European architectural style.

Ancient Roman architecture is an architectural style in which the ancient Romans followed the architectural technology of Etruscans in Apen Peninsula and inherited the architectural achievements of ancient Greece, and made extensive innovations in architectural form, technology and art. Ancient Roman architecture reached its peak from/kloc-0 to the 3rd century, and reached the peak of ancient western architecture.

There are many kinds of ancient Roman architecture. There are Roman Pantheon, Venus and Roman temples, as well as religious buildings such as Baalbek Sun Temple, as well as public buildings such as palaces, theaters, arenas, baths, squares and rectangular halls (rectangular halls). Residential buildings include inner-chamber houses, houses combining inner-chamber houses with column houses, and apartments with four or five floors.

The form of ancient Roman secular architecture is quite mature, and it is well combined with function. For example, in large theaters all over the Roman Empire, the audience plane is semicircular and rises in rows, with vertical aisles as the mainstay and horizontal aisles as the supplement. According to the ticket number, the audience arrives at the seats in each area from different entrances and stairs. People don't cross, so it's convenient to gather and disperse. The stage rises high, with the orchestra pit in front and the makeup building behind. The facade of the dressing building is the background of the stage, and both ends protrude forward to form the prototype of the podium, which is similar to the basic modeling of modern large-scale performance buildings.

The standard unit commonly used in ancient Roman multi-storey apartments. Some apartments have shops on the ground floor, and upstairs residents have balconies. This shape is similar to that of a modern apartment. Judging from the shapes of theaters, arenas, baths and apartments, the architectural design at that time was quite developed. The Ten Books of Architecture written by Vitruwei, an ancient Roman architect, is a summary of this science.

Ancient Roman architecture can meet all kinds of complex functional requirements, mainly relying on high-rise arch structures to obtain wide internal space. The tubular arch in the main hall of Flavian Palace on Baladin Mountain spans 29.3 meters. The diameter of the Pantheon dome is 43.3 meters. In the middle of the first century, a cross arch appeared, which covered the square building space, concentrated the weight of the vault on the piers at the four corners, and there was no continuous load-bearing wall, so the space was more open.

Combining several cross arches with cylindrical arches and domes can cover complex internal spaces. The royal baths of the Roman Empire are the representative works of this combination.

Constantine Cathedral, east of the central square of ancient Rome, has three cross arches in the center, with a span of 25.3 meters and a height of 40 meters. There are three cylindrical arches with a span of 23.5 meters on the left and right sides to resist the horizontal thrust, and the structural level is very high. The huge auditoriums of theaters and arenas are also built on complex arched ticketing systems.

Because of the use of pozzolanic concrete with high strength, convenient construction and low price, the arch sheet structure has been popularized. Around the second century BC, this kind of concrete became an independent building material, and by the first century BC, it almost completely replaced the stone, which was used to build arches and walls. The concrete surface is usually protected by a layer of square cone stone or triangular brick, and then plastered with a layer of ash or pasted with a layer of marble slab; There is also the practice of building a stone wall in front of the concrete wall as a surface layer.

The wooden structure technology of ancient Roman architecture has reached a considerable level, and the tie rod and compression rod of truss can be distinguished. Rome, Trajan, basilica and wood truss span 25 meters. The Colosseum in Rome, built in the first century A.D., can accommodate 50,000 spectators, and it took only 5-6 years to build. It was built on a filled lake, but the foundation did not sink significantly.

The Baalbek Sun Temple, built in the middle of the 2nd century A.D., is surrounded by 45 pillars, each with a height of19.6m and a base with a diameter of 2m, all made of whole granite. At the height of 8 meters on the back wall of the temple, there are three big stones weighing about 500 tons each, which shows the great lifting capacity at that time.

Public bathrooms generally have central heating equipment. Hot smoke and hot air in the burning room flow through the floor, walls and clay pipes under the vault of the hall, giving off heat. According to Vitruwe's ten books on architecture, a bronze urn was buried under the seat of the theater to improve the sound quality. In addition, by the middle of 1 century at the latest, several tens of centimeters square high-transparency flat glass had been installed on the windows. In addition to concentrating the highest achievements of ancient Roman architecture in the capital city of Rome, there are various high-level and large-scale buildings all over the empire.

The architectural art of ancient Rome has made great achievements, with rich and dignified style, harmonious and unified composition and various forms. The Romans opened up new fields of architectural art and enriched architectural technology.

