Paleo Christian and byzantine architecture

• Chirsitanty co existing with paganism and roamn architecture

• Mostly characterized in:
o Mausoleums and baptisteries
o Interiors with speldind colours etc,precious materials, frescos and mosa
ics.
o Altar in gold and crystals
o Clesstory windows
o Galleries for women above aisles.
o Aisles and nave separated by columns and piers
o Opus sectile marbles floor and walls, where pieces where cut to form geo
metrical patterns
• Ist chirstian meeting places wehere in Christian community houses:
o Had raised feature for the Dia imp person to sta
o A baptistery
o A large room where the congreagation could meet.
o One of the earliest Christian community houses is the Dura europos in Sy
ria.
o Found in 244 AD.
o Has a thorah shrine, forecourt, and interior filled with paintings of pe
ople and animals.
o The mural of the healing of the paralytic shows the first ppearance of J
esus in paintings in Christian culture.
o It occupied a typical upper-class rioman house centered around a columne
d courtyard with an impluvium. At the oppside of the entrance is a raised area,
tablinum with a table for celebration. Baptism around the pool in courtyard.
• And there was the catacombs for some reason or another
• Began in the 2nd century.
• Spiritual space for living and burial for the dead.
• At first used to celebrate a ceremonial for the dead.
• Used to use catacombs as believed to be united even in the sleep of deat
h. And during persecutions good to hide and expose Christian symbols.
• All catacombs situated outside the city.
• Here started the frescos in Christian art.
• Difficult to built due to lack of materials and instruments, easy for so
me to be buried alive under fallen rock.
• In 313 ad Constantinople recognized Christianity as an official religion
to be practiced with the same importance as others.
• Here chirsitan archioecture commences.
• To boast his power, like roman emperors, Constantine wanted something bi
g, thus used the basilican plan and structure that the roman left behind. Could
not use temples, since the pagan celebrations took place outside the temple, at
the sighjt of the gods, witht the statues and treasuries in the temple as a back
drop.thus needed an architecture at the interior rather than the exterior.
• Used the basilica (greek for house of the lord) therefore s the first Ch
ristian architecture. Consisting of a central nave flanked by smaller aisles wit
h a apse at one end. On this raised platform the bishop or other would be positi
on himself.
• The celebrations where done indoors not outdoors unlike pagans.
• Used the basilica keeping minimum alteration for minimum costs and rapid
to build.
• Thus basilica used to celebrate the eucharist,and a=emphasized on the pr
ocession.
• Another emythemology developed where martyria start to be adopted, where
a shrine, temple, basilica, etc was put up in strategic location dedicated to i
mportant figures in the Christian cult, like in the church of the nativity in Be
tlehem. Rotunda built in the place whre christais believed to have been born.
• The rotunda influenced the later alternative to te long axial plan of th
Baslican form.
• Constantine commission the old st peter’s church, which is believedto ha
ve been built on the burial site of the disciple of jJesus, thus making the chur
ch more a martyrium than a community church. The burial was placed under the aps
e. Here was the origin of the transept which here was used to emphasis all conce
ntration upon the tomb. This element later used as a universal in the medieval c
hurches.
• It was as large as a gothic cathedral but had timber roofing.
• Basilican latin cros form, wide apsidal end, wide nave, and two aisles.
Entrance preceeded by large atrium. This church and its successors had the entra
nce to the east and the apse to the west.
• The emperor maxentius re interpreted the Basilican plan, using timber ro
ofing, a higher nave than aisles, and here where the clerestory windows, the hal
l collimated and preferably with a trifolium, gallery,and with one or more apses
.
• Good examples are Sant’ apollinare in classe and san viale in Ravenna.
• Sant’apollinare,
• Has very refines mosaic work
• San vitale in Ravenna
o Has a similar plan to that of hagia Sophia commissioned by the emperor J
ustinian.
o Has octagonal plan
o Uses roman element the door, stepped towers, dome etc, with byzantine el
ements, narrow bricks polygonal apse.
o Famous for is mosaics
o Has life size mosacs of Justinian
o The central section has 2 superposed ambulatories, witht the upper one r
eserved form married women,, matrimoneum.
o Side walls has mosaics of the 4 evanglelists.
o Cross ribbed vault
o Apse flanked by 2 chapels,prothesis and diaconicon
• In some churches like in the church in Salonika, we find upper gallaries
for women to observe the liturgical celebrations happening in the central nave.
• The concrete roof vaulting was abondeoned as it was costing and more ove
r symbolized slavery which the christain strongly opposed to a certain extent, s
ince as seen in roman culture, these concrete structures were only made possible
due to tha immense captured numbers of slaves.
• In some church like in Georgia and Armenia, the central nave is only sli
ghjtly higher than the aisles thushresulting in a much darker interior, more ov
er the roof was covered from a single piece. Known as the oriental basilica.
