| Byzantine Empire | | | | seem to furnish their very raison d'etre. The central |
| When he Roman Empire fell in 476 AD the Middle | | | | space was sometimes surrounded by a very thick |
| Age started. However, before its fall, the empire was | | | | wall, in which deep recesses, to the interior, were |
| divided into the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. | | | | formed, as at the noble church of St George, Salonica |
| In 476, the "Western Roman Empire" fell, while the | | | | (5th century), or by a vaulted aisle, as at Sta Costanza, |
| Eastern Roman Empire, whose capital became | | | | Rome (4th century); or annexes were thrown out |
| Constantinople, preserved Roman culture (and | | | | from the central space in such a way as to form a |
| architecture) and became the Byzantine Empire. | | | | cross, in which these additions helped to counterpoise |
| | | | the central vault, as at the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, |
| Byzantine and Islamic architecture share a common | | | | Ravenna (5th century). The most famous church of |
| trend: that is, the use of the dome. One example is the | | | | this type was that of the Holy Apostles, |
| Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, which was Islamic | | | | Constantinople. Vaults appear to have been early |
| architecture, but illustrates the influence Byzantine | | | | applied to the basilican type of plan; for instance, at |
| bestowed as the dome style passed on to the | | | | Hagia Irene, Constantinople (6th century), the long body |
| Muslims. They often used "Persian' dome. We | | | | of the church is covered by two domes. |
| modernly refer to this as the Onion Dome. The most | | | | Hagia Sophia |
| celebrated example is the Taj Mahal (A.D. 1630) at | | | | The Golden Age of Byzantine Architecture was under |
| Agra, India. Byzantine's advancement in developing the | | | | the rule of Justian in 527-565. It was during this period |
| dome created a new style in global architecture, for no | | | | that the most famous examples of all Byzantine |
| other civilization had designed buildings, especially | | | | Architecture was built, including the Hagia Sophia. The |
| religious buildings, as did the Byzantines. | | | | Hagia Sophia was rebuilt from 532 to 537 after the |
| Structural evolution | | | | previous church was destroyed by riots and fires. This |
| As early as the building of Constantine's churches in | | | | church has some unique features which became the |
| Palestine there were two chief types of plan in use: | | | | patterns for Byzantine Architecture for years after. |
| the basilican, or axial, type, represented by the basilica | | | | The style of the Hagia Sophia or Church of Divine |
| at the Holy Sepulchre, and the circular, or central, type, | | | | Wisdom, was to have a large dome in the middle of |
| represented by the great octagonal church once at | | | | the structure. The dome has a unique form in that it |
| Antioch. Those of the latter type we must suppose | | | | rest on 4 massive pillars which are arranged in a |
| were nearly always vaulted, for a central dome would | | | | square. |