Greek Cross with a dome (heaven on
earth)
Use of mosaics
Found mainly in the Eastern Churches
BASILICA CONCEPT PLAN
The Latin word basilica (derived
from Greek, Basilik Sto, the tribunal
chamber of a king), was originally used to
describe a Roman public building.
When Christianity was introduced to
Rome, the basilica became a place of
worship, or a church. It is very large and
is the most important place of worship in
the Holy Roman Catholic Church.
A basilican church was usually erected
over the burial-place of the saint to whom
the church was dedicated.
Early models resembled large barns, with
stone walls and timber roofs.
BASILICA CONCEPT PLAN
The central part (nave) - rectangular
structure was supported on columns
opening towards single or double
flanking aisles of lower height.
The difference in roof height permitted
high windows, called clerestory windows,
in the nave walls; at the end of the nave,
opposite the entrance, was placed the
altar, backed by a large apse, in which
the bishop took the central place.
Churches built on a basilican plan and
having a sloping roof rather than vaulting,
form part of the Early Christian
architectural tradition.
Examples of this concept are the
surviving churches in Rome are San
Clemente & St. Peters Basilica.
BASILICA PLAN - PARTS
1) Propylaeum- the entrance building of a sacred precinct, whether church or
imperial palace.
2) Atrium- the forecourt of a church; as a rule enveloped by four colonnaded
porticoes.
3) Narthex- the entrance hall or porch proceding the nave of a church.
4) Nave- the great central space in a church. In longitudinal churches, it
extends from the entrance to the apse and is usually flanked by side aisles.
5) Side Aisle- one of the corridors running parallel to the nave of a church and
separated from it by an arcade or colonnade.
6) Crossing- the area in a church where the transept and the nave intersect.
7) Transept- in a cruciform church, the whole arm set at right angles to the
nave.
BASILICA PLAN - PARTS
8) Apse- a recess, sometimes rectangular but usually semicircular, in the wall at
the end of a Roman basilica or Christian church.
The apse in the Roman basilica frequently contained an image of the Emperor
and was where the magistrate dispensed laws. In the Early Christian basilica,
the apses contained the "cathedra" or throne of the bishop and the altar.
9) Nave elevation- the nave elevation usually is composed of a nave colonnade
or arcade and clerestory.
10) Clerestory- a clear story, i.e. a row of windows in the upper part of a wall. In
churches, the clerestory windows above the roofs of the side aisles permit
direct illumination of the nave.
CENTRALIZED CONCEPT PLAN
In a centralised plan, the centre of the
structure, usually surmounted by a dome,
becomes the liturgical focus.(symbolise
the dome of heaven.)
Altar and lectern were placed
geometrically central.
The plan generally worked because the
congregation was not seated.
People were free to stand around on all
sides at their convenience.
CENTRALIZED CONCEPT PLAN
The combination of the basilica and
symmetrical central-plan (circular or
polygonal) religious structures resulted
in the characteristic Byzantine Greek-
cross-plan church.
It has a square central mass and four
arms of equal length.
The chancel is slightly extended and
has an apsidal semicircular eastern
termination.
Flanking the chancel are two smaller
radial apse.
The most distinctive feature was the
domed roof.
CENTRALIZED CONCEPT PLAN
To allow a dome to rest above a
square base, either of two devices
was used: the squinch or the
pendentive.
Pendentive : a spherical triangle that
acts as a transition between a circular
dome and a square base on which the
dome is set.
Squinch: A squinch is an arch or a
system of concentrically wider and
gradually projecting arches, placed at
the corners of a square base to act as
the transition to a circular dome
placed on the base.
SQUINCH
pendentive
CENTRALIZED CONCEPT PLAN
Byzantine structures featured soaring spaces and sumptuous decoration.
Marble columns and inlay, mosaics on the vaults, inlaid-stone pavements,
and sometimes gold coffered ceilings.
ST.MARKS VENICE
ST.HAGIA SOPHIA CONSTANTINOPLE
ST.VITALE RAVENNA
ST. MARKS BASILICA, VENICE
St Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco in Italian) is the most famous of
the many churches of Venice and one of the best examples of Byzantine
architecture in the world.