• Normal basilican features:
o Long colonnaded,(sometimes in arches) rectangular nave higher than the a
djacent aisles
o Timber roof
o Gilded, coffered dome.
o Apse opposite of entrance
o Semicircular seating for the important people and a platform infornt of
them where the sanctuary and alatar was placed normaly enclosed under a canopy r
esting on four columns the enhance its importance.
o Mosaics depicting biblical sceneries, with landscape or plain gold backg
round. This was because they lived in an ere where most of the people where illi
terate and thus neededto make a strong impact from the beginning and at first gl
ance.
o Geometrically designed floor.
o Normally occupied large space.
o Forecourt with a fountain prior to church
o Teaching room infront of church, atrium
o Pagan ideas used:
Podium to reach building,
Long axial backbone along which the church took its shape.
o Outside the lectures were carried out,and the fountain baptized pagans t
o entr the Christian community.
o Inside was the sanctuary the treasury of the church.
• Ravenna architecture
• Characteristised in te use of the nathrthex,
• Had female mosiacs instead of saints
• Capitals and marble verneers were of the acanthus type
• Dome made from pots inserted into each other which made very light struc
tures thus without the need of buttresses or arches.
• Supported by timber roofing
• Narthex, area before the church, could be:
o Exonarthex, outside, open on the wesdtern side or enclosed by collinaded
atriam or quadrangle, with a door leading o the outside, like in the Chora chur
ch.
o Esonarthex, incorporated in the body of the church, adequately separated
from the nave and aisles by a wall or columns etc.
• Places in Anatolia and Armenia used stone vaults rather than timber roo
fing.
• Byzanitine architecture
• Featured pumpkin dome
• The use of the pendetive
• Also of squinches
•
• The centre plan also strated being used and thus replacing the basilican
long plan. The centre plan transitioned from the circle to the octagonal to the
square.
• The only surviving circular plan is san stephano rotondo in rome.
• Later in the sory comes in emperor Justinian who bult a model church in
Constantinople.
• After 527 AD we see the separation of the teo plans.
o The east continue developing he Baslican plan, serving as the fundamenta
l base for the Romanesque and gothich churches.(like st peter church in rome)
o The west practiced the central plan used mostly in the martyria churches
.(like san stephano rotondo in rome, and santa costanza rome)
• In North Africa, the Christians where threatened, thus fortifying there
structure like in mycenian architecture. There was a large space in front to all
ow refugees to shelter during war, like in greek culture.
• The choice of materials in these basilicas where anaysed to a great exte
nt.
• The interior took priority over the exterior.
• Mosaic adopted in frescos.
• Jusitinian develop 4 types of church plans which the later churches most
ly followed:
o Atrophied greek cross plan-where the central neve is veey high and domed
, with shallow arms limiting themselves to the thinckes of the arches.
o Octogonal dome plan- based on squinches and pillars makin up the base of
the octognal drum
o Greek cross Octagonal plan- an octagonal space enclose din a rectangle t
ot the apse becoming the diaconicon and the prothesis.
o Quill cunx- nine equal sized base fired by the forms of cappadocian and
troglodite.
• These mosaic tiles involved though and precise labour with the workers s
earching for stragetic points and angles in placing the tiles to reflect the lig
ht from the tiles in carefully designed patterns and touching planned points.
• Hagios Demetrios in Thessalonica, Greece, is another example of a simple
basilican plan, where at the time of its construction was the second largest sh
rine of the time.
o Was a martyrium church
o Built over part of a roman bath
o The original church was replaced by a 3 aisled church and later to a 5 a
siled one.
o Had a ciborium, a hexagonal roofedstructure built or covered in silver,
tis had doors and ion the inside had a bed or couch, seemed to function as a sym
bolic tomb.
o There are no relics of the saint.
o 6 mosaic planels depicting the life of st Demetrius
o Has and apse and detailed altar at the end of the church.
o Built on 3 tiers, and on each tier were windows stragetically place to f
ullyenlighteing and enhance the interior
o Has columns carrying thr first type of blown acanthus.
• Santa maria maggiore-rome
o Rectangular basilican plan.
o Columns with ionic capitals and straight entablurtures
o Above thr entablitures are remains of the original mosaic work depicting
scenes from the old testament.
• Hagia Sophia-istanbul turkey
o Orthodox church, now a mosque under mehmend ll
o Famous for its dome
o Carried on pendetives.
o Here started the invention of the pendetives!!!
o Weight of dome later supported by buttresses.
o Considered as the epitome of the byzantine empire
o Rectangular space with circular ends adopted.
o Done by emporp Justinian appointing, isidore of Miletus ad Anthemius of
thralles.
o The third church of hily wisdom to take over the site.
o Materials bought fro all over the world; porphyry from Egypt,abnd yellow
stone from Syria.
o The dome has fell following an earthquake and the restuaration was immed
iate, where the dome was made of lighter materials and raised 6 meteres higher t
han its predecessor.
o Interior decorated by mosaics and marble pillars
o Inrerior surfaces of plychormatic marble
o Now a mosque, serves a model to similar structures, like the blue mosque
.
Islamic Architecture
• The four principle architecuteral types:
o The tombs,
o Mosque
o Fort
o Palace
• Preference taken by the interior rather than the exterior
• 500 years after the foundation of Christianity, Islam religion was found
ed through Mohammed
• Muslim architecture founded from Mediterranean and central asia.