Among them, the most important ones are: the newly built internal space covered by arched vouchers, the single space of the solemn Pantheon, the sequential combination space of the royal baths with great changes at multiple levels, and the one-way depth space of the main hall. In some buildings, the artistic treatment of internal space is more important than the external image.

The composition of ancient Greek columns has been developed, making it more adaptable. The most significant thing is to create a combination of pillar and arch coupons, such as pillar and continuous coupons, which are used for both structure and decoration. The Arc de Triomphe around the empire is mostly composed of coupons. There are concentrated buildings with plane and arch structure composed of various arcs. Hadrian's departure from this palace built on the outskirts of Rome in the first half of the 2nd century is a mature example.

Since the second half of the fourth century, the trend of ancient Roman architecture has declined. /kloc-after the 0/5th century, after the Renaissance and classicism. With the revival of French classicism and the popularization of "imperial style" at the beginning of19th century, ancient Roman architecture has once again become a learning model in Europe. This phenomenon lasted until the 1920s and 1930s.

Books and pictures of ancient Roman architecture began to be introduced into China in the late Ming Dynasty. Italian missionary Matteo Ricci brought three volumes of Atlas of the Ancient City of Rome from Italy and deposited it in the Jesuit Library in Beijing. In A.D. 1672, the Italian missionary giulio aleni brought two volumes of Guang Yu Tu to China. These books contain pictures of the Colosseum, baths, temples and Roman markets. In addition, at the beginning of the17th century, there were three volumes of Ten Books of Architecture written by Vitruwei in the Jesuit library in Beijing, but the ancient Roman architecture had no actual influence on the architecture of China.

Renaissance architecture

Renaissance architecture is an architectural style that was born in Italy in the14th century with the cultural movement of Renaissance. Based on the criticism of the supremacy of theocracy in the Middle Ages and the affirmation of humanitarianism, architects hope to reshape the harmonious order of the ideal classical society with the help of classical proportions. Therefore, generally speaking, Renaissance architecture pays attention to order and proportion, with strict facade and plane composition and column system inherited from classical architecture. There is a strong pursuit of the proportion of architecture, such as symmetrical modeling with multiples of 3 and 2, centralized restoration of "nature", drawing with a ruler, and opposing Gothic architecture dominated by circles and squares.

Roman architecture

Roman architecture is an architectural style in the Christian-popular areas in Europe from 10 to 12 century. Roman architecture originally meant Roman architecture, and also translated into Roman architecture, Roman architecture, Roman-like architecture and so on. Roman architectural styles are common in monasteries and churches.

Roman architecture inherited early Christian architecture and adopted some traditional practices of Roman architecture, such as semi-circular arches and cross arches, and sometimes it was decorated with simplified classical columns and details. After a long-term evolution, the wooden roof of the early Christian church was gradually replaced by the vault, and the Roman arch ticket technology was constantly tested and developed. The buttress was used to balance the lateral force of the heavy vault, and later the heavy vault was gradually replaced by the skeleton certificate. A plane or a Latin cross. In order to worship icons and sacred objects, a number of small worship rooms have been added at the eastern end, and the plane form has become more and more complicated.

The typical features of Roman architecture are: the wall is huge and thick, the wall adopts serial coupons, and the portal adopts concentric multi-layer coupons to reduce the heavy feeling. There are one or two bell towers in the west, and sometimes there are bell towers at the intersection of Latin crosses and horizontal halls. The large and small columns in the central hall are arranged alternately in rhythm. Narrow windows create a dark and mysterious atmosphere in a large internal space. The simple central hall contrasts with the magnificent altar, and the huge spatial change between the central hall and the side gallery breaks the sense of balance in classical architecture.

With the development of Roman architecture, the central hall is getting higher and higher. In order to reduce and balance the lateral spinal force of the arch foot on the towering middle hall and make the vault adapt to different sizes and forms of planes, Gothic architecture came into being later. As a transitional form, Roman architecture not only combines the heavy structure with the vertical rising momentum, but also successfully organizes the tower into a complete structure for the first time in architectural history.

Famous examples of Roman architecture are: Pisa Cathedral Complex in Italy, and Worms Cathedral in Germany.

