Early Christian and

Byzantine Art

Greeks, and especially Romans produced art

that was very realistic.
Remember the beauty of the Greek and Roman
sculpture

Whereas, early Christian art was

more concerned with Symbolic
Representation.

Early Christian Art

Three key points of Early Christian
Art:
Symbolic- express a religious
thought or idea
Found on frescoed walls of
catacombs outside Rome
Acceptance of the Christian religion
created a need for new architecturestarting in the 4th century

First three hundred years

Christianity began in the 1st century AD as

a Jewish sect but quickly spread throughout
the Greco-Roman world. Although it was
originally persecuted under the Roman
empire, it would ultimately become the state
religion.

Four decades later after Christs crucifixion,

in 70 CE the Roman Army attacked
Jerusalem and destroyed the Jewish temple.

The destruction of the Temple further

disconnected the two groups and caused
them to spread out and travel to other
lands. From this destruction emerged two
main movements: rabbinical Judaism
centered in local synagogues, and the

Christianity travelled to Rome, and Peter and Paul were

martyred in Rome possibly in 64 A. D. (though the
place and date are not mentioned in the New
Testament). Supposedly, Peter was crucified by Nero
who blamed the Great Fire of Rome on the Christians
(which conveniently allowed him to build his new 100300 acres palace right in the centre of include a large
lake, which was the future placement of the Colosseum).

For 250 years Christians suffered from sporadic

persecutions for their refusal to worship the Roman
emperor, considered treasonous and punishable by
execution.

Some feel, they needed some places to meet secretly.

catacombs are the ancient

CatacombsThe
underground cemeteries, used by the

Christian and the Jewish

communities, above all at Rome. The
Christian catacombs, which are the
most numerous, began in the second
century and the excavating continued
until the first half of the fifth.
Christians did not want to cremate
their dead (as done by the Romans)
due to their belief in bodily
resurrection
In the beginning they were only
burial places. Here the Christians
gathered to celebrate their funeral
rites, the anniversaries of the
martyrs and of the dead.

http://www.catacombe.roma.it/en/storia.

During the
persecutions (until
313 A.D.), in
exceptional cases,
the catacombs were
used as places of
momentary refuge
for the celebration of
the Eucharist. They
were not used as
secret hiding places
of the early
Christians. This is
only a fiction taken
from novels or
movies.

THE GOOD SHEPHERD ORANTS and THE STORY

OF JONAH
Fresco-A method of painting on plaster, either dry
or wet (usually) In the latter method, pigments are
applied to thin layers of wet plaster so that they
will be absorbed and the painting becomes part of
the wall.

The figure of the Good Shepherd

resembles earlier shepherd figures in
pagan Classical art that represent
benevolence and philantropy.
Additional meaning would have been
ascribed to the figure by early
Christian viewers in the context of
Christ's phrase "I am the shepherd: the
good shepherd giveth his life for the
sheep,"
The figure was not originally intended
as direct portraiture of Christ which
would have been contrary to Old
Testament injunctions against idolatry

Exodos scene and Retrieving Moses from the Nile, Dura

Europos synagogue, c. 250 CE, Syria.
http://www.arthistory.upenn.edu/smr04/101910/101910le
cture9.html

http://www.le.ac.uk/ar/stj/dura.ht
m
www.philthompson.net/pages/ico
ns/duraeuropos.html

Dura-Europos ("Fort Europos")

was a Hellenistic and Roman walled
city built on an escarpment ninety
meters above the banks of the
Euphrates river. It is located near
the village of Salhiy, in today's
Syria
13.Baptistry in Christian House, Dura Europos, miracles of Jesus, Dura
Europos, 3rd cent. CE, Syria.

Sarcophagus- A coffin, usually of stone,

although sometimes made of wood, metal,
or clay. In ancient times they were often
decorated with carvings of the deceased or
with some religious or mythological
subject.

Constantine

Constantine was the first

Roman ruler to become a
follower of the Christian religion.
Before Constantine's reign
Christians were often punished
for their religious beliefs.
This changed when Constantine
gave religious freedom to all
Christians living in the Roman
Empire. He also allowed
members of the Christian
Church to take part in the
Roman government. The new
freedom of worship helped
spread Christianity into many
regions of Europe.

In A.D. 306, Constantine

replaced his father as the
new ruler of the Western
Roman Empire.
Constantine, however, was
not accepted as ruler by
everyone. He had to fight
many other would-be
leaders for his position. In
A.D. 312 Constantine
defeated his last rival at the
Battle of Milvian Bridge.
The victory made
Constantine ruler of the
entire Western Empire.
According to legend, it was
during the battle that
Constantine became a
Christian.
Around A.D. 315 the Arch of
Constantine was built in
Rome to celebrate
Constantine's victory.

