Knowra Byzantine architecture Byzantine architecture Byzantine architecture is the building tradition of the Byzantine Empire and its successor communities. It is especially known for domed churches, centralized plans, brick construction, and luminous interior decoration.
Pendentive : A curved triangular surface that transfers a dome’s weight onto four supporting arches. Pendentives let Byzantine builders place a circular dome over a square central space.
Hagia Sophia : A sixth-century church in Constantinople built under Emperor Justinian I, later used as a mosque and museum. Its vast dome and complex supports became a defining achievement of Byzantine architecture.
Byzantine Empire : The medieval eastern Roman Empire, centered on Constantinople, that lasted until 1453. Its political institutions, wealth, and religious life sustained the architectural tradition.
Byzantine mosaics : Images and patterns assembled from small pieces of colored glass, stone, or ceramic in the Byzantine tradition. Mosaics turned church interiors into shimmering surfaces for sacred images and imperial display.
Russian church architecture : The architectural tradition of Russian Christian churches, shaped by Byzantine models and local practices. Byzantine church forms entered Rus’ through Christianization and developed into distinctive Russian designs.
Squinch : An arch or niche built across a room’s corner to support a dome or smaller structure above. Squinches offered an alternative to pendentives for carrying domes over square spaces.
Church of the Holy Apostles : A major church in Constantinople, rebuilt under Justinian I and demolished after the Ottoman conquest. Its five-domed design influenced later churches, though the original building no longer survives.
Constantinople : The historic city founded as the eastern Roman capital, now known as Istanbul. As the imperial capital, it concentrated builders, resources, and major architectural commissions.
Icon : A sacred image, especially in Eastern Christianity, depicting Christ, Mary, a saint, or a religious event. Church settings framed icons as objects of devotion and part of liturgical space.
Serbian medieval architecture : The building tradition of medieval Serbian churches and monasteries, blending Byzantine and Western influences. Serbian patrons adapted Byzantine plans and decoration to local materials and political aims.
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