Early Christian Architecture Analysis

Luis Barragan states, “Architecture is an art when one consciously or unconsciously creates aesthetic emotion in the atmosphere and when this environment produces well-being.” This statement is more vividly conveyed through a cross-cultural analysis of two of the most well-known architectural structures of their era, Old Saint Peter’s Basilica, located in Rome, Italy, ca. 319, and Hagia Sophia, located in Constantinople, Turkey (Istanbul), 532-537. The architectural style of Old St. Peter’s and Hagia Sophia is characterized by Rome’s rich building traditions, philosophy of design, and form and function. For centuries, Old Saint Peter’s Basilica and Hagia Sophia have remained a genuine expression of Christianity and have both captured the essence
Early Christian architecture was centered in Rome, while Byzantine architecture was centered in Byzantium, also known as Constantinople. From these two cities, Early Christian architecture became disseminated throughout Europe and led to Christianity becoming the single most important phenomenon during this era. In A.D. 313, Emperor Constantine provided the Edict of Milan, lifting the ban on Christianity which led to it becoming an official religion, fueling its rapid expansion (Kleiner 242). In response to the demands of Christianity, architecture proved essential in constructing a place of worship.
Both Early Christian and Byzantine architecture are a continuation of the Roman Empire. Buildings and building practices carried over from the Roman period to that of Early Christian and Byzantine architecture. The only new addition during this time was the construction of the Christian church. From Early Christian architecture, Old Saint Peter’s Basilica adopts the style of the Roman basilica plan, departing from the plans of the traditional Greco-Roman
Peter’s and Hagia Sophia to some extent are different. Most structures during the Early Christian era placed more emphasis on function rather than form, mainly employing a rather simplistic form. There is a common idiom in art that states, “form follows function.” This idiom expresses the design principles of Early Christian architecture, where function would often dominate the design process often resulting in minimally complex designs and stark unadorned exteriors. For example, Old St. Peter’s follows this same principle. The exterior of Old St. Peter’s remains very austere and bare, notably significant of its separation from paganism. Although, in sharp contrast to its interior being wrapped in dazzling mosaics and painting (Kleiner 243). Nonetheless, in Byzantium architecture both form and function possess their own value. Under Justinian, form is the integration of both classical elements and spiritualism with new ideas, while function still remains equally relative. In Hagia Sophia, viewers can see both classical form and spiritualism at the peak of the basilica and primarily classical at its base. At Hagia Sophia, Justinian employed two architects to design and construct the massive church; Anthemius and Isidorus. In its entirety, the church measures 270 ft. long x 240 ft. wide. Its key attributes consist of a central floor plan, an apse, surrounding aisles, the implementation of pendentives to support its dome, and