Arch of Constantine

Byzantine 324 C.E.

The Byzantine Empire, founded when the

capital of the Roman Empire was transferred
from Rome to Constantinople in 324 CE.
Constantinople remained as the geographic
and symbolic center of this cultural and
political sphere until its conquest and
collapse (1453).
With the edict of Milan, promulgated by the
emperors Constantine 313 CE, the
Christians were no longer persecuted. They
were free to profess their faith, to have
places of worship and to build churches both
inside and outside the city, and to buy plots
of land, without fear of confiscation.

After the death of Constantine in 337, the

Roman Empire was split into Eastern and
Western Empires
The Western half declines and the eastern
half, with its capital in Constantinople (now
Istanbul) flourished.
Roman Empire -300 A.D.
in 527 it gained further strength with the
Byzantine Empire- 500
reign of JustinianA.D.
(Golden Age of Byzantine)

The early churches were called basilicas.

San Piero a GradoPisa. Italy

Santa Costanza,
Rome, Italy ca
350

A basilica is an early type of Christian

cathedral or church. Basilicas have a
very open floor plan and high ceilings.

Outside of the churches may appear

plain but they are filled with beautiful
mosaics (made of glass-tesserae)
Much of Byzantine architecture was
created to express religious experience
and mediate between the believer and
God
Therefore a high ceiling stressed the
heavens above and created awe among
its viewers
Light was also an important feature
Gradually the exterior also became
imaginative with the onion-shaped
domes of Russian churches
The Byzantine tradition of art and
architecture lasted over 1000 years

Early Christian
Basilica

Long brick building

with a timber roof
connected to an
atrium (courtyard) in
the front
with a covered
walkway around it
(narthex)
led into the nave
(central part of the
basilica) through two
doors in the corners
side aisles on each
side of the nave,
separated with
columns usually
Clerestory
windows taken
above columns to flood interior with light
from semi
pagan
temples
Apsecircular
area at the front of the nave, above the apse a half

dome
Transepts were added in latter basilicas to accommodate large crowds
Crypts were sometimes placed under the apse for the burial of clergy

Early St.
Peters
Below:
reconstruction
drawing of St.
Peters, Rome c.
333-390 CE
plan of St. Peters,
Rome right:
elevation of
interior of St.
Peters Rome.

St. Pauls Outside the Walls,

Rome, 385 C.E

-alter placed on the raised

portion, covered by a
canopy of carved and
painted wood called a
baldachin
-a triumphal arch
separated nave from the
-interior
(symbolized
apse, symbolized
the
richness
spirit)over
highly
victory ofofChrist
decorated
with mosaics
eternal death
of coloured glass and
gold, and marble inlaid
floors.
-eighty granite columns
in four rows direct the
view to the triumphal

Atrium and Narthex

St. Pauls Outside the Walls

BaldachinSt. Peters
(Vatican) in
Rome

Some churches
followed a
rotunda plan
plan and interior of church of San Vit
ale, brick, c. 540-547 CE, Ravenna.

Sculpture- not much was produced and most have

been destroyed
Archangel Michael -sixth century AD ,British Museum,
London
Small ivory (42 cm)panel from a diptych. Draped
figure of an archangel standing with orb in right
hand, staff in left.
The Archangel or Saint Michael who appears on this
part of the diptych is probably a literal copy (as to
details) of a much more ancient figure (perhaps the
goddess Victory [see Nike] from whom the Christian
angel is derived) the carver had before his eyes.
Although the precision of the Archangel, his classical
robes and the architectural elements framing the
figure embody a focus on the realism of antiquity.
-the angel seems to hover over the staircase, barely
touching the stairs.
Painstaking classical realism has been abandoned in
favour of added emphasis on symbolism.
-architectural setting is symbolic and ornamental not
realistic

Golden Age Of Byzantine

Art

Hagia
Sophia

(Church of the
Holy Wisdom)
Constantinople
(Istanbul), 532537 AD
stone
Architects:
Anthemius of Tralles
and Isidorus of
Miletus

http://www.mcah.columbia.

edu/ha/html/byzantine_turke
y_hag_ahm_2.htm

Hagia Sophia is one of

the great architectural
triumphs of the ages.
Here, the architects
have transported the
enormous outward
thrust of the huge
dome through features
called pendentives, to
four great stone piers,
which are not directly
beneath the dome. The
dome is used for the
first time as a roof
over a square, rather
than a drum, which
was used in the
Pantheon. Because the
supporting structure is
so inconspicuous, the
dome gives the illusion
of being magically
suspended above the

pendentive - A concave, triangular

piece of masonry (a triangle section
of a hemisphere), four of which
provide the transition from a square
area to the circular base
of a covering dome. Although
they appear to be hanging
(pendant) from the dome,

The architects devised a

system where arches
were placed in the four
walls and the circle of
the dome rests on the
four arches, a
pendentives is formed in
the four corners. The
massive weight of the
dome is supported by
this spherical triangle,
which transfers the
thrust to the four huge
piers that support it.

