Text 20. Byzantine architecture

Words and word combinations:

emperor –император

to renamе- переименовать

tribe- клан

to capture- захватывать

to convert-превращать

mosque- мечеть

curve - кривой

inverted- перевернутый

Byzantine architecture. In 330, the Roman emperor Constantine the Great moved the capital of the empire from Rome to the city of Byzantium in what is now Turkey. Byzantium was renamed Constantinople. In 395, the Roman Empire split into two parts – the East Roman Empire and West Roman Empire. The West Roman Empire fell to Germanic tribes in the 400’s. But the East Roman Empire thrived. It was called Byzantine Empire.

By the 500’s, a distinct Byzantine style of art had developed. The finest achievement of Byzantine architecture was the great domed cathedral Hagia Sophia (532-537) in Constantinople. It was designed by Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus. The Turks captured Constantinople in 1453 and later renamed the city Istanbul. They converted Hagia Sophia into a mosque. But the only change they made to the exterior or the building was to add four minarets.

Hagia Sophia has a huge central dome that tops a square space. This arrangement became a common feature of Byzantine architecture. Four curved and inverted triangles made of brick support the dome. These supports are called pendentives. By using pendentives, the architects could build a higher and wider dome than had been possible when walls supported the dome. Inside Hagia Sophia, two-story arcades border the nave. Beautiful mosaics decorate the interior. Mosaics were an important decoration in most Byzantine churches.

Other examples of Byzantine architectures include the Basilica of St. Mark (begun in the mid-1000’s) in Venice, Italy, and St. Basil’s Cathedral (1555-1560) in Moscow.

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