Early Christian and Medieval Architecture

Early Christian and medieval architecture has seen a series of changes that would be wisely referred to as some sort of evolution. In Europe, every era had a popular building design that saw most of the buildings established in those days take a similar design especially, in the time frame between 373 AD and 500 AD. Most of the buildings that were built in this time frame took a sacred form. A series of monument that still exist today were formed in this period including several cathedrals and basilicas.

The Old St Peters basilica was one such building. It was built from around 320-330 A.D in Rome, Italy. The basilica was built in the era of Constantine, the Roman emperor’s reign. Constantine founded several other churches, totaling up to about seven but this was the most magnificent pieces of art founded (Stalley 25). The church had been built as a place to burry St Peter and to provide pilgrims and other visitors with shelter. The building was however demolished in the sixteenth century to pave way for the construction of the church of Bramante and Michelangelo (Stalley 25). Luckily, there still exist drawings of the building that were drawn prior and after the annihilation and they are sufficient sources of information about the church. The church was also rebuilt in the seventeenth century.

The most uncommon feature of this church was the tightly placed pillars that gave it ample of support. The pillars were placed only four feet apart and totaled up to 88 columns just in the nave and aisle (Stalley 27). The feature that made it unlike to the rest of the basilicas was an extensive transept that was lowly roofed which stretched across the roof. The church also had an open atrium from which splendid beauty of the sky and other paintings would be seen (Stalley 27). There was a centrally situated fountain in the atrium. The columns were also well patterned with cement slabs and decorated in layers and patterns of color making giving the basilica an artistic environment. This building took the rectangular Byzantine design (Stalley 27).

The church of Santa Costanza was another monument that was built in 350 A.D for Constantine’s daughter, Constantina (Stalley 63). Unlike the Old St Peter’s it took a more circular shape in the central positioning of the church. Then central circular is surrounded by colonnade which extends to the ambulatory to outer main wall (Stalley 64). The central circular dome was held up by a series of 12 Corinthian columns. It also contained a baptistery in it. It assumed a Paleochristian design. The church also contained several decorations in the form of paintings on the ceiling and carvings on the wall and other wooden artifacts.

The third monument that still exists to date was the Hagia Sophia which was constructed in 537 A.D. The Hagia Sophia was an extraordinary piece of architectural genius. It took a Byzantine architecture form of design rectangular, just like the Old St Peters but also had a very large circular dome. It was more of both the Old St Peter’s design combined with the Santa Costanza (Nees 102). The dome is craved with forty windows that allowed light into the square nave just below it. It was established in the era of Justinian reign (Nees 99). The building also had several pillars aimed at supporting the dome. These pillars were well patterned and corrugated and their tops are a magnificent work of art with ancient paintings encrypted on them.

Finally, another building that yet has a very spectacular architectural touch was the San Vitale. This basilica was founded by a reverend Ecclesius. It was founded in 550 AD. Of all the basilicas listed above, this was the most controversial of all. A question of whether the design was Byzantine or more westernized (Stalley 70). However, it took the an overall form of Byzantine designs. The overall design had originated from the east but some of the techniques were very local, especially the dome creation, which was more octagonal as compared to the rest of the buildings which took more of a spherical approach in the design of their dome (Nees 102). The overall shape of the building is octagonal too. Its dome is however smaller than that of the rest of the buildings.

The evolution of the designs in these buildings is very visible that with the change in time and reigns of the emperors, the overall design changed too. The buildings however took a more Byzantine form though it changed in some way. Great architecture is thus seen to come from way back, and it has evolved drastically.

Work cited

Nees, Lawrence. Early Medieval Art. Oxford: Oxford University press. 2002

Stalley, R. A. Early Medieval Architecture. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1999