St. Marks Venice-began 1063

The second church on this site was

burned in a rebellion in 976,
rebuilt in 978 and again to form
the basis of the present basilica in
1063. Though straddling into the
Romanesuqe era it is still
considered a Byzantine design.

This is the largest

and most lavish
decorated church in
the Second Golden
Age
It was built to hold
the body of St. Mark
It is based on a
typical Greek cross
plan
Each arm has a dome
of its own
The exterior has
many mosaics
Four horses formerly

Fethiye Camii (Church of

Pammakaristos), Interior view, ca.
1100, Istanbul (Turkey)
http://www.mcah.columbia.edu/ha/rel
ated_sites/fethiye_camii_360/html/1
.html

http://www.mcah.columbia.edu/ha/related_sites/fethiye_camii_360/index.ht

Byzantine art

Byzantine art was very religious. Most Byzantine art was

created for the Eastern Orthodox Church. Much
Byzantine art was made by servants of the courts or
members of religious orders. Most of these artists
remained anonymous.
Mosaics and Fresco paintings covered the domes of
many churches. They were often made of precious
materials such as lapis lazuli, gold and silver. Byzantine
artists had to follow many rules about subject matter,
content, and form. Symbolic representation was very
important in Byzantine art. The subjects appear flat and
fairly abstract compared to the liveliness and
individualism of Western art because Byzantine artists
used little shading or other techniques that would have
made their subjects more lifelike.

Mosaics

Conveyed messages of salvation through

mosaics
They achieved an incredible degree of
expressiveness in this medium
Roman mosaics were made of polished,
coloured stone, but Byzantine mosaics were
made of brightly coloured glass (tesserae)
pressed into wet plaster
The glass pieces were set on a slight angle to
reflect the light.
Green and gold are used most often, but there
are also scarlets, purples and blues

The Emperor Justinian and his

Attendants
The
Empress
and
These
mosaics are Theodora
companion panels
of her
depicting the Emperor Justinian and his
Attendants,
Attendants, and Empress Theodora and her

c. 547
AD, mosaic,
attendants.
Both Ravenna,
are located in the apse, which
flanks the altar, of the church of San Vitale.
These mosaics are prized among the most
accomplished examples of
surviving Byzantine mosaics

Lots of gold glass tesserae.

They portray the
emperor and empress as
semi-divine rulers
bringing gifts at the
dedication of San Vitale
(though they never
actually attended the
ceremony).
The figures are stiff and
stylized, including: full
frontal viewpoints,
elongation of the figure,
and stylization of faces
with large eyes and
almond shape faces, and
decorative costumes.
Strong use of
symbolism- bread and
wine of Eucharist. Halo
to show that Justinian is
Gods holy representative
on earth and therefore
holy himself.

Mosaic-A picture or design made of tiny pieces

(called tesserae) of coloured stone, glass, tile or
paper adhered to a surface. It is typically decorative
work for walls, vaults, ceilings or floors, the

Mosiacs of Hagia Sophia

The mosaic were scrapped off the wall and
covered with plaster by the Moslems when the
converted the church into a mosque.
This was due to the fact their
religion does not permit likenesses
of people
Some mosaics have been uncovered
Also the Iconoclastic Controversy
happened in the Christian religion
as well for over for over 100 years
(725 to 842 CE) and no art was produced in
this
period. After this period we have the second
Golden
Age of Byzantine. The plans of churches were
based on the Greek cross, such a St. Marks
discussed before .