• Development of the dome and iwan-open fronted barrel vault.
• These people had no type of culture
• Islamic architecture is one of the few architecture in whch the style is
dominated by the religion
• 2 elements made up and united the Islmaic empire ina space f 2 centuries
: the language, Arabic, and the religion, Islam.
• The muslims focus their lives around the religion, deciding in the behav
ior, lifestyle and the living anguage.
• Have very decorative scripture, recognized all over the world.
• Islaic architecture is a synthesis of art and architecture, lifestyle et
c which the muslims have learnt from the people and countries they conquered.
• This was available due to their nomadic lifestyle and thus generating gr
eat assimilative power. They used the power of the conquered people and learnt f
rom them.
• They were very tollereant people and as long as the people accepted thei
r laws they allowed full freedom to the people, thus allowing the architecture a
nd various elements to evolve without hindering. (unlike the roman empire, who d
octrinated all its minions)
• Theye were traders from birth thus the lands they conquered taught and
used social trades with adjacent and other countries.
• A phenomenonwhere thre Tulunids( the first independent Islamic Egypt dyn
asty), broke up frm the central authority of the abbasid dynasty
• The development of Islmaic architecture is the development o the mosque.
• The first mosque to be ever built was by the hands of Mohammed, the Quba
mosque in Saudi araba just outside medina.
o Maohammed did this in his emigration from mecca to medina.
o This mosque followed no architectural style
o Define by a rectangular 2m wall with several rooms at one end, hosting t
he sanctuary
o This place was only done to provide a praying place for Mohammed and his
men to commemorate and pray.
o Saudi Arabia is full of sand.
• The muslim churches follow different methodology from the Paleo-Christia
n ones, where there is the euchairst the baptistery an apses and central altar f
or the preist to celebrate mass, etc,
• The muslim church has none of this, infact it is even disorganized and f
ollows barely and geometrical design and layout when compared to the previous ar
chitectural style.
• The rooms were settled only at the ends of the walls leaving an empty in
terior. This was so as the muslims believed in a more direct approach between ma
n and Allah and thus emphaisised to strengthen this relationship through their
architecture
• Even today one dos not find altars and hight chairs etc for the leader,
but the mosque is still ruin and dependant on the direct bond between man and Al
lah.
• In later stages, namely after 673 AD 4 vertical ellemnts were introduced
at the corners of the building, called Minarets where the keeper of the mosque,
imam, would climb up there and summon the people for prayer at different times
of the day.
• The minaret;
o Apart from being aesthetical which gave an indication and prepared anyon
e of their approach to a mosqure, the minarets were used in other cases:
Used by the imam to call the people for prayer
Used in antiquity like in the great mosque of Damascus as watch towers i
lluminated by torches
o These are usually long vertical spires with an onion shaped crowns, and
were either free standing or much taller than the adjacent supporting structure
/s.
o These are distinctive features
o In practical sense used as air conditioning system where the open window
s at thw top of the minaret release the hot air accumulating in the mosque and c
ool air is drawn from a lower level which is circulated along the mosque before
being released once again.
o Described as gates form heaven and hell.
• The ibn Tulun mosque in cairo.
o The first moqsuq and largest in Egypt
o By ahmad ibn tulun
o Belief that he began the minaret.
• Kalif al-walid in Medina,
o Departed from the mosque of Mohoammed but developed further.
o The courtyard was arcaded,
o Ith one end of the courtyard having a prayer room.
o In the centre of the courtyard was a fountain fo the washing of the hand
and the feet before entering the prayer house.
o The 2 principal mosue elements where introduedhere.:
o The mihrab- a niche facing mecca were the faithful would praer facing in
the same direction.
o And the mimbar-the pulpit.
o Four mimarets in the corner.
o This mosque set up the traditional courtyard mosque.
• The mosque according to mahammed only need to shelter the people from th
e sand, environmental and urban obstacles and emphaisised the importance of the
fountain before entering the prayer house.
• Now the Islamic cuolture started having strong footing.
• The msque buildings branched in 2 ways:
o The Courtyard mosque.
o This mostly occurred in Egypt and in modern Iraq.
o An example of such id the great mosque at Samarra where th miaret takes
an interesting and innovative spiral vertical feature, with the open courtyard b
ecoming explicit.
o Another interesting mosque is in Egypt the Ibn tulun Mosque.
o Later the mosques in Iraq had a sound barrier in the area between the sa
nctuary and the outer wals-ziata.
o Here no noise can be dedected.
o This was the last development of the Courtyard Mosque
• The place where thr mihrab was place in the all facing the kaaba in mecc
a, was called the qibla, and the adjacent wall the qibla wall
• Mimbar is different from the mihrab, where the mimbar is the platform,co
uld be reached There was no specific rule how many and the way the minarets intr
oduced the mosque.
• from stairs, where the imam addresses the congregation.
• El Azhar mosque is the first university of the world teaching the Sharia
, Islamic law.
o Inaugurated in Cairo.
o Here the mimbar and mihrab were combined to form the prayer house and te
aching place
o Manifestation of the courtyard mosque
o Haphazard allocations of elements: reflects the conditions found in a ty
pical muslim city.