San Marco is a cathedral: it has been the seat of the Archbishop of Venice
since 1807.
The first St. Mark's church in Venice was a temporary building in the Doges
Palace, constructed in 828.
It was replaced by a new one on the present site in 832. The new church
was burned in a rebellion in 976, rebuilt in 978, and finally to form the basis
of the present basilica in 1063.
While the basic structure of the building has been little altered, its decoration
changed greatly over time. The succeeding centuries, especially the
fourteenth, all contributed to its adornment by adding a column, capitals, or
friezes, taken from some ancient building, to add to the fabric of the basilica.
Gradually, the exterior brickwork was been covered with various marbles
and carvings, some much older than the building itself. A new frontage was
constructed and the domes were covered with higher wooden domes in
order to blend in with the Gothic architecture of the redesigned Doge's
Palace.
ST. MARKS BASILICA, VENICE PLANNING
St. Mark's Basilica is designed on a Greek cross floorplan and modeled
after Constantine's Church of the Holy Apostles (now destroyed) and the
Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Each arm of the Greek cross has a central nave
with side aisle; a narthex in the west end provides the flat surface for the
grand facade.
ST. MARKS BASILICA, VENICE - EXTERIOR
The exterior of the basilica is divided in three registers: lower, upper, and
domes.
In the lower register of the faade, approximately 52 meters long, five round-
arched portals, enveloped by polychrome marble columns, open into the
narthex through bronze-fashioned doors.
The central arch is larger than the other four, yet all are decorated with
intricate mosaics.
The mosaic farthest to the left portrays Transporting the Body of St. Mark to
the Basilica. The mosaic to the left of the central arch displays The
Venetians Pay Tribute to the Body of St. Mark. The mosaic to the right of the
central arch represents Arrival of St. Mark's Body in Venice. The mosaic
farthest to the right symbolizes Removal of St. Mark's Body from
Alexandria. The central mosaic depicts the Last Judgement.
The mosaics in the upper level arches depict stories from the life of Jesus.
The exterior view of
ST. MARKS bASilicA
ST. MARKS BASILICA, VENICE EXTERIOR
The arches are covered by a terrace, which is surrounded by a
railing. Located on the terrace directly above the main arch, are the famous
Greek horses.
The Horses of Saint Mark were installed on the basilica in about 1254. They
date to Classical Antiquity; by some accounts they once adorned the Arch
of Trajan.
The original horses have been removed because of terrible damage from the
weather.
They have recently been restored and are on display in the Museum of the
Basilica.
Duplicates of the horses of bronze were created and took their place on the
basilica's terrace.
Also of note is the statue of the Four Tetrarchs, taken from Constantinople in
1204 representing the inter-dependence of the four Roman rulers who
ruled asTetrarchs under the co-emperor plan, The Tetrarchy devised by
Diocletian.
It is set into the southwestern corner of the basilica.
The Tetrarchs
The greek horses
Bronze replicas
ST. MARKS BASILICA, VENICE INTERIOR
Its interior is even more spectacular than the building's exterior.
Everywhere there are marble columns, sculptures of sacred personages,
and magnificent marble floors, arranged in a geometric pattern with
interspersed animal designs.
The upper order of the interior is completely covered with
bright mosaics containing gold, bronze, and the greatest variety of stones.
About 8,000 square meters of gilded mosaics cover the walls and ceilings.
Those completed in the 12th century depict the New Testament while those
painted in the following century concentrate on the stories of the Old
Testament.
Also adorning the walls are the stories of the Virgin Mary, St. Peter, St.
Clement, St. John the Evangelist, and Interior of course St. Mark.
Originally, the narthex embraced the western arm of the basilica on the three
sides; later the southern part was closed to obtain the Baptistery (1300s)
and the Zen Chapel (1500s).
The eastern arm has a raised presbytery with a crypt beneath.
Behind the presbytery are the sacristy and a 15th century church
consecrated to St Theodore (the first patron saint of Venice).