313 CE - Constantine converts to Christianity

324 CE- The Byzantine Empire, founded when the capital of the
Roman Empire was transferred from Rome to Constantinople
326- CE- the pilgrimage of Constantines mother, Empress
Helena, to Jerusalem where she finds relics and dedicates the
building of churches (Church of the Holy Sepulchre )
527 CE- Golden Age of Byzantine-Justinian
532-537-Hagia Sophia -Constantinople (Istanbul)
547 CE- The Emperor Justinian and his Attendants -mosiac
614 CE when the Persians invaded Jerusalem, destroyed many
of the churches and monasteries.
638 CE Jerusalem was captured by the Muslim Caliph Umar, six
years after the death of Muhammad
685 CE- The Dome of the Rock starts construction by Caliph
Abd al-Malikibn Marwan - completing it in 691 CE.
725 to 842 CE -Iconoclastic Controversy in Christian religion
842 CE-the Second Golden Age of Byzantine
1063- St. Marks Venice
1453 CE The Fall of Constantinople was the capture of the
Byzantine capital by the Ottoman Empire

Dome of the
Rock

Mt. Moriah (site of Jerusalem)was

considered highly sacred for several
reasons
Jewish It was considered to be the site where
Abraham (2000 BCE) had built an altar
on which he prepared to sacrifice his
son Isaac.
At this same site, the patriarch Jacob
gathered stone from the altar upon
which his father Isaac was to be
sacrificed, and using this stone as a
pillow spent the night sleeping upon the
rock. Upon waking from a stunning
visionary dream, Jacob anointed the
stone pillow with oil he had received
from heaven and the stone then sank
deep into the earth, to become the
foundation stone of the great temple
that would later be built by Solomon.
The First Temple of the Jews was built
during the reign of King Solomon (960
BCE).
Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon forced
the Jews into exile (most went to
Babylon), and completely destroyed the
temple in 586 BC.
In 539 BC, Persia conquered Babylon
and allowed the Jews to return to
Jerusalem. Reconstruction began and
the Second Temple was completed by
515 B.C.E

ChristianityThe conversion to Christianity of

the Byzantine Emperor
Constantine (306-337) and the
pilgrimage of his mother,
Empress Helena, to Jerusalem in
326. Helena's pilgrimage and
Constantine's royal support
made possible the building of
many Christian shrines in the
city.
The Christian control of
Jerusalem was carried on until
614 AD when the Persians
invaded the city, destroyed

Greek Rule Jerusalem was captured by

Alexander the Great. For most the next five
centuries Greeks ruled over the Judah.

Roman Rule
In 64 BC, the Roman general Pompey
captured Jerusalem, ushering in several
centuries of Roman rule. During this
period Herod the Great (ruled 37-4 BC)
rebuilt and enlarged the Second Temple
and created the famous Western Wall
(also called the Wailing Wall) as part of
the supporting structure for the
enlarged Temple Mount.

During the next two centuries the Jews

twice revolted against their Roman
oppressors, the city of Jerusalem
suffered greatly and the Second Temple
was demolished in 70 AD.

In the year 135 AD, the Roman Emperor

Hadrian began construction of a new
city, upon the ruins of old Jerusalem.
Upon the site of the destroyed Jewish
temple, Hadrian built a temple to the
god Jupiter, but this temple was itself
demolished by the Byzantines after the
empire became Christian.

Islam Jerusalem was captured in 638 CE, six years after the death of Muhammad, by
the Muslim Caliph Umar. Soon after his occupation of the city, Umar cleansed
the Temple Mount, built a small mosque and dedicated the site to Muslim
worship.
Nearby they built a more spectacular building, the Dome of the Rock , not
only to proclaim the supremacy of Islam, but also to ensure that the new
followers of Islam would not be tempted by Christianity.
Importance of the temple mount:
A certain passage in the Koran links the Prophet Muhammad with Jerusalem and the
Temple Mount. That passage, the seventeenth Sura, entitled 'The Night Journey',
recounts the story of a dream Mohammed has where he takes a midnight ride ( alIsra) on his flying horse al-Buraq, which had the face of a woman, the body of a
horse and the tail of Peacock. The narrative of the Koran in Sura 17 describes it as
follows:

"Glory be to Him, who carried His servant by night from the Holy
Mosque to the further
mosque, the precincts of which we have
blessed."
and from the sacred rock atop of the temple mount he made a spiritual trip to
heaven and met the prophets before him) (it is stated in refeneces that this vision is
around 617 and 624 A.D ).

Muslim believe the two temples mentioned in this verse as being in Mecca and
Jerusalem.
At this hallowed site, known in Arabic as Haram al Sharif, the 9th Caliph, Abd
al-Malik, built the great Dome of the Rock between 687 CE and 691 CE to
protect pilgrims.
Adjacent to the Dome is the Al-Aqsa Mosque wherein Muslims make their
prayers towards Mecca.
Designed by Byzantine architects (not all texts agree with this) engaged by
the Caliph, the Dome of the Rock was the greatest monumental building in
early Islamic history and remains today one of the most sublime examples of
artistic genius that humanity has ever produced (the Great Mosque of

