Constantine was the first emperor of Rome, who raised from the power complications and stated the Christianity. Although Christianity was not the statutory religion in Rome, Constantine transformed the conditions and nature. So that, the focus of architecture also varied. So, churches that are the symbol of the religion, became more essential and important. There was a distinction between the pre-Constantine churches and post-Constantine’s because of the transition of Paganism to Christianity. We can say that, as we encounter almost in every period, the changes, struggles in religion reflected to the architecture (the Christian Church) also in ancient Rome.
The churches continued to survive and take powerful place in the city, even after Constantine left. As a note, Roman temples had an exterior orientation that reflects the openness of Pagan religion, formed on the exterior. However, because of the Christianity was a “mystery religion”, there was a reorientation from exterior architecture to interior. So, it needed large interior spaces. Thus, basilican church architecture became the base for church architecture within the ancient Rome architecture traditions.
After the strikes of the Visigoths, Ostrogoths and Vandals, the popes, who took the place of emperors, supported the churches such as Santa Sabina, Santa Maria M. and Santo Stefano Rotondo. Firstly, Santa Sabina is a grand space that had a dominant central axis from entrance to apse and colonnades orient the focus to apse. Actually, these features make humans feel small (unimportant). Santa Maria Maggiore included Ionic column order, complex mosaics at the wall and had a coffered wooden ceiling. Lastly, Santo Stefano Rotondo that had an uncompleted dome, is the oldest example of circular church. The arcade divide the centre and stabilize the structure. Besides, the church may inspired from the Holy Sepulchre Church in Jerusalem. Additionaly, height, length and orientations of these churches, make humans feel small and unimportant.
Santa Maria Maggiore Church
On the other hand, in time, some statues occurred that was about the transformation of pagan temples to church, such as Pantheon. This time it was not devoted to God, but devoted to the martyrs.
Milan on the Eve of the Gothic Advance
Towards the 3rd century, while the city divided into east and west, Milan became the capital city of Western Roman Empire. In the time of St. Ambrose who was the bishop of Milan and tried to provide a formula about medieval church-state relation. Sant’Ambrogio Church, the Basilica Apostolorum and San Simpliciano church were formed as a martyrdom churches and supported by him.
San Lorenza was the oldest church in Milan that was built by the rival emperors. The form of basilica follows a central system and included four towers at the corners. There was a connection between the chapels and the main part of the church. Besides, the Corinthian columns lined up the front of church and it opened to the orthogonal atrium.
The Dome as an Act of Faith
In the 5th century, after the Western Rome fall, as the eastern Rome the Byzantine Empire arose. Constantine shifted the capital to Constantinople (New Rome) that got his name. Byzantines developed their own political, religious system and also architecture. In the Byzantine, the Roman architecture tradition continued with adding some new systems that were strengthening walls and domed churches. So we can also say that the domes b
ecome a remarkable symbol of Christianity. Besides, because of the Christianity the basilicas turned into churches that had a central floor plan.
Constantinople: The First Christian Capital
Throughout his domination, Constantine established palaces, hippodromes, churches that had major three type, and mausoleums while he considered the Christianity principles and to promote it. On the site of Byzantium, he was founded the Constantinople that located between the Europe and Asia. On the other hand, The Mese that was the main street and the center of Constantinople, dominate the peninsulas’ urban structure. In fact, the mese means “middle road”, so it was cutting through almost the entire city, that surrounded by porticoes and colonnaded shops. Moreover, there was a forum, which we encountered also in other ancient cities. However, this time, it was not in rectangular form. The Forum of Constantine that was in circular form with lined up colonnades, included two monumental gates. At the centre there was a column with statue of Constantine. In the forum, the Senate House established with huge doors and there was a golden gate(arch) to pass to the Great Palace. Besides, Augusteio, with its key monuments, was a large, central open public space that located south of the Hagia Sophia and in time, it became a court of Hagia Sophia.
Hagia Sophia that was one of the great churches of Constantine, devastated several times and then reconstructed. Reconstruction of Justinian was a masterpiece and the greatest surviving example of Byzantine architecture. Anthemius of Tralles and Isodore who were the architects of the church, invented some new perspectives. It was unique in several aspects, mostly in terms of the size and dimensions.
Hagia Sophia served as a basilica that had a complex system of vaults, arches, mosaics, coverings and domes; the highest central dome and the semi-domes. We can also defined it as “sphere within the sphere” as a representation of the world. This whole elongated space covered up with a huge central dome that had very large continuous distance than the Pantheon’s. The central dome attached with windows and gave floating sense. Besides, the semi domes that supported the main dome, expand the space to a rectangle. Also, pendentives that are like a transition between the rectangular base and the circular shape of dome, supported the dome. The dome, carried by the arches but inside of the church, you don’t sense the arches because of its embedded condition. Besides, these supportive arches of domes covered by mosaics and especially the golden mosaics stand out. On the other hand, ‘immaterial space’ concept come across. Because the spiritual effects more significant than the physical. It include abstracted, different column orders that are in various scale. So, in overall, we can also say that Hagia Sophia has a complex form rather than the simple and proportional character like the Greek temples.
Hagia Sophia’s appearance during Byzantine times
In the first century BCE, Ravenna became the capital of Western Rome, located on the Adriatic coast. It was the capital of Byzantine architecture with the churches, mausoleums, campaniles and baptisteries. We can see mostly the influences of Byzantine style, but at the same time it was also close to the Western Roman style. Such as mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the Arian Baptistery, Basilica of Sant’Apollinare, San Vitale Church and etc.
At the end of the fifth century when Theodoric, the king of the Ostrogoths take the control of Italy and started to follow Roman style and increase the number of religious structure; cathedrals, baptistery etc.
Ayça Sarıbay 