The canopy or baldacchino over
the high altar is known as the Pala
dOro, the Golden Pall.
It is a panel of gold decorated with
precious gems, sitting on columns
decorated with 11th century reliefs.
Byzantine goldsmiths were hired at
the end of the 10th century to
complete the work on this portion of
the basilica, much of which is now
protected by glass.
The Tesoro or treasury situated
to the right of the main altar,
contains many of the items taken
from Constantinople as well as
other relics the church has
gathered over the years.
The interior view of
ST. MARKS bASilicA
HAGIA SOPHIA - 532 37
Hagia Sophia was a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later
a mosque and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey.
Although there are no artifacts confirming it, it is said that Hagia Sophia was
built on the site of an ancient pagan temple.
The first Hagia Sophia was built by Emperor Constantius, son of Emperor
Constantinos I, and was opened for services in 360 AD.
It is assumed that it was a basilica-type structure with a rectangular floor
plan, circular apse and timbered roof. Ancient sources emphasize that the
eastern wall was circular.
Constantius donated gold and silver as well as religious objects to his
Church.
Hagia Sophia was first named "Megale Ekklesia" (the Great Church) as it
was the largest Church in Constantinople.
The Church was named Sophia, which means "Holy Wisdom" during the
reign of Emperor Constantius.
Both names, Megale Ekklesia and Hagia Sophia are used today.
HAGIA SOPHIA - 532 37
The original Church was destroyed in 404 AD by mobs, during the riots,
when Emperor Arcadius sent the Patriarch of Constantinople, into exile for
his open criticism of the Empress.
Emperor Theodosius II built a new Church which was completed in 415 AD.
The architect of this second Church was Ruffinos.
It had a covered roof and the remains of this Church, excavated in 1935,
show that a staircase of five steps led to a columned propylaeum in front of
the entrance of the building. Including the imperial entrance, there were
three doorways in the facade. The results of excavations indicate that Hagia
Sophia was 60 metres wide.
During the rebellion of Monophysites in 532, Hagia Sophia was destroyed
along with many other important buildings. This revolt is known as the "Nike
Revolt" in Byzantine history.
Following these events, Emperor Justinian ordered the construction of
a new Church which was to surpass in magnificence all earlier Churches.
The two most famous architects of the age; Anthemius of Tralles (Aydin) and
Isidorus of Miletus, were entrusted with the construction of the building. They
supervised one hundred master builders and ten thousand labourers.
HAGIA SOPHIA - 532 37
The finest and rarest materials from the four corners of the empire were
brought to Constantinople to be used in the construction of Hagia Sophia.
Columns previously taken to Rome from an Egyptian temple, ivory and gold
icons and ornaments from ancient temples were among them.
The construction was completed in a very short time of five years, ten
months and four days.
Later, the Church was damaged many times by earthquakes and fires, and
had to be repaired and reinforced.
When the Turks conquered Constantinople in 1453, the Church was
converted into a mosque, a place of Islamic worship.
To begin with, Turks preserved the frescoes and mosaic figures of Christian
saints which decorated the walls.
However, in the 16th century, these were completely covered by plaster,
since the Islamic code forbids figural representation.
HAGIA SOPHIA - 532 37
After it became a mosque, the following changes, necessitated by Islamic
architectural standards, were made:
Sultan Mehmed II "the Conqueror" built an altar (mihrap) in the east, since
the apse should be in the direction of Mecca.
Sultan Bayezid (1484-1512) added a minaret on the north-east corner.
The Turkish architect Sinan, built the two minarets in front of the Church
during the reign of Sultan Murad III (1574-1535). Murad III also had water
urns of the Hellenistic period (300 BC) brought to the mosque from
Bergama.
The pulpit (minber) and preacher's pew (muezzin mahfili) were added to
the interior during the reign of Murad IV.
In 1739, Sultan Mahmud I built a library and a primary school (mekteh-i
sibyan) in the south.
In 1850, Sultan Abdulmecit added the present day Imperial Pew. During
his reign (1833-1861), important repairs were entrusted to the Swiss
architect Gaspare Fossati. He removed the plaster covering the mosaics and
then replastered them. He decorated these newly plastered areas with
frescoes.