• The muslims do not consider the holistic view but rather only take accou
nt of the individual elements and their location is just a coincidence to each
other.
• Short after the death of Mohammend the Umayyads conquered Syria
• Here was a large concentration of holy sites due to their Christian land
marks.
• There was so much abundant that they decided to cionvert the largest of
theses into mosque
• Since the axis followdd from east to west, the placement of the mimbar a
nd mihrab was an easy task at the sides to form the first examples of the HALL M
OSQUE
• The church of st John in Damasvus was the first church to be vconverted
into a hall mosque.
• When the Ummayads left sryria, they went to spain, and cordoba and in ot
her European regions
• The staues in the form of the human being were removed as such are not a
llowed in their religion and were replaced by repetitive elements.
• Earliest example of ummayad’s presence is witht the mosque of cordoba:
o Lower arches and arches are of horseshoe form
• On spain, the lightness of the mosque was characterized by sleneder colu
mns which the muslims found the most appropriate given the geological conditions
of the area.
• Lots f colurs anf materias and polychrimy used and leave the viwer astou
nded.
• Polychromy was continued in the muslim element while it ws abandoned in
the Christian architecture.
• Have ots of decoration and colour.
• Turkey was inhabittet by indo-europeans which converted to islam almost
immeitely,
• Following th connections made woth syaria and Byzantium, a development o
f the hall mosque bllomed in three variations:
o The single bay mosque: where a dome on pendetives in a single room, a mi
naret and a portway with 3 domes featured the design
o The multi bay mosque following the development of the hagia Sophia mosqu
e, where the enclosed could/not have 4 minarets at the corners, have several spa
ces with the central one being domed, and a large forecourt, in front of the mos
que.
o The axial eyvan mosque (Ottoman Empire): consisting mainly of two large
spaces, the porch way entrance could have up to 5 domed spaces,
o connected by a long axis.
• Sultan Suleiman converted hagia Sophia into a most by adding minarets at
the corners. Basing it on the multibay mosque plan. He did this also to show th
at he was nnow in power.the statues removed and instead more richly decorated wi
th different coloura and marble textures.
o The byzantine mode covered by slender columns with light cornice balanci
ng between the heavy baroque to the muslim tent nomadic style.
• Produced a reproductive model which came out to be known the blue mosque
, name derived from the used of blue tiles adorning thr central dome interior. T
his is the ultimate development of the mosque.
o In Istanbul.
o Multibay mosque
• Middle east- courtyard plan
• Turkey Syria spain and Europe-hall mosque
• Muslim state were autotrophic so the ruler needed protection and a digni
fied home
• Thus the rise of palace, the finest example of which is the Alhambra pal
ace in Grenada spain. In the nasrid dynasty
• There were earlier palace developments to reach here,
• Interesting to observe that an eye for geometry and planning was adopted
, even the use of the golden section
• The palaces desrcribe a central courtyard woth room on the peripherals,
all strageticaly placed.
• Places in spain: Seville, cordoba and Grenada
• The nomadic tent is an important feature of the muslims as it was part o
f their architecture, the woodedn struts supostrting the tent gving it lightness
. Used in the variorum architectural elements.
• Islamic decoration also includes calligraphy, where the text is ruled by
mathematical proportions and normally make up the external frames ofelemnets li
ke porch hall way etc.
• Geometric design very uich present in later stages, the se of repetition
formality and symmetry.
• The Muslims were obsessed with botanical features and thus even their de
signs followed the floral designs.
• Water also an important element in the design due to the hot weather the
Muslims have, and also to emphasize some elements. Keep cool as also decorates
the interior.
• Military architecture strated aswell
• The muslims developed a distinct architectural style as they used both t
he squinches and pendetives at the same time, ald a amixture of bareel vaults, c
ross vaults, pointed arches and horse shoe arches, thus making their military ar
chitecture a worth experience and efficient against the showers from the nearby
and oncoming enemies.
• Thus preventing attacks on the wooden elements like the ceiling and roof
s, which were common targets
• Fortified defensive units popular and became a landmark in most eastern
regions, eg Aleppo’s Citadel. Which could be reached only by a bridge.
• No planning for the citadels, haphazard building strategies
• Inside were sanctuary prisons living quarters mosques baths, etc.
•
•
• Alhambra palace in Grenada
o Very refined and higly decorated
o Siting in a sloping site overlooking a fertile valley and a river Dario.
o Reached thoruigh the woodland
o Making it more defense wise and fantasious to approach
o Plan follows strict geometrical forms featuring slender columns in grani
te whuch supostrt the super structure and heavily decorated elements.
o Contrasting a birght colours used, typical of muslim architecture.
o Thorugh the columns, tiers of timber are present reminding the nomadic t
yle of the muslims.
o Hall of the ambassarodrs, where lightcolurs, ionteriio spacing moerge to
create in interesting aporach.
o Use of pointed domes, arches, decorations in inside and outside and ston
e grills are elements only deeply interacted in this particular project.
o A fountain present-the court of lions, where the shapes create a breath
taking effect,
o Columns around fountain veery fine detail,
o Vertical elements full of engravments, mostly in arabesque writings.
