For more information, please visit the Dumbarton Oaks website. The construction of Byzantine buildings was supervised by two specialists: the rarer and more exalted mechanikos (or mechanopoios), a sort of mathematical engineer, and the architekton, a master builder.
In this Parenting University Webinar, presented by the Metropolis of Chicago Family Synaxis, His Eminence Metropolitan Nathanael joins a discussion about how we can make our home a little church, especially during this challenging time. As with Byzantine artists, architects were usually anonymous, and very few were named after th…
Early Byzantine architecture drew upon earlier elements of Roman architecture. Byzantine architecture is a style of building that flourished under the rule of Roman Emperor Justinian between A.D. 527 and 565. Byzantine architecture emerged as the distinct style of construction developed around the new Roman capital of Byzantium (later renamed Constantinople or present Istanbul).
His Eminence Metropolitan Nathanael concludes the Metropolis’ series of daily sermonettes with his reflection on Holy Pentecost.
In addition to extensive use of interior mosaics, its defining characteristic is a heightened dome, the result of the latest sixth-century engineering techniques. Please find time to watch a panel discussion organized by the Metropolis of Chicago that ranges from the history of the Hagia Sophia, religious freedom in Turkey and what you can do to make a difference. It was the principal church of the Byzantine Empire in its capital, Constantinople (later Istanbul), and a mosque after the Ottoman Empire conquered the city in 1453. 10 Splendid Examples of Byzantine Architecture - History Lists Byzantine architecture, building style of Constantinople (now Istanbul, formerly ancient Byzantium) after ad 330. Stylistic drift, technological advancement, and political and territorial changes meant that a distinct style gradually resulted in the Greek cross plan in church architecture. The decision of the Turkish government in 1934 to establish Ayasofya as a museum was intended to make it a repository of human history—all human history, not a single history confined to one religion or people. It was the principal church of the Byzantine Empire in its capital, Constantinople (later Istanbul), and a mosque after the Ottoman Empire conquered the city in 1453. Between 1931 and 1949, work was undertaken by the Byzantine Institute of America (founded by Thomas Whittemore in 1930) to reveal and preserve the mosaics of Hagia Sophia. One or the other of these figures supervised a large group of craftspeople skilled in masonry, carpentry, wall-painting, and making mosaics. Built between 532 and 537, Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom, Ayasofya) represents a brilliant moment in Byzantine architecture and art. ©2020 Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, D.C. Trustees for Harvard University. With the passage of time, Hagia Sophia has become deeply embedded in competing narratives of national, regional, religious, and cultural significance. Selective readings of cultural heritage, however, can effectively erase historical memory and sever links with the past. Dumbarton Oaks, with its legacy of displaying, studying, and publishing all aspects of Byzantium, assumed the oversight of the Hagia Sophia project in 1953 and since then has been documenting every facet of this building and its artistic and historical record.
Byzantine architects were eclectic, at first drawing heavily on Roman temple features. We are in the process of making freely available online the extensive body of sources from, documentation of, and scholarship on Hagia Sophia collected and generated by the Byzantine Institute and Dumbarton Oaks.
Address: 555 E. Butterfield Road, Suite 201, Lombard, Illinois, 60148, Phone: (312) 736-2280 | Fax: (312) 284-2380, © Copyright 2019. As a monument on the world stage, it should be allowed to maintain multiple meanings, to resonate with multiple narratives and histories for diverse audiences. This webinar brings together scholars who have actively promoted research on the Hagia Sophia and will cover historical facts, Dumbarton Oaks’ involvement, and the issues related to the recent reconversion of the monument.
Their combination of the basilica and symmetrical central-plan (circular or polygonal) religious structures resulted in the characteristic Byzantine Greek-cross-plan church, with a square central mass and four … Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago, Hagia Sophia: The History of the Building and the Building in History Webinar, Hagia Sophia: The History of the Building and the Building in History Webinar », Parenting University: When Our Home IS Our Church Webinar », Hagia Sophia & Religious Freedom: A Panel Discussion », Metropolitan Nathanael's COVID-19 Parish Relief Fund Update & More ». His Eminence Metropolitan Nathanael discusses the COVID-19 Parish Relief Fund, timing for distributions to parishes in need, the significance of the recent grant awarded by The Renaissance Fund, and what the pandemic represents for the Metropolis and its faithful. This exceptional building belongs to world cultural heritage.
Historyplex takes you through the various characteristics of this building style. Ioli Kalavrezou (Harvard University), “Dumbarton Oaks, Hagia Sophia, and Its Historical Mosaics”, Robert Nelson (Yale University), “Hagia Sophia: A Modern Monument?”, Bissera Pentcheva (Stanford University), “Hagia Sophia and the Liquidity of Light and Sound”, Tugba Tanyeri-Erdemir (University of Pittsburgh), “Reconquest of Hagia Sophia: Official Discourse and Popular Narratives”, Elizabeth Bolman (Case Western Reserve University). Built between 532 and 537, Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom, Ayasofya) represents a brilliant moment in Byzantine architecture and art. Recently, this decision was annulled, turning the building again into a mosque.
Dumbarton Oaks houses an exceptionally important archive of data on the building in all its significant dimensions.