The building was completely renovated inside and out.
It remained as a mosque until the fall of the Ottoman empire in the early
twentieth century.
In 1934, the Turkish government secularized the building, converting it into
a museum, and the original mosaics were restored.
The church has a rectangular shape, and the vast square nave measuring
31m (102ft) is covered with a central dome that is carried on four pendentives.
The narthex outside at the eastern
part of atrium is enclosed, and the
inner narthex is entered by 5 doors,
and from this inner narthex there are 9
doors to the nave.
Excluding the two narthexes and the
large atrium, the basilica measures 70
x 75 m (229 x 245 ft) .
The atrium measures 48 x 32 m (157
x 106 ft) and the total length of the
construction measures 135 m (442 ft).
The arcade around the dome is
unbroken with 40 arched windows to
bring the light inside.
The accesses to upper galleries are
provided by ramps, which are
traditional feature of
Constantinopolitan church planning.
ST. VITALE BASILICA - RAVENNA
The Basilica of San Vitale is the most famous monument of Ravenna, Italy
and is one of the most important examples of Byzantine art and architecture in
western Europe.
The building is one of the eight structures in Ravenna that was included as
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1996.
The church is built on the site of St. Vitalis martyrdom.
The church is of extreme importance in Byzantine art, as it is the only major
church from the period of the Emperor Justinian I to survive virtually intact to
the present day.
The building combines Roman elements (the dome, shape of doorways,
stepped towers) with Byzantine (polygonal apse, capitals, narrow bricks, etc.).
It was begun by Bishop Ecclesio in 527, and completed by the 27th Bishop of
Ravenna, Maximian in 548.
The construction of the church was sponsored by a Greek banker, Julian the
Silversmith.
The exterior view of
st. Vitale - ravenna
The church has an octagonal plan with an octagonal domed core, vaulted
and resting on eight piers and arches, then encircled by an ambulatory and a
gallery.
ST. VITALE BASILICA RAVENNA - EXTERIOR
The Basilica of S. Vitale, a brick masonry church, is composed by two
concentric octagonal prisms.
The outer and lowest one contains two levels of galleries, covered by a
systems of vaults built in the XII cent.
The upper one, the matrimoneum, was reserved for married women.
The, inner and highest one climaxes with the dome over the octagonal drum
connected to the pillars by a series of semi-circular arches.
The external pillars are connected by thick walls stiffened by a couple of
built-in columns at regular intervals.
The dome has a spherical shape with a diameter of approximately 16 m. It is
constructed of concentric rings made of clay tubes that narrow towards the top.
The octagons are both covered by timber roofs.
The east side opens to the presbyterion and the apse.
Nearly opposite, the main entrance is preceded by a nartex built tangent to
one of the sides of the external octagon.
Two towers are situated at the two sides of the narthex, one of which
became a bell tower in the X-XII Centuries.
ST. VITALE BASILICA RAVENNA - INTERIOR
While the exterior is plain brick and blocky, rather massive, the interior, is
enhanced by the overlay of marble and mosaic on the walls, obscuring the
mass of the walls.
Inside, the great triumphal arch is decorated with 15 mosaic medallions,
depicting Jesus Christ, the twelve Apostles and Saint Gervasius and Saint
Protasius, the sons of Saint Vitale.
The cross vaulting in the presbytery is richly ornamented with mosaic
festoons of leaves, fruit and flowers, converging on a crown encircling the Holy
Lamb.
The crown is supported by four angels, and every surface is covered with a
profusion of flowers, stars, birds and animals, including many peacocks.
Above the arch, on both sides, two angels hold a disc and beside them a
representation of the cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
All these mosaics are executed in the Hellenistic-Roman tradition: lively and
imaginative, with rich colors and a certain perspective, and with a vivid
depiction of the landscape, plants and birds. They were finished when Ravenna
was still under Gothic rule.