• Ottoman architecture
• When turks took over Russia they developed madrassa
• These could be used for a variety of reasons, privat teaching etc.
• These were usully 2 floored, with a monumental entrance and courtyard an
d a monumental staircase.
• These are the base point im many Turkish urban settlements.
• Topkapi palace in Istanbul, Turkey
o Consists mainly of 4 nain courtyards and snmaller buildings,
o Whole complex surrounded by high walls
o Encloses total of 4000 poeople
o Variety of trees to apporacht the palace which show the interenste of th
e ottoman in botany for medicinal purposes.
o Palace for living and planning administration
o The initial courl semipublic with kitchen on the left and chamber office
s on the right.largest of al the courtyards
o Thenext courtyard semi private space for ambassadors otc,
o Next court overlooking sea
o Filnal private used by the ruler
o Sinan- ottoman architect nder sultan Suleiman.
o Walls heavily decorated
o Furniture was bulky and continued witht the tradrion of muslim,
o Bulky furniture covered wall thus wall did not need to be decorated.
o Furniture was inbuiltthus needed good well planned walls
• Mosques follow moinly the hagia Sophia plan.
• These byzantinr forms were also part of fthe sultan accommodation called
the kiosk-turkish house
• Houses in Trabzon: heavy projected rooms and slender clumns.
o living room called the sofa, at the back there is private rooms with bat
hroom
o the house in front rasied latform thorugh sleneder columsn.
• Muslim script decoration in itself
Muslims also conquered and took idea from Persia.
• The Persian mosque are characterized by:
o Taper brick pillars
o Large arcades and arches supported by severalpillars.
MUSLIOM CITTIES
• Under rule of Al-Mansur the capital city moved form istabul to bagdad
• Collected about 2000 architects from all over the world for the making o
f his city
• Decided in the round geometric plan
• City design began with ash drawings
• Constructed mainly of unbaked bricks
• The round city plan was unusual yes but not unique especially in the Mes
opotamian and syrassin periods.
• However this site is fundamental as it show the first example of Islamic
urban planning of a new order
• This round plan is the high power of the abassid dynasty and the central
izing of Bagdad
• Round plan with 4 monumental gates equidistant from each other, facing t
he faces of the main empire, Basra, Damascus, Kufa and Khurasan.
• Also has double fortified walls
• The houses administrative buildings and workshops alovcated in a minimus
of 45 quarters where placed close to the ring wall and separated by radial publ
ic streets.
• Eaxch quarter could be individually shut down in a case of war and infil
tration.
• Another wall separated the quarters from an immense park space where in
the middle rose the immense mosque and the golden gate and the Al-Khadra palace
eith its imposing gree dome.
• In the cenntre of thecircle , the centre if thrir world, capos mundi, p
laced palace and mosque, together with residence fotr the princes, administrativ
e buildings and a kitechen,.
• The upper mst dome is green featuring a riding green figure holding a sp
ear is on the highest level of the place in the dead centre of the circle plan o
f the city.
• The namel of the palace is Al-Khadra., green, central dome in green
• Mosque with green dome adjacent to the palace,
• Sand arounf palace
• 2 fortified walls, wth 4 gateways inside the inner wall corrspodin to 4
courts to the palace, the outer wall and a ditch.
• 4 barrel-vaults run from the entrance to the central palatial and gover
nment section.
• The people live between e two walls, and here the Arabian knights formed
, Ali baba.
• Walls were made of mud brick with reed supports and the vault from bake
d brick,
• Each gateway had a vaulted chamber and a dmed 2nd story built in the en
close, where approx there was 28 towers in between
• Has bent entrances for slow manoureability, slow down cavalry attack,
• Here is the first examples of the bent entrances
• Outer and inner ring roads around quarters and between 8 rto 12 running
through them.
• Reasons fr city. To show his power, also to protect himself from mattack
s
• Could seal off amd entire quarter
• Thus an architecuture of war
• Another reason for the uoprising of military architecture is due to the
savage and rebeliour nature of thre muslims where they fight and rebel against o
ne another, so the ruler who must have been targeted from many, needed some sort
of protection
•
• Tripoli
• Firstly a castle, a couple of mosques, schools and a market place.
• Irregular planning
• No prominent platform leading to the mosque, just roads, and plav in any
space available, even between buildings.
• Wider streets were planned to allow space for market place where the mai
n one was in cairo.
• Trading was an important element of the muslims, part of their culture w
hich enabled them to develop further and learn new technologies etc
• Narrow streets, in case of attack so the camel rides could not pass whil
e riding, more over help as buttressing the street,

Turkish house
• Rectangular roofed structure
• All furniture was inbuilt in the wall
•
MUSLIM HOUSE
• Corner house with huigh windows and a bent entrance for defensive approa
ches
• Servant would livr in theenttrance to ask immediately in the presence of
any guests.
• First come to courttyrad
• Selamlik-room or mandara where men’s sleeping quarter is
• Has rooms around the courtyard for the servants’ lodging
o The courtyard could have a tent of wood pavilllion to entertain the gue
st in summer.
