Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire, or Eastern Roman Empire, usually dated from 330 AD, when Constantine the Great established a new Roman capital in Byzantium, which became Constantinople, until the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453.

Byzantine architects were eclectic, at first drawing heavily on Roman temple features. Their combination of the basilica and symmetrical central-plan (circular or polygonal) religious structures resulted in the characteristic Byzantine Greek-cross-plan church, with a square central mass and four arms of equal length.

The Basilica of San Vitale is a late antique church in Ravenna, Italy. The sixth-century church is an important surviving example of early Byzantine art and architecture, and its mosaics in particular are some of the most-studied works in Byzantine art.

2018年6月26日 · Most early churches followed the Roman basilica design, a building used for public gatherings, especially law courts and markets. The basilica's long hall and timber roof were supported by columns and piers on all sides. The columns created a central nave flanked on all sides by an aisle.

2020年6月9日 · The earliest type of Byzantine Church is the Basilica Style. These churches feature a long linear space within the central nave. The Basilica Style evolved from the Roman Basilica which was a popular civic building within the Empire. Some of these Basilicas were built with three aisles, and other larger churches had five.

The Church of San Vitale, located in northwestern Ravenna, is a remarkable example of Late Antique architecture. While it was begun when Ravenna was still under Ostrogothic rule, it is Byzantine in style and similar to the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus built by Justinian in Constantinople around the same time.

In 330 A.D., the first Christian ruler of the Roman empire, Constantine the Great (r. 306–337) (26.229), transferred the ancient imperial capital from Rome to the city of Byzantion located on the easternmost territory of the European continent, at a major intersection of east-west trade.

2024年12月13日 · Discover the Basilica of Constantinople, a significant cultural and intellectual center from the early Byzantine period, and its historical significance.

After the time of Constantine, a standardized church architecture emerged, with the basilica for congregational worship dominating construction. There were numerous regional variations: in Rome and the West, for example, basilicas usually were elongated without galleries, as at S. Sabina in Rome (522–32) or S. Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna (c. 490).

After the time of Constantine, the Roman emperor who ruled from 306–337 C.E., a standardized church architecture emerged, with the basilica for congregational worship dominating construction. The basilica is a church type based on Roman assembly halls, usually composed of a longitudinal nave flanked by side aisles.