ST. VITALE BASILICA RAVENNA - INTERIOR
At the foot of the apse side walls are two famous mosaic panels, depicting
the Emperor Justinian, clad in purple with a golden halo, standing next to court
officials, Bishop Maximian, soldiers and deacons.
On the other side is Empress Theodora, with gold halo, crown and jewels,
and a train of court ladies.
These panels are almost the only surviving examples of Byzantine secular
mosaic art.
The mosaic of
Emperor Justinian and
his retinue.
The Presbytery
ST.cleMeNTS ROME
ST.PeTeRS ROME
ST. CLEMENTE BASILICA, ROME
The Basilica di San Clemente (Basilica of St. Clement) is an early
Christian basilica in Rome dedicated to Pope St. Clement (d. 99 AD).
The church has a beautiful interior, but it is especially notable for its three
historical layers.
Archaeologically speaking, the structure is a three-tiered complex of
buildings:
1) The present basilica built just before the year 1100 during the height of
the Middle Ages.
2) Beneath the present basilica is a 4th century basilica that had been
converted out of the home of a Roman nobleman, part of which had in the
1st century briefly served as an early church, and the basement of which
had in the 2nd century briefly served as a mithraeum.
Mithraeum, or Temple of Mithras Mithras was a sun god of Persian origin
whose cult was for men only and involved secret initiation rituals in small,
cave-like structures.
3) The home of the Roman nobleman had been built on the foundations of
a republican era building that had been destroyed in the Great Fire of 64.
BEFORE THE 4
th
CENTURY
The lowest levels of the present basilica are remnants of the foundation of
a republican era building that was destroyed in the Great Fire of 64.
At this time, the home was owned by the family of Roman
consul and martyr Titus Flavius Clemens, who was one of the first among
the Roman senatorial class to convert to Christianity.
At this level there are two separate buildings, an insula (apartment building)
and mansion were built here, separated by a narrow Roman street.
In the early 3rd century, the inner courtyard of the insula was made into a
Mithraeum, or Temple of Mithras.
The insula is a brick building in the courtyard of which there is a Mithraic
temple. The mansion is a more magnificent, rectangular structure,
constructed around a courtyard.
The sound of rushing water can be heard throughout this area. It comes
from, maybe a 1st-century aqueduct running towards the Tiber via the
Cloaca Maxima, the main sewer of ancient Rome.
TEMPLE OF MITHRAS
Mithras was a sun god of Persian origin whose cult was for men only and involved
secret initiation rituals in small, cave-like structures.
The Temple of Mithras, is a small artificial cave with stars on the ceiling, long side
benches, and a stone altar with a relief of Mithras slaying the bull.
The decorations show some stucco on the walls and ceiling and the floor has a
herring-bone pattern typical of Roman buildings.
4
th
11
th
CENTURIES
In the 4th century, the ground-floor rooms of this structure and the courtyard
were filled in to the level of the first storey to provide the foundations for a
church in memory of Pope Clement.
The former home of the Clemens family was extended and converted into a
church, acquiring the adjoining insula and other nearby buildings.
The courtyard of this new level became the nave of the church, while the
rooms that once overlooked the old courtyard on either side were converted
into the side aisles and the apse was located approximately over the former
mithraeum.
The Mithraeum continued to exist until 395, when all pagan cults were
outlawed. The property was taken over by the clergy of San Clemente, who
filled it in as a foundation for an apse to the church.
Originally, the 4th-century church interior consisted of a nave and two
timber-roofed aisles with an apse at the west end and a narthex at the
entrance, fronted by an atrium surrounded by arcaded porticoes.
In the narthex, which is the first room columns embedded in the wall are
visible.
4
th
11
th
CENTURIES
They originally formed part of an open colonnade but after the damage
under the Normans, the colonnades between nave and aisles were walled
up.
A third wall running down the nave as well as the apse wall immediately
behind the altar were also added to support the upper church.
Faded frescoes decorate many of the walls, and date from the 6th to 11th
centuries. They depict New Testament scenes and lives of several saints.
The recently-discovered 6th-century baptismal font is polygonal with a
round interior, 2 meters in diameter, and decorated with marble revetments
forming stylized waves.
