Opus Entry 5

"The dome of Hagia Sophia was not there to mark an
object of veneration, as domes did in martyria...
the thought of crowning Hagia Sophia with a dome related to the
sanctity of the whole building as an earthly analogue to heaven.
The visible universe was concretized in the Byzantine mind as a cube surmounted by a dome."

- Spiro Kostof, A History of Architecture, 1985
(Roth, 275)

Hagia Sophia

Church of San Marco

Presence. The presence of a structure is the attention-grabbing ability of a structure. Among its surroundings, the presence of the building is created through its scale and its ornament. The type of building it is somewhat determines the presence it holds in a community. A governing structure, and a religious structure, I feel hold similar presence in a community scale wise. Each are built in a massive scale and are often focal points of an environment. However the mood perceived as a result of the presence of these two building types are different. The presence of a structure is composed strongly on its scale. The massive size of a building induces upon a spectator a presence of emphasis, that this which they are looking is important, arguably the most important structure in its surroundings. The ornament of s structure provides the presence of it through several ways. Geometry of a building can produce a pleasing approach to the eye and can give the presence of perfection, which was the Greek ideology, and was expanded upon into roman architecture and further into Western. From the Parthenon into the early basilicas and soon churches, the sense of geometric equality brought about a strong presence to a building. Also, the use of ornate décor brings about a certain presence to a piece of architecture. To me, the more ornate, the more important; the less ornate, the less emphasis on importance. Both approach appeals to the presence of the building, but it also feeds to the hierarchy of the building as well, which was also rooted in the Greek civilization. Both Hagia Sophia and the Church of San Marco express their presence through their massive size and ornate decor.


Precedent. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the term precedent can be defined as prior in time, order, arrangement, or significance. I feel this definition can be molded to fit the term precedent in an architectural relation. Precedent to me, is the beginning of a later expanded idea; in which the idea goes through an evolution. I see this as similar to a prototype; however something that is a precedent I feel undergoes more evolution than a prototype. The basilica form was precedent to the church form. Under the rule of Constantine, the basilica originated as a place for public gatherings or ceremonies; it then evolved and took form as a religious center. The alter, which was intended for the emperor developed into the religious alter. This was possible because of the axial in the special organization of the basilica. There then was a shift of the entrance to the structure to the end opposing the new alter (Roth, pg 280).
The octagonal shapes and other geometric shapes of royal tombs were also a precedent to Christian churches (Roth, 280).

Moment. A moment in a piece of architecture, to me is an obvious adoption of a form which is embedded in another piece of architecture. As a result to X moment in time, later generations adapted X into their architecture. A moment makes me think of a phase in history on the other hand. As if there was a moment in which the round, curved arch was emphasized and used, and then there became the moment in which the pointed arch was used.


Duality. Duality makes me think of consisting of two parts. In that sense, duality is seen when East meets West. There are two very significant ideals which the west adopts in the east. The first of these, the mosaic. The mosaic was an Eastern form of design which the west adopted in order to communicate civility. Mosaics became a way for language to be created through visual experience. This Eastern idea became adopted into walls, ceilings, and floors. The second major eastern form is the pendentive. After expanding the basilica form by intersecting the square base with a circular dome at the top, the west adopted the Eastern Church form. This form consisted of square base with an embedded circle and two half circles on either end. The pendentive was on a square base, with a cupola, then an addition of arches, and a dome at the top. This also made possible the latter gothic cathedral form. The pendentive allowed light to enter the space in a new way, which changed how we perceive the space, and therefore the perceived mood changes as well. Rome began to have this duality because of its position in the trade industry. This duality between eastern ideals adopted into western continued to spread later through the “dark ages” and eventually touched all of Europe.


Metric. Metric makes me think of geometry. The emphasis on geometric forms or the emphasis on symmetry was adopted in the late Roman Empire and after. The metrics of a structure determined its firmness, and often aided in delight. The sense of symmetry aids in its visual appeal.


This time period was a time in which intrigue in what was architecturally possible became a challenge. A communities ability in defying what was thought to be the one way to build something was seen with higher respect. During this time, the ability to embed a circular form above a square base was the task at hand. Forms such as the Hagia Sophia were successful at this challenge. This opened doors to a new aspect in mood of holy places as a result of the new light reflections. Thanks to the Eastern idea of the pendentive, the west adopted a new church style through duality which would only become more intricate going into the medievil times. The idea of reaching the heavens was very important during this time and through the massive scale and presence it seems as if they were trying to build something which could be seen from the heavens and from the use of mosaics and stain glass it was as if there ws a heavenly connection. Much like the Greek oculus. There was also a focus in delight through geometric appearances and symmetrical appearances as well, which gave the structure a metric sense. This time, the Roman basilica was the precedent to the latter churchs and the Church of Nativity became the precedent to the latter Gothlic style. Moments in history can be read through the combination of all these elements in an individual piece of architecture.


http://www.drbilllong.com/images/00860a-1.jpg

http://www.planetware.com/i/map/ISR/bethlehem-church-of-the-nativity-map.jpg

http://encyclopedia.vbxml.net/Basilica_of_Maxentius

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precedent