Byzantium

Chapter 7: Outline

The Decline of Rome Literature and Philosophy Augustine of Hippo Boethius The Ascendancy of Byzantium Church of Hagia Sophia: Monument and Symbol Ravenna Art and Architecture St. Catherine's Monastery at Mount Sinai The Persistence of Byzantine Culture

Outline: Chapter 07

250 AC - Persecution of Christians under Decius286 AD - Diocletian divides Roman Empire into East and West parts ruled by himself and Maximianc. 326 AD - Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem330 AD - Constantine dedicates new capital of Roman Empire on site of Byzantium, naming it Constantinoplec. 333 AD - Old Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican386 AD - Saint Jerome translates Bible into Latin386 AD - Saint Ambrose of Milan begins use of vernacular hymns in church397 AD - Augustine of Hippo, The Confessions410 AD - Visigoths sack Rome413-426 AD - Augustine of Hippo, The City of Godc. 450 AD - Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Neonian; Arian Baptisteries, Ravenna 522-524 AD - Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy, allegorical treatise526-547 AD - San Vitale, Ravenna527-565 AD - Reign of Justinian as Eastern Roman emperor in Constantinople532-537AD - Hagia Sophia, Constantinople, rebuilt, combining basilica plan and central plan with dome590-602 AD - Gregorian Chant established at Rome during papacy of Gregory the Great1054 AD - Eastern and Western Church formally split1063 AD - Saint Mark's, Venice begun

Timeline : Byzantium

This chapter traces briefly the slow waning of Roman power in the West by focusing on the impact of two late Roman writers who are both Christians: Boethius, who wrote in provincial Ravenna, and Augustine,who lived in Roman North Africa.

• Unwieldy bureaucratic machine• Too many mercenary troops that were disloyal• Power shift from Rome to Constantinople• Invasion of barbarians from north• 330 A.D. Emperor Constantine moved capital to Constantinople• Final barbarian assault – end of empire, 476 A.D.…………………………………………………………………………………………….

By the early fourth century, The Roman Empire already had severe economic, political, and social problems. In 330 Emperor Constantine dedicated the Greek Commercial center of Byzantium as his eastern capital.

He renamed the city Constantinople.

The Decline of Rome

Page with The Crucifixion, from the Rabbula Gospels,

from Beth Zagba, Syria. 586

•Simplified Forms•Stylized Figures•Pure High-Key Color•Frontal Presentation•Rigid Postures•Decorative Design Elements•Symmetrical Composition•Spiritual Quality•“God’s Eye View”•Biblical – The Word of God•Imbued with Holy Spirit •Didactic – Used for Purposes of Religious Instruction•Evangelical – Used to Spread the Faith

Early Christian Iconography

Saint Augustine of Hippo(354-430 AD)

This is the oldest surviving portrait of Augustine, from the Lateran in Rome in the sixth century.

“So long, therefore, as his philosophy agrees with his religious doctrines, St. Augustine is frankly neo-Platonist; as soon as a contradiction arises, he never hesitates to subordinate his philosophy to religion, reason to faith. He was, first of all, a Christian; the philosophical questions that occupied his mind constantly found themselves more and more relegated to the background.”

-Catholic Encyclopedia

Saint Augustine

Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, 480 – 525 AD

•Roman statesman and philosopher, often styled"the last of the Romans", regarded by tradition as a Christian martyr

•Translated works of Aristotle

•Created many original philosophical texts

•Extended the groundwork of Christian Philosophy

Boethius takes up many problems of metaphysics as well as ethicsand of the Being and Nature of God, of providence and fate, of the origin of the universe, and of the freedom of the will.

Boethius

As the wheel of fortune turned downward for Rome, Byzantium began its ascent as the center of culture. Our focus is on the great builder and patron of Byzantine culture, Emperor Justinian and his consort,Theodora. The central feature of their reign is its blending of their political power with the Christian Church so that church and statebecame a seamless whole. Christianity, which had been a despised and persecuted sect, now became the official religion of the state

Church of Hagia Sophia, Constantinople, 6th century AD

The Roman Empire,

Christianity, and the

ascent of the Byzantine

Empire

Byzantine Christianity had a readily recognizable look to it, a look most apparent in its art and architecture. It was an art that was otherworldly, formal, and profoundly sacred. A contemporary Orthodox theologian has said that the proper attitude of a Byzantine worshiper is gazing. The mosaics and icons of this tradition were meant to be seen as windows through which the devout might view the eternal mysteries of religion. No conscious attempt was made to be innovative in this art. The emphasis was always on deepening the experience of sacred mystery.