The completed basilica survived until about 1100 AD when it was found that
the building was unsafe and should be abandoned, as it was located 5
meters below street level and not structurely safe.
The fourth-century basilica was then filled in with rubble to the top of its
pillars and on this foundation a replica of the old basilica was erected.
Pope Paschal II (1099-1118) built a new church above it in 1108.
Rows of supports were added in the 19th century to add further support.
THE SECOND BASILICA UPPER CHURCH
The main, upper church of San Clemente is one of the most richly decorated
churches in Rome.
The vast majority of its architecture and art dates from its construction in the
early 12th century. The entrance is on the left aisle.
THE SECOND BASILICA UPPER CHURCH
The current basilica was rebuilt in one campaign by Cardinal Anastasius, ca
1099-ca. 1120, after the original church was burned to the ground during
the Norman sack of the city under Robert Guiscard in 1084.
Its original entrance (a side entrance is ordinarily used today) is through an
axial peristyle (B on plan) surrounded by arcades, which now serves as
a cloister.
The basilica church behind it is in three naves divided by arcades on ancient
marble or granite columns, with Cosmatesque inlaid paving.
The 12th-century schola cantorum (E on plan) incorporates marble
elements from the original basilica.
Behind it, in the presbytery is a ciborium (H on plan) raised on four gray-
violet columns over the shrine of Clement in the crypt below.
The episcopal seat stands in the apse, which is covered with mosaics on
the theme of the Triumph of the Cross that are a high point of Roman 12th
century mosaics.
INTERIOR VIEW OF
ST. CLEMENT BASILICA
THE SECOND BASILICA APSE
The carved and gilded coffered ceilings of nave and aisles, fitted with
paintings, date from the 18th century., as do the stucco decor, Ionic capitals
and frescos.
The most striking sight is the 12th-century apse mosaic, in a golden-bronze
color and featuring a large crucifix in the center.
Growing from and around the crucifix are vines, associating the cross with
the Tree of Life.
The apse is richly decorated with frescoes and mosaics.
Starting from the bottom, there is a strip with purely decorative motifs,
followed by a border with floral decoration.
Christ and the Apostles are depicted in mosaic in the form of the Lamb of
God flanked by a flock of twelve lambs.
The apsidal arch is also decorated with mosaics.
THE SECOND BASILICA UPPER CHURCH
The most striking sight is the 12th-century apse mosaic, in a golden-bronze
color and featuring a large crucifix in the center. Growing from and around
the crucifix are vines, associating the cross with the Tree of Life.
The apse is richly decorated with frescoes and mosaics. Starting from the
bottom, there is a strip with purely decorative motifs, followed by a border
with floral decoration
Old ST. PeTeRS ROMe
OLD ST. PETERS BASILICA, ROME
Where St. Peter's now stands was once a chariot racing stadium, built in the
time of the Emperor Nero (40-65).
Under his rule of terror, many Christians were imprisoned and put to death
here in the newly completed stadium ("Circus" in Latin).
Among those first Christians to be rounded up by Nero's soldiers was the
leader of the Christian community in Rome, St. Peter the Apostle.
The stadium, about six hundred yards long, and St. Peter's place of
crucifixion is traditionally marked as corresponding to the left hand wing of
the basilica.
According to ancient tradition, St. Peter was martyred in the Circus and
buried nearby.
The Christians immediately took Peter's body and buried it in the cemetery
near the Circus. The remains of that cemetery can still be seen today
beneath the basilica. Excavations between 1939 and 1950 unearthed both
the tomb and the relics of the apostle.
OLD ST. PETERS BASILICA, ROME
When Christians were eventually given their freedom (313), under the
Emperor Constantine, after more than two hundred years of persecution, it
was decided to build a basilica above the tomb of the Prince of the Apostles.
It was Constantine who, in 324, built a lavish basilica over the entire
cemetery and part of the circus. The main altar was to stand over Peter's
simple tomb.
Construction begun on the orders of the Roman emperor Constantine I, took
about 30 years to complete.
