The Hagia Sophia, which is dominated by a huge dome, is one of the finest surviving examples of
Byzantine architecture. Originally a Christian church, it was converted into a mosque in 1453 under the orders of Mehmet the Conqueror when the Ottoman Turks conquered the city.
* The
Byzantine architecture, catacombs, artwork, grottos and gardens of the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America, a short walk from Catholic University's campus, are open for tours or a less formal visit most days of the year.
One of the finest existing examples of
Byzantine architecture, the Hagia Sophia bears the evidence of 1500 years of conflict, regime change, and, most noticeably, religious conversion.
For example, Papadatos, an expert on
Byzantine architecture and a renowned architect of religious facilities, noted that "fewer people these days sit in pews, but not necessarily by choice." Why?
"Byzantine and Islamic Art History": Gabriele Mietke (late antique and
Byzantine architecture), Thomas Leisten (the architectural Hira-style), Alastair Northedge (Samarra), Robert Hillenbrand (Islamic architecture).
We sought longevity and beauty with a dip at the stunning Baths of Aphrodite, marvelled at the rare
Byzantine architecture and paintings at the Ayios Neofytos Monastery, and stepped back in time with a visit to the ruins of the ancient house of Greek goddess Dionysos.
The notion of the building as a numinous instrument was continued in descendants of
Byzantine architecture as different as Gothic churches of the North and Ottoman mosques in the Middle East.
With its comparatively massive size, cobalt blue color,
Byzantine architecture, and three statues on the crown, the structure is hard for passersby to miss.
Guide books tell us the church is the world's finest example of neo-Romanesque
Byzantine architecture. I just enjoy the panoramic vistas.
They are, I like to hope, beginning to see that the hidden constitution, with its elaborate rules of etiquette and its
byzantine architecture of pretense and its elaborate hierarchies of respectability, is much like the written constitution: It restricts us so we can be free.
Where some of the key building projects were for churches,
Byzantine architecture might have been considered a useful bridge to the east.