The Dome of the RockThe structure

is octagonal and the dome is
details
borne by a double system of pillars and

columns. The walls, ceiling, arches, and

vaults are decorated with floral images. The
dome, on the inside, is covered with
coloured and gilded stucco.
The dome is 20 meters high, 10 meters in
diameter, and its supporting structure, made
of lead, was originally covered in pure gold
(In 1960, as part of Jordans restoration, the
dome was covered with a durable aluminium
and bronze alloy made in Italy. The
restoration was completed in August 1964.
In 1998 the golden dome covering was
refurbished following a donation of $8.2
million by King Hussein of Jordan who sold
one of his houses in London to fund the 80
kilograms of gold required. (Wipedica)
The sacred foundation stone is encircled by
sixteen arches that formerly came from
different churches in Jerusalem, which were
destroyed during the Persian occupation of
the city in 614 AD. Writing of the sublimely
beautiful structure with its heavenly dome,
its columns of rare marble and its brilliant
mosaics

The facade is made of

porcelain The Koranic ura, or
chapter, is inscribed across the
top in the tile work
commissioned in the 16th
century by Suleiman the
Magnificent. The sura al- Isra
(The Night Journey), is
inscribed above Ya-Seen.
(Wipedica)

Painting in the Middle

Ages

Christ Icon, St. Catherines

Monastery, c. 6th cent. CE,
Sinai, Egypt.

They had a strong tradition of painting

Most paintings were icons (religious
images) painted on wooden panels.
Often used as worship centers in
home
The interiors of the churches also
were decorated with icons.
Byzantine painting was colourful and
emotional.
Artists used egg tempera as their
medium
Figures were painted against a
brilliant gold background
Triptych (three hinged pieces)
Diptych (two hinged pieces) were

Enthroned Madonna
and Child (13th
century)(131 x77 cm)
Typical of Byzantine style
The Madonna floats
rather than sits on her
throne.
The Christ child seems to
be resting securely on
her arm.
Meaning and emotion are
more important than the
depiction of reality.
The use of gold
backgrounds heightens
the effect of
otherworldliness and
transcendence

National Gallery of
Canada Jacopo di Ugolino di
Cione
Nerio
Triptych of the Virgin St. Anne and the
and Child Enthroned Infant Virgin
with Saints (1370 - (1330 - 1335 )

Migration Art

ornamental
metalwork, usually
pins to hold
garments, often
inlaid with
precious stones
Purse Cover (7th
century)-garnets,
glass, enamel and
gold- geometric on
top- man between
two beasts and
eagles seizing two
ducks

What is an
Illuminated
Manuscript?

The term manuscript translates from Latin

as made by hand. Illumination comes from
the Latin word illuminare meaning light
up.

These illuminated
manuscripts were so called
because of their frequent
incorporation of gold or
sometimes silver leaf onto
the page.
Decoration with drawings,
usually in gold, silver, and
rich colors, especially in the
initial letters of manuscripts,
particularly those done
during the Middle Ages. A
manuscript, produced during
the Middle Ages, in which
the pages are decorated this
way. Often these manuscripts
contain small pictures known
as illuminations or
miniatures.

Priests
Monks
Religious
Middle Ages
Monasteries

Materials

Skin
Feathers
Goose or Swan
Cured
Ink
Parchment and Vellum

Manuscripts

influenced by tribal tradition of

geometric motifs and interlacing
of letters, flowers and animals
monks spent their lifetimes
illustrating their pages of
scripture while in their secluded
monasteries
ornamentation represents
everything rich and beautiful
paying tribute to God

Lindisfarne Gospel Book (698721) Christianized Great

Britain)
long time to illustrate one book
many vellum (parchment pages
X-P (chi-rho) is a contraction of
the Greek name for Christ
interlaced with abstract and
geometric designs of minute detail
hidden in the intricate scrolls are
serpents dragons and other
fantastic animals

Christian faith was

bound by the authority
of sacred writings, and
it placed increasing
importance on the
production of books
and their illumination.
Some fragments of the
biblical text, written in
silver and gold on
purple vellum and
sumptuously
illuminated, are still
preserved). Foremost
of these is the Vienna
Genesis, a manuscript
of the first half of the
6th cent.

East Asian calligraphy

Chinese calligraphy written by Song Dynasty (A.D. 1051-1108)

poet Mi Fu.

Indian Calligraphy

A page from the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikh

Persian calligraphy

Page of calligraphy in ornamental style, 1868-69

Islamic calligraphy
A page of a 12th century Qur'an

Western calligraphy

Calligraphy of the German word "Urkunde" (deed)

Hebrew
manuscripts in
the fifteenth
century

German, Hildesheim, ca. 1170

1407AD Latin Bible from
Belgium

Medieval Scribes