SUBMITTED BY: Ritabrata Chaki Mohit Haror Samapika Dalai Drishti Samaddar

INTRODUCTION
The byzantine empire emerged after AD 330, when the roman emperor Constantine moved the capital of the roman empire east from Rome to Byzantium. Byzantium, "new Rome", was later renamed Constantinople and is now called Istanbul.
Situated between Black Sea and Mediterranian Sea. Has a natural harbour of Golden Horn a deep water inlet.

CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES
1. Buildings increased in geometric complexity 2. Brick and plaster were used in addition to stone 3. Classical orders were used more freely 4. Mosaics replaced carved decorations 5. Complex domes rested upon massive piers 6. Windows filtered light through thin sheets of alabaster to softly illuminate interiors. 7. Domes were placed on square or polygonal plans with the help of pendentives. 8. Byzantine churches were lavish inside but considerably plain on the outside.

CLASSIFICATION
Byzantine architecture can broadly be divided into 3 phases: Early byzantine architecture Medieval byzantine architecture Late byzantine architecture

EARLY BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE

Early byzantine architecture was the continuation of roman architecture Technological advancement, political and stylistic drifts contributed to the emergence of it.
Hagia Sofia

HAGIA IRENE
It is a superb sample and pillars. of the early Byzantine It comprises a main architecture. space, a narthex, It ranks as the first galleries and an church of atrium. Constantinople. The The dome is 15m wide church measures and 35m high and has 100 m 36 m. twenty windows. It has the typical form of a Roman basilica, consisting of a nave and two aisles, divided by columns

INTERIORS OF HAGIA IRENE.

EXTERIOR OF HAGIA IRENE

HAGIA SOFIA
From the date of its dedication it served as the Greek Patriarchal cathedral of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral. The building was a mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931, when it was secularized. It was opened as a museum on 1 February 1935. Early byzantine architecture reached its pinnacle with the construction of this monument. It was constructed for Justinian by Anthemius and Isidorous. Designed in the form of Greek cross 91.5m x 99m with top of the dome at 54.8m. The diameter of the dome is 32.6m. Curved surface of dome produces extraordinary effects of resonance. Interiors are decorated with coloured mosaic There are 40 windows in the lower part of the dome.

HAGIA SOFIA

MEDIEVAL BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE

Modifications in There was a worship practices dramatic reduction in dictated a smallerscale. scale to the buildings to serve private devotion. The symbolic importance of the dome continued

S.S. SERGIUS AND BACCHUS

It was built under the patronage of Justinian The building stands on a plan measuring 33m x 28m The dome is supported on spherical pendentives is 15.8m in diameter and 22m high

PLAN OF CATHEDRAL OF SERGIUS AND BACCHUS

LATE BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE

Buildings constructed during this period often combined different styles and features in new and eclectic ways. Churches of this period tend to emphasize the vertical space of the church, with tall domes and semi-domes cascading down over a relatively narrow space. Ornamentation was particularly extensive and ostentatious at this time. The interior decoration of these buildings, is similar to earlier Byzantine church decoration. However, the decorative quality of the wall surfaces on reached new heights in Late Byzantine architecture.

CHURCH OF HOLY APOSTLES

The church was dedicated to the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. It was second only to the Church of the Holy Wisdom. The church was also dedicated to Constantine, whose remains are buried remains there. The grounds of the first church of the Holy Apostles contained both a rotunda mausoleum. However, today a faith mosque exists in its place.

POSSIBLE PLAN OF CHURCH OF HOLY APOSTLES

FAITH MOSQUE

BYZANTINE LEGACY
Ultimately, Byzantine architecture gave way to Romanesque and Gothic architecture and exerted a profound influence on early Islamic architecture. The tile work, geometric patterns, multiple arches, domes, and polychrome brick and stone work that characterize Islamic and Moorish architecture were influenced by Byzantine architecture. In Bulgaria, Russia, Romania, Serbia, Georgia, Ukraine, and other Orthodox countries the Byzantine architecture persisted even longer.

SUMMARY
The Byzantine Empire was a very influential Eastern power. In fact most of modern Russian culture is a reflection of Byzantine culture. Constantinople became the centre of byzantine world, culturally Greek, juridically Roman, officially and passionately Christian.