OLD ST. PETERS BASILICA, ROME
The design was a typical basilica form.
The church was entered through an atrium called Garden of Paradise that
enclosed a garden with fountains.
The atrium, stood at the entrance and had five doors which led to the body
of the church, but was actually a sixth century addition.
The building consisted of five aisles, a wide central nave and two smaller
aisles to each side.
The old, five-aisled basilica was 118 meters long, 64 meters wide and had
88 columns, that is, 22 in each row.
According to tradition, Constantine took these columns from the Temple of
Solomon and gave them to the church; however, the columns were probably
from an Eastern church.
It was built in the shape of a Latin cross, and had a gabled roof which was
timbered on the interior and which stood at over 100 feet (30 m) at the
center.
The nave ended with an arch, which held a mosaic of Constantine and Saint
Peter, who presented a model of the church to Christ. On the walls, each
having 11 windows, were frescoes of various people and scenes from both
the Old and New Testament.
The exterior however, unlike earlier pagan temples, was not lavishly
decorated.
OLD ST. PETERS BASILICA, ROME
Later, a bell-tower, with 12 windows on each of its six storeys was built, as
was a double-portico that was used for papal blessings.
The interior of the basilica was resplendent with rare marble, mosaics of all
colors, shining metals, draperies, tapestries and precious stones. The floor
around the tomb of St. Peter was covered with gold and silver.
These priceless treasures were stolen when the shrine was sacked by the
Visigoths (410), the Vandals (455), the Saracens (846), the Normans (1084)
and others who, attracted by their material value, totally ignored their
spiritual significance.
The church was falling to ruin by the 15th century.
Reluctantly, the decision was made to demolish it, but on the brighter side,
another decision was made, to erect an even greater one, the basilica as it
exists today, on the same site.
Pope Nicolas V ordered the restoration and enlargement of the church after
plans by Bernardo Rossellino. After Nicolas V died, works were halted.
ST. PETERS BASILICA, ROME
In 1505, Pope Julius II, made a decision to demolish the ancient building
and replace it with something grander.
A competition was held, and a number of the designs by a succession of
popes and architects followed in the next 120 years, showed their combined
efforts resulting in the present building.
St. Peter's Basilica was rebuilt in the 16th century by Renaissance masters
including Bramante, Michelangelo and Bernini.
Julius II appointed Donato Bramante as the chief architect of the new
Basilica.
It was the design of Donato Bramante, the form of an enormous Greek
Cross with a dome inspired by that of the huge circular Roman temple, the
Pantheon, that was selected, and for which the foundation stone was laid in
1506.
Bramante had envisioned that the central dome be surrounded by four lower
domes at the diagonal axes.
The equal chancel, nave and transept arms were each to be of two bays
ending in an apse.
At each corner of the building was to
stand a tower, so that the overall plan
was square, with the apses projecting
at the cardinal points.
Each apse had two large radial
buttresses, which squared off its
semi-circular shape
dONATO bRAMANTeS PlAN
Raphael's plan
When Pope Julius died in 1513, Bramante was
replaced with Raphael.
The main change in Raphael's plan is the
nave of five bays, with a row of complex
apsidal chapels off the aisles on either side.
the semi-circular apses more clearly defined
by encircling each with an ambulatory
In 1520 Raphael also died and his successor Peruzzi maintained changes
that Raphael had proposed to the internal arrangement of the three main
apses, but otherwise reverted to the Greek Cross plan and other features of
Bramante.
This plan did not go ahead because of various difficulties of both church and
state and Peruzzi died in 1536 without his plan being realised.
At this point Antonio da Sangallo the Younger submitted a plan which
combines features of Peruzzi, Raphael and Bramante in its design.
Sangallo's main practical contribution was to strengthen Bramante's piers
which had begun to crack.
In 1547 in the reign of Pope Paul III, Michelangelo, then in his seventies,
succeeded Sangallo the Younger as "Capomaestro", the superintendent of
the building program at St Peter's.
He is to be regarded as the principal designer of a large part of the building
as it stands today.
