ENTRY TYPE
General |
SUMMARY
Early Christian church architecture in Constantinople is characterized by the evolution of the architectural type of basilica, a type of Roman origin that could easily become a building for Christian worship, while keeping at the same time the grandiose character it had as a public secular building in the Roman city. In the first half of the 6th century, church architecture reached to a point in its development, in terms of both architectural design and dome covering, that defined the Byzantine architecture in the later centuries. The Justinian Hagia Sophia represents the highest landmark in this process. As regards the number of monuments, it seems that only in the first half of the 5th century, under Theodosios II, was an actual Christian building program carried out by an emperor for the first time. This became a practice that reached its highest point in the 6th century with the program of Justinian I. |
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