Gothic architecture

Gothic architecture is an architectural style that originated in France in the second half of the 1 1 century and was popular in Europe from 13 to15th century. Mainly seen in Catholic churches, it also affects secular buildings. Gothic architecture occupies an important position in the history of architecture with its superb technical and artistic achievements.

The structural system of Gothic church consists of stone skeleton coupons and flying buttresses. Its basic unit is to make a double-center skeleton tip coupon on the pillars at the four corners of a square or rectangular plane, one on each side and one on the diagonal, and the roof slate is supported on the coupon to form a vault. In this way, coupons with the same height can be made on different spans, and the vault is light in weight and clear in intersection, which reduces the thrust of the coupon foot and simplifies the construction.

The flying crib is issued by the pier outside the side hall to balance the lateral thrust of the arch foot in the middle hall. In order to increase stability, minarets are often built on column piers. Due to the use of pointed vouchers, pointed arches and flying buttresses, the interior space of Gothic churches is spacious, simple and unified. Ornamental details such as canopies and niches are also themed with sharp coupons, and the architectural style and structural techniques form an organic whole.

Classical Gothic Architecture in European Countries

165438+ Gothic architecture first rose in France in the second half of the 20th century. At that time, some churches in France had already appeared the rudiment of ribbed vault and flying crib. It is generally believed that the first truly Gothic church was Saint Denis's church in the suburbs of Paris. The four-corner coupon of this church skillfully solved the problem of rib arch structure between arches, and was matched with a large area of stained glass windows, which was imitated by many churches in the future.

Although the plane of the French Gothic church is a Latin cross, its flanks rarely stand out. The west is the main entrance, the East Ring Hall has a circular corridor, and many small worship rooms are arranged radially. Inside the church, especially in the central hall, towering into the sky, large pieces of stained glass. Its appearance is marked by many large and small minarets and minarets, and some tall bell towers in the west also have minarets. There is a very high steeple on the roof where the two planes meet, and there are exquisite spires on the buttresses and battlements. The windows are thin and high, and the whole church has a strong sense of upward movement, and the sculptures are extremely rich.

The west facade is the focus of the building. The typical composition is: a pair of tall bell towers on both sides, horizontally connected by a horizontal coupon gallery below, and the three gates are perspective doors composed of sharp coupons retreating step by step, and the coupons are covered with statues. There is a big circle above the main entrance, called Rose Window, which is beautifully carved. Notre Dame de Paris is a masterpiece of early Gothic churches in France.

Amiens Cathedral is a masterpiece of French Gothic architecture in its heyday. It is 1.37 meters long and 46 meters wide, with few side wings protruding. At the eastern end, seven small worship rooms are arranged radially in the rotunda. The central hall is15m wide and the vault is 43m high. The arch surface of the middle hall is rectangular, and each room adopts a cross vault, which corresponds to the vault of the side hall. The column is no longer round, and four thin columns are connected to one column to form a bundle column. The thin column is connected with the momentum of the upper coupon rib to enhance the upward momentum. The interior of the church is covered with a stained glass universe, and the walls are almost invisible. The exterior of the church is beautifully carved and magnificent. This church is a symbol of the maturity of Gothic architecture.

The famous churches in the heyday of France are Lance Cathedral and chartres Cathedral, which, together with Amiens Cathedral and Beauvais Cathedral, are called the four Gothic churches in France. Strasbourg Cathedral is also famous, with its minaret as high as 142 meters.

After the Hundred Years' War, few churches were built in France in the14th century. By the time Gothic architecture was revived, it had reached the period of flame pattern, and this style was named after the shape of the flame in Zhou State. Architectural decoration tends to be "fluid" and complicated. Beams and columns often have no stigma, and many thin columns reach the vault from the ground and become ribs. Decorative ribs appeared on the vault, and the rib frame became star-shaped or other complicated forms. Large churches were rarely built at that time. This style often appears in the expansion or reconstruction of cathedrals and in relatively small new churches.

France has a large number of secular buildings in the Gothic period, which is very different from the structure and form of Gothic churches. Due to years of war, the city is very defensive. Castles are mostly built on high ground, with thick stone walls, many bunkers and rigorous appearance. However, the city wall restricts the development of the city, and the city is noisy and crowded, with poor living conditions. Multi-storey residential buildings are close to both sides of narrow streets, gables street. The second floor begins to rise to expand space, and the first floor is usually a workshop or shop. Most of the structures are wooden frames, which are often exposed to form exquisite patterns, which is quite interesting. A rich man's mansion, town hall, trade association, etc. Most of them are built with bricks and stones, and many decorative techniques of Gothic churches are used.