It is the chancel end (the "Eastern end") with its huge centrally placed dome
that is the work of Michelangelo.
The dome of the church was designed by Michelangelo and is 136.5m (448f)
high and 42 m () in diameter. The nave of St. Peters is 218m (715 ft) and
the basilica has 45 altars and 11 chapels.
Uniquely, Michelangelo's dome is not a hemisphere, but a parabola.
At the time of his death (1564), the dome was finished as far as the drum,
the base on which domes sit. The dome was vaulted between 1585 and
1590 by the architect Giacomo della Porta with the assistance of Domenico
Fontana.
The great double dome is made of brick and is 42.3 metres in interior
diameter (almost as large as the Pantheon), rising to 120 metres above the
floor.
As it stands today, St. Peter's has been extended with a nave by Carlo
Maderno.
The faade designed by Maderno, is 114.69 metres (376.3 ft) wide and
45.55 metres (149.4 ft) high and is built of travertine stone.
At each end of the narthex is an equestrian figure,
to the north Emperor Constantine by Bernini
(1670) and to the south Charlemagne by
Cornacchini (18th century).
The central balcony is called the Loggia of the
Blessings, and is used for the announcement of
the new pope.
Michelangelo's plan, extended with
Maderna's nave and facade
View of the square
From the dome
ST. PETERS BASILICA, ROME INTERIOR
St. Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the
world, holding 60,000 people.
The interior, which includes 45 altars, is decorated by St. Peter's Basilica
many famous artists.
From the narthex to the interior, there are three contain notable doors.
The central portal has the Renaissance bronze door by Antonio Averulino
(known as the Filarete Door after the artist's nickname ) (1455), enlarged to
fit the new space with the addition of panels at top and bottom.
It has been was preserved from the old basilica.
The southern door, the "Door of the Dead", was designed by 20th century
sculptor Giacomo Manz.
The northernmost door is the "Holy Door" which, by tradition, is walled-up
with bricks, and opened only for holy years such as the Jubilee year by the
Pope.
Immediately inside the central doors, a large round porphyry slab is set into
the floor.
The insides of the pilasters that separate the nave from the side aisles have
niches filled with statues of saints who founded religious orders.
There are 39 of these in total throughout the church, spaced evenly in the
nave and two transepts.
At the crossing of the transepts is the central focus of the interior, the
baldacchino.
This monumental canopy shelters the papal altar and the holy relics of St.
Peter.
The baldacchino stands 90 feet (30 meters) tall and was created by Lorenzo
Bernini from 1624 to 1633.
Surrounding the baldacchino are four great piers that support the huge
dome.
Each pier has a large niche at its base, which is filled with a colossal statue
of a saint representing each of the basilica's four major relics.
NW pier - St Helena, Constantine's mother
NE pier - St Longinus, the Roman soldier
SE pier - St Andrew, with his trademark diagonal
SW pier - St Veronica, with the veil
The balconies above the niches are flanked by the 4th-century spiral
columns and contain reliefs depicting the relics.
St Helena
St Longinus St Andrew St Veronica
Baldacchino
ST. PETERS BASILICA, ROME SQUARE
The open space which lies before the basilica was redesigned by Gian
Lorenzo Bernini from 1656 to 1667, under the direction of Pope Alexander
VII.
There are two beautiful fountains in the square, the south/left one by Carlo
Maderno (1613) and the northern/right one by Bernini (1675).
In the center of the square is a 25.5-meter-tall obelisk of red granite , which
dates from 13th-century BC Egypt and was brought to Rome in the 1st
century to stand in Nero's Circus.
It was moved to its present location in 1585 by order of Pope Sixtus V.
Including the cross on top and the base, the obelisk reaches 40m.
The square is outlined by a monumental colonnade by Bernini, its open
arms symbolically welcoming the world into the Catholic Church.
On top of the colonnade are 140 statues of saints, crafted by a number of
sculptors between 1662 and 1703.
Near the stairs to the basilica at the front of the square are colossal statues
of St. Peter and St. Paul, the patron saints of Rome.
Panoramic view
aerial view