Church of Hagia Sophia, interior, Constantinople, 6th century AD

lunette over the south doorway, Curch of Hagia Sophia

Virgin and Child flamked byEmporer Justinian I and Constantine I

Byzantine Art and

Architecture

Church of Hagia Sophia, interior, Constantinople, 6th century AD

Church of Hagia Sophia, Constantinople

San Vitale and Sant'Apollinare in Classe, in Ravenna, Italy (6th century AD.) are two of the most illustrious expressions of Byzantine artistry in the world.

Basilica of San Vitale

Sant'Apollinare in Classe(Tower is a medieval addition)

Ravenna

Church of San Vitale, view across the central space toward the sanctuary apse ,

Ravenna, Italy. 526-47

Church of San Vitale,Ravenna,

Italy

Empress Theodora and Her Attendants, mosaic on south wall of the apse,

Church of San Vitale, Ravenna(Dodati) 547 AD

Church of San Vitale,

Theodora Mosaic

Empress Theodora and Her Attendants, detail; mosaic on south wall of the apse, Church of San Vitale, Ravenna(Dodati) 547

Church of San Vitale,

Ravenna,Theodora

Mosaic

Emeror Justinian and His Attendants, detail; mosaic on the north wall of the apse, Church of San Vitale. 547

Justinian I- Roman Emperor (527-65) Flavius Anicius Julianus Justinianus was born about 483 at Tauresium. In 521 Justinian was proclaimed ruler. The thirty-eight years of Justinian's reign are the most brilliant period of the later empire. Full of enthusiasm for the memories of Rome, he set himself, and achieved, the task of reviving their glory. The many-sided activity of this wonderful man may be summed up under the headings: military triumphs, legal work, ecclesiastical polity, and architectural activity. Dominating all is the policy of restoring the empire, great, powerful, and united.

Church of San Vitale,

Ravenna,JustinianMosaic

Good Shepherd, mosaic in the Lunette over the west entrance, Mausoleum of Gala Placidia, Ravenna, Italy. 425-26

Mausoleum of Gala Placida,

Mosaic

The Transfiguration of Christ with Saint Apollinaris, First Bishop of Ravenna, mosaic in the apse,

Church of Saint'Apollinare in Classe, Italy. 533-49

Church of Saint'Apollinare

Byzantine Architecture

Early Byzantine architecture is essentially a continuation of Roman architecture. Gradually, a style emerged which was influenced more by the architecture of the near east, and used the Greek cross plan for the church architecture which mostly stands today. Brick replaced stone,classical orders were used more freely, mosaics replaced carved decoration, and complex domes were erected.

Byzantine Architecture

Old Saint Peter's, Rome, 320-27; atrium added in later 4th century

Old St. PetersBasilica, Rome

Because Byzantium was Greek-speaking, the cultureof ancient Greece was kept alive until the middle of the15th century, when the city fell to the Ottoman Turks.The removal of much of that culture to the West was a strong influence on the development of the Renaissance.

What Byzantine Art Reveals about Byzantine Civilization•The power and expressiveness of the figures portrayed in the art suggest the vitality and strength of Byzantine traditions, which have outlasted the fall of the empire. •The richness of the materials, especially the lavish use of gold, indicates wealth. •The great variety in the subject matter, media, and types of art attests to the taste and sophistication of the society that commissioned it and to the remarkable artistic skill of the craftsmen who created it. •The continuing portrayal of classical themes and idealized human figures are visual reminders of the importance of the Greco-Roman heritage in Byzantine thought. •In style and subject matter the arts of peoples as near as Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Bulgaria, and as far away as western Europe and the middle East show the vast expanse of Byzantine cultural and artistic contacts.

What ByzantineArt Reveals About Byzantine

Civilization

The influence of this art was far-reaching. Italo-Byzantine styles of art persisted in the West up to the beginnings of the Italian Renaissance. These same styles entered Russia at the end of the tenth century and still persist. Today, students can visit Greek or Russian churches and see these art forms alive as part of traditional Christian Orthodox worship and practice.

Extent of Byzantine Empire c 565 AD.

Persistence of Byzantine

Culture