ARCIIITECT1 RE. Byzantine architecture is the complete monumental expression of Hellenic Christendom. The Greek Church in most higher branches of culture imposed itself upon the Latins, but it began by accepting the Latin scheme of basilica] architecture. After experi menting with it for a while (Fourth to the Fifth Century), the Greek genius selected the Roman dome as its fundamental unit, in place of the wooden roof, and by the use of lofty piers and pendentive was able, in the Sixth Century, to suspend the dome and use it with any kind of ground-plan, even multiplying domes at will in the same interior. (See DoatE.) It was in the abstract a higher form of architecture than either Roman or early Christian, and was the real link between Rome and the Middle Ages, because it showed how the vaulting systems of Rome could be adapted to the form of the Chris tian Church, and, taking up the dome at the point to which the Roman architects had devel oped it, carried it a step further and made possi ble all styles of architecture that have come, even after the Renaissance. The Romans had gone no further in weakening the solid circular wall that supported their domes than to cut niches in it the early Christian architects had gone a step further and turned the lower part of this wall into a colonnade, which opened into one or more concentric aisles, lint the Byzantine architects of Asia Minor invented the pendentive, which made it unnecessary that the supports should follow the outline of the dome. The preliminary stages are shown in buildings like San Vitale at Ravenna, the cathedrals of Ezra and Bosra in Syria. and Saint: Sergins and Bacchus at Con stantinople. all built early in the Sixth Century. Then came the masterpiece, Saint Sophia (q.v.) at Constantinople, built by Anthemius (q.v.) iind Isidore, architects of Asia I:\ linor, who here sus pended the Pinitheon dome in the air far more truly than Michelangelo did at Saint Peter's. Its two great semi-domes flanking the central dome made possible an oblong plan without breaking the The apse, side aisles, and galleries are all more thoroughly subordinated to the central nave than in any other Christian structure. ( For see under SAINT SotiniA.) No other Byzantine church undertook to rival or mutate, even in plan, Saint Sophia. The great variety in plan and elevation of Byzantine churches is in strong contrast to the uniformity of early Chris tian churches. Some are in the form of a Greek cross. like Saint Mark's in Venice, with five domes; the commonest form is oblong, each hay covered by a small dome. Usually there is a central dome, raised on a drum above the rest.,
and sometimes cross-vaults or tunnel-vaults take the place of minor don s. In course of time the churches be•ame smaller, the domes were erected on higher drains. the closed porch or narthex became larger and was usually domed, the ex teriors, instead of being of plain bricks, had alter nate courses of brick and stone or marble, and were diversified by inset panels and patterns in relief, as well as by pilasters and arcades. Saint Irene represents the middle and the Theotokos and Pantokrator the final stage of this develop ment at Constantinople. The churches of the _Apostles, of Saint Elias, and of the Virgin at Salonica are aiming the most exquisite of this class in proportions and details, with tower-like domes and effective exteriors. In Greece proper the city douches. like the cathedrals at Athens and Mistra, are very small, and are excelled in size and decoration by the monastic churches, such as those of the Basilians at Chios, Mount Helicon (Saint Luke), Daphne, and _Mount Athos, built between the Tenth and Fourteenth centuries. nn a somewhat larger scale were the churches in the East. Syria, as shown by such churches as those of Damascus. Dana, Antioch, Edessa, held mainly to the basilica] style up to the time of the Persian and Mohammedan in vasions of the Sixth and Seventh centuries, which put an end to Christian architecture in that region. But Asia Minor, the source of By zantine domicil construction, still shows many churches of this style, such as those at Myra, Aneyra, Cassaba, Ephesus, Niccea ; Armenia, Georgia, and the Caucasus adopted for a period a pure Byzantine style. while at other tittles they developed local peculiarities, such as stone con struction. pitched roofs, polygonal domes, carved ornamentation, etc. Churches at Ani, Dighur, Pitzunda, Etelimiadzin, etc., show how active this region was under its kings between the Tenth and the Fourteenth centuries. Near them was Trebizond, which shows churches belonging to the time in the Thirteenth Century when it was the Byzantine capital, while Constantinople was oc cupied by the Crusaders. Passing eastward, we find that the Byzantine style has penetrated into the northern provinces connected with the Em pire of the East. into Servia and other Danubian provinces (as at Kurte d'Arjish, Studenitza„ and Semendria), and into Russia (Saint Sophia at Kiev)• where Slavic taste degraded it gradually until the bulbous domes and exaggerated and overloaded detail: placed Itu:sian Byzantine architecture upon a level with Mongol and Indian monuments.