Gothic architecture in Britain appeared a little later than that in France and was popular in12 ~16th century. Unlike the French church, the English church does not stand in the crowded city center, but strives to be tall and control the city. On the contrary, it is often located in an open rural environment. As a part of the complex monastery complex, it is relatively low and extends along the direction of water flow with the monastery. They don't pay attention to structural technology like French churches, but their decorations are more free and diverse. The construction period of English churches is generally very long, during which it is difficult to find a unified overall style.

Salisbury Cathedral in England and Amiens Cathedral in France were built at the same time. The central hall is short and deep, with a side hall on each side, and the transverse wing is prominent, and the rear transverse wing is short, which can accommodate more priests. This is a common layout technique in Britain. The facade of the church is also in the west. The eastern end mostly ends with a square hall, and the ring hall is rarely used. Although Salisbury Church has flying buttresses, it is not remarkable.

The steeple of the English church at the plane intersection is often very high and becomes the center of composition, while the bell tower in the west is in a secondary position. The central minaret of Salisbury Church is about 1.23 meters high, which is the tallest in the English church. The appearance of this church has British characteristics, but the interior is still French style and the decoration is simple. Later, there was a strong English style inside the church. The west window of York Church has complex flowers, and the window lattice is composed of many curves and vivid patterns. During this period, the arch ribs were rich, and the arch ribs of Exeter Church were as strong as the branches of a big tree, and were also composed of many columns.

There are huge windows at the eastern end of Gloucester Church and the western part of Canterbury Church, which are separated by many straight windows. Windows are flat four-heart coupons at most. The slender ribs are stretched and coiled, which is extremely gorgeous. The vault of King's Chapel in Cambridge is like many open fans, called fan arches. The vault of henry vii Chapel in Westminster Abbey is decorated with many drooping funnel-shaped flowers, which is very ingenious. At this time, the rib frame has lost its structural function and has become the object of superb skills of British craftsmen. A large number of small rural churches in Britain are very simple and friendly, often with one tower and various exquisite wooden frames, which are very distinctive.

The achievements of secular architecture in Gothic England are very high. In the early days when Gothic architecture prevailed, the castles of feudal lords were very defensive, with thick walls, many towers and bunkers, and high nuclear castles in the walls. /kloc-after the 0/5th century, the royal power was further consolidated, and the outer wall of the castle was opened with windows, giving more consideration to the comfort of living. The semi-wooden houses of British residents are framed by wooden columns and wooden crossbars, decorated with decorative patterns, and the dark wooden beams, columns and white walls alternate with each other, which is very lively.

Cologne Cathedral is one of the earliest Gothic churches in Germany, which was built in 1248. It was designed by the French who built Amiens Cathedral and has the style of Gothic Church in the heyday of France. Music scenes and temples are similar to Amiens Cathedral. Its central hall is 46 meters high, second only to the main church in Beauvais, France. The twin towers in the west are 152 meters high, which is very spectacular.

The German church formed its own form and characteristics very early. Its middle hall is as high as the side hall, without high side windows and flying arches, and it relies entirely on the thin windows on the outer wall of the side hall for lighting. Above the vault is an integral steep slope roof with a multi-column hall inside. There are two towers in the west of St. Elizabeth's church in Marburg, which are the representatives of this kind of church.

There is also a Gothic church in Germany, but there is a tall bell tower in front of it. A famous example is Ulm Cathedral. Its bell tower is as high as 16 1 m, which controls the composition of the whole building and can be described as a spectacle in medieval church architecture. Brick churches are very popular in northern Europe, and there are also many brick Gothic churches in northern Germany.

/kloc-After 0/5th century, the stone-making technology in Germany reached a peak. The stone carving window lattice is exquisite and exquisite. Sometimes two layers of stone carvings with different patterns overlap and are beautifully carved. There are also many exquisite masterpieces in the decorative sketches of the interior of the building.

During the German Gothic period, secular buildings were mostly masonry structures. The double-slope roof is steep, and there are attics or even multi-storey attics. There are layers of windows on the roof and gables, and light wooden windows, balconies or niches are often picked out on the walls, which have distinctive appearances.

Gothic architecture in Italy was introduced from abroad in