• If the visirtor would then be n aquiantance of the owner, then he would
b alowes in the living quarterslead through a vaulted bent corridor and entrance
, whoch would then seperat into three parts.
• Closet, kitchen and baaker
• In the first floor there at 25 guest room and also the womens’ quarters,
called Harem. Each of the womens rooms had a closet and a close balcony where t
hy coud see but not be seen
• Their rooms faced the outside of the street
• The house has no axial following opposed to the roman house.
After the time of Muhammed other examples from Persian Egyptian influences start
being adopted, like the dome of the rock (qubbat al sakhrah)
• Interior valutedspaces,
• Central dome
• Use of stylized repetitive decorative elements
One of the oldest mosque ever built is the great Mosque of Kairouan
• Considered as one of the oldest mosques built in africa
• In Tunisia
• Has nine gates
• Has a massive three storey square minaret
• The floor is intricaletely designed and has a drain flow in the centre
which filters dust from the rainwater.
• The horse shoed arched porticoes have around 400 ancient pillars
• Prayer hall at one end of the courtyard entered through wooden doors and
the interior space is finely domed.
• The hypostyle prayer hall has 17 aisles and some 414 pillars.
• The prayer house is covered on its axis by 2 cupolas
• Marbel and porrphry floors
• The central aisle leads to the mihrab present in the south of the mosque

Romanesque Architecture
• Originated in Normandy
• Organic quality of space, clarity in building plans,
• Starting point is the square module of the span,split in half in the lat
eral naves.
• On this module the round arches can be done to connect more intricate pl
ans.of alternating piers.
• Italy, was most conservise in the designe and exploited Romanesque arch
to the full
• Spain was a hybrod arch using ghe influence forom france and adding othe
r touches from muslim architecture asnd som traditiona elements.
• Germany, followed Charlemagne and the ottoman ruled relsuting in the tr
ue romanesaque idiom. Featured twin toewers in the western façade.
• An attempt to create a sens of order from the chaotic situation they fou
nd themselves during the period.
• Expression from geometric forms
• Strong emphasis on the vertical element to contrst the paleo Christian b
uildings.
• 2 distinguishable ways of dividing the interior:
o ABBABBA: alternatinf piers, where A=square piers and B=columns. To cut o
ut the monotony of the stretch of the nave
o Diving the nve by insertion of shafts from floor to ceiling at regular
intervals, like in france
• In the time Romanesque arch was fromred there was alack of expertise whi
le there were a lot of farmers, due to this lack of skill the architecture was e
xtremely thick and heavy, ideology from framers, where the stability of the rubb
le walls come thanks to the thickness they were built in.
• Thus the resulting heavingess in the walls of the Romanesque cathedrals
• Use of barrel vaults upon the heavy walls
• Small windows and solid walls to compensate the weakness in the cavity f
or the window,
• Thus very dark interior which makes it creepier.
• Early romaesque features showed lack of aesthethics and lack of confiden
ce in building
• In the same time of the Muslim architecture, the roman empire and the re
st if the world was in a state of disorder
• Europe was fragmented:
o Muslims to the south
o Hungarians to the east
o Vikings to the north
• All was going down except for the Muslims and astonishingly spain:where
its architectural tradition resumed to flourish.
• In this chaotic situation, military architecture dominated more than eve
r before,as this was the only way to survive.
• 2/3 of spain was controlled by the muslims, and in the north east extrem
ity the relics of St James found their way in the old city of Santiago de Compos
tela in Galicia which was already a pilgrimage site, but assumedmuch higher impo
rtance and with the development happening after the development of the relics of
st james.
• Oin the beginning Santiago de compostela was grratly uninhabited after t
he fall of the roman empirw and thus was in a disasterous state.
• Witht the arricval of the relics, this site becomes the centre of Christ
ianity, arranging the abbandondedned site into one of the moste imp pilgrimage s
ites.
• Thish site also grew up as a fortified city.
• It wass common in Europe at this time for many towns and sites to become
pilgrimage sites.
• Due to the relics, the roads were once again filled wirh churches to acc
omondate the travelling pilgrims,
• At first this church at Santiago de compostela had a basilican plan, wit
h a portico and clestorry windows,
• It was well camopuflafe inside the fortified wall in the peripherals, fo
r military reasons
• The popularity of the site increase rapidly as Christians migrated to t
his site, increasing the number of buildings around this church.
• The old church has a latin cross (romaesque) plan.
• This was the first medieval building on the site.
• Afgter 1112 AD the old church was replace by a much larger cathedral.
• This cathedral took alng of time to be constrstucted, latin ross plan, w
ith a central nave and transept arms, and follow the radiating plan where chapel
s radiated from the apse at the pback of the building.
• Since it took a very lng time to build and also duwe to some damage suff
ered, the exterior developed the Baroque style while the interior remained virtu
ally intact.
• Built in granite, whil the interior has a long of stucco due to the very
small details present
• The building is assymetrical, with the towers being of different heights
.
• Asymmetry was encouraged in Romanesque architecture, as a belief that th
e devil would be confused in this style and therefore does not enter the buildin
g.
• Due to the narrow winding streets present the site of the church only ca
me in fragments to the viewer making the cathedral more interesting to see and b
eing breathless when they see the building unobstructed above their heads,
• Had a monumental and mystified approach to frighten the viewers, making
them repent of their sine, etc

• Without the piazzas surrounfingthe churches, the cathedrals, etc was not
a whole entitiy but fragments.
• Romanesque architecture features 3 type of plans:
o Radiating plan:
Side aisles extended to has a walkway, ambulatory,around th apse and at
the end of the ambulatory radiated chapels mostly in semicircular plans beyond t
he east wall.
o Staggered plan:
used mostly in monastic churches
Extension of the nave beyond the transepts and chapels stuck to it.
o Hildesheim plan
• Romanesque architecture gave the interior much more importance than the
outside, thus the axterior is very bland:where there is repeated elemnt and patt
erns with no window, like the semicircular arch, etc
Charlemagne and Carolingian architecture
• Charlemagne managed to create the known holy Roman empire.
• He was influenced greatly by roman architecture and his building where i
nspired as such.
• His palace in Germany followed the roman plan.
• His private chapel in Belgium reflectis Carolingian architecture
o It had a centralized plan inspired from the musllims togerher with arche
s from both roman and muslim
o The combination of these 2 results in a heavy structure decorated accord
ing to the roman style
• This chapel is the bearing for new architecture style inspired from the
romans, byzantines and Muslim where the people become interested in:
o Geometric designs,
o Mass
o Pattern
o Interior designed purposely for Christian functions.
• In Lorsch along the river Rhine there was an attempt in using the roman
styles and conscious approach to the exterior, including fortifications and the
semi circular arches.
o The gatehouse of the monastery at Lorsch shows this by the triple arched
hall at the gateway hall
o Arched façade intersecpted by classical pillars
• The palatine chapel in Aachen, Germany:
o Inspired from the octagonal plan of Justinian’s Church of sanvitale in R
avenna.
o Centralized in plane superimposed by a octagonal dome
o Has a tall monumental western entrance complex, known as westwork, which
is a Carolingian innovation.
o The east end had a square apse flanked by two towers,
o The entrance through the west from a monumental atrium
o Simple exterior and complex interior
o Barrel and groin vaults and octagonal cloister vault in the dome
o Dome was originally in fresco but then was in mosaic.
• Carolingian architecture, is generally basilica, and incorporated west w
orks-the precedent of the west façade in later Carolingian buildings.
• Usually wide basilicas with vast transepts
• The façade flanked by two symmetrical towers of the emphasized exterior
, westworks, was the focal point of the churches
• The abbey (monastery) church
• Influenced by Charlemagne
• Development of h paleo Christian basilica
• Make new vertical passion supporting multiple towers and domes.
• Starting point of the origin of Gothic arch.
• Strong vertical element n the west and east of the building.
• Benedictine monastery
• Dominating church in the monastery since the main foucs is actually the
church
• Monastery residence adjacent to the cloister
• Centre is where the civiliastion grows and the first muslims visit.
• Landscaping architecture included in the design
• Development of the chapter house:
o A room adjacent to the cathedral normally to the eastern cloister
o Here highly ornamented and full of archivolts
o the whole monks ould meet here for discussions and read aloud the bible
in their gathering
• the infirmary: the frist examples and origins of the hospital relat back
to the monasteries where the sick would be treated, even the villagers
• a place where the villagers would meet and retail their needs to the mon
ks
• the abbot’s (leader of the monastery) hall
• the cellarium: storage room of the abbey
• refectory: dining room
• kitchen
• the monks were required to produce mass daily which came up with the sta
ggered lan where several chapels were oput up to allow such development ot meet
the requirements of the priests.
• Romaesque architecture required also relics which the preist used during
the procession
• The very first buildings in france start showng Romanesque behavior
o Roma geometric design and reflection of the interior of what happens in
the choir at the high altar.
o Strong distinguishon vertical element ehich gave the building a much mo
re promindent and monumental air
o France was divided in two making Burgundy the richest of the to and the
most influential and in contact with different styles.
o Eg of san philbert in Burgundy:
There was an old church but twhen the Benedictine monks arrived in site
Romanesque features started to develop:
Processional area
Heavy construction and lack of skill in some elements
 Military approach making th church the centre and most protected
Use of chevette: like radiating plan from the apse, but were more rectan
gular than circular.
Forecourt before church,
o Had basic clear interior and where influenced from spain and muxlim arch
itecture.
o Much more undecorated than the muslim ones.
o The eg of Cluny-Burgundy:
Built in 3 stages
The last abbey built is the largest found in france of the time.
The architectu who built it had a great knowledge on Vitruvius
Cear plan and following roman architecture mos eviodent especially in th
e east
o Cathedral at Conque in the opilgrime route of santiag de compostela
o Radiating pln
o Smallest of the group
o Triple repeetoire, tiower and clerestory windows
o Distinctive feature of th double windows with a coloumn in the exterior
o Unrefined building
o On the façade there is a miniature version of the portico della Gloria
• San benoit church:
o Correct Corinthian columns
o French church hae no aisles and are made up of domes
o Multiple prers etc to divide the different base of the dome
• In Aquitaine we see very intresting arch
o The church has no aisles and butreseesr but rely of vaulte domes
o Various colums divfidng the bays of the buildigngs at stragedic point to
strengthen the supporting load of the above dome.
o Chequred arches use like in muslim arch
• In Normandy, aesthic and confident in building, different from the rest
of france.
o Well refined and distributed windows,
o Grrat order and vaulots on the inside
o More complicated vaults on the inside,
• The development of ecclesiastical church plans where, idea of a hall not
of a nave and aisles
• In England there eas already of form of architecture,
• At the arrival of the Normans, the Normans had to show the anglo Saxons
the superiority of their architecture, Romanesque, thus they had by force to be
very refined in their work
• Thus romaesque in England takes a very symbolic approach
• Romanesque in England started to evolve.
• The nave and its depth starts being expoited and in Norwich the building
s reached monumental dimensions with the original Romanesque features. The arche
s sculoted to create interesting interior lighting effects for more awesomeness
• The depth and thickness of architecture reached in England startied form
ing the base for the Gothic architecture,
• The arches created and manipulated the shadows creating interesting patt
ern, resulting in a much more noble form of architecture.
• Romanesque architecuture=Norman architecture
• In englsns the depth of the nave anf the proportions of the tripleregist
ory are variant,
• Can also find the case of a timber printed suffic beneath a timber roof
• Revolutionn in druham,
• The ribvault started being used to span greater hights
• The revolutionary use of the cross vult included;
o Instead of 1 distinct repetitive elemnt like the roman arch there is now
two superimposed arches.
• The vault allowed the load of the dome etc to be concentrated at fixe po
ints thus allowing the side walls tobe lightly supported
• This wa the transition point between Roamnesque and Gothic
• In sicily the architectural dominance was by the muslims and the byzanti
nes, but had succeded to merge into alighter and softer style.
• To achieve thish howeverem the nomrans wh conquered sicily had to make u
se of local craftsman who were exposed to such building styles already and coud
use their experience in the choice of materials and properties etc.
• Eg cefalu cathedral I monreale:
o Organized space
o In sicily refined style of art etc bestowed by the muslims
o Culmination f byzantine and muslim architecture
o Staggered plan
o Has twin towers in the portico giving massiveness to the cathedral façad
e
o On the outside has basilican plan thus have nave and aisles
o Mysteriously the cathedral feature much muslim and byuzaninte influences
and the interior is decorated in mosaics and marbel and prophry, from the musli
m type.
o Defining the apse is also Muslim type pattern language
o Muslim craftsmaen under norman guide
o In the cloisters there re the fist gardens to be buuil after the fall o
f the roman empire
o They were sheltered from the wind thanks also to the plantation of large
trees
• Palatine chapel in Palermo
o Private chapel for the nomman kings in sicilay
o Here we again see the major influence of muslim and byzantine as the mai
n elements
o Muslim form and byzantine decorations
o Central nave and 2 aisles and has high oval arches
o Courtyard after entrance and royal palatine chapel on the left
o A number of column come from greek influence
o Dome has the pattern language
o Innovative depictions like of adam and eve showing them already aeting t
he forbidden fruit and reaching for a second helping
• The mosaics normally had the old testament in the higher levels with the
depicrions from the new in the lower ones.
• The Normans also found themselves in Southern Italy:
o In Puglia there was no cloture and the people were mostly farmers and co
vered no education
o Thus the local artisans were limited and possessed little skill
o Evident like in the chapel of san Nicola in Bari were the interior mista
kes is what makes is architecture
The walls are not straight
Has distorted plan
The nave does not end in parallel lines
No interior decorations
The arches in the façade modified to stand on pediments and window capit
als
o In Puglia the Normans found a much lower skilled level in the people tha
n in Sicily thus even the architectural element suffered greatly
o The buildings had no decorations and barely any statues
o Sculptural elements concentrated upon the doors and windows
o The facades were very monochromatic like in the first styles of Romanesq
ue
o Sculpted griffins-imaginary animals
o In Barletta there are fortified settlements with the chapel church in th
e middle houses of various unplanned sizes.
The cathedral in Barletta similar in plan ad elevation like the Cefalu c
hurch in Monreale
Pitch dark interior
• The norman architectural style here include:
o Fortified settlement
o Duomo-cahtedral in Italian terms, in the middle
o Surround by various sized houses in with unplanned interior and double w
indows with foothold on the exterior
o Narrow streets, labyrinth like
o Strong vertical elements for religious and military purposes
o Tower as a landmark of romaesque architures;
Used as watch tower in one function
• In Germany there is some modifications of the Romanesque style
o The towers were rounded rather than ractangualr to soften the initial im
pact
o The designed windows were almost used universally
o Normally bland interior
o The abbey of Maria laach is one of the most significant examples:
Multiple round towers
Large westwork
Round apse flanked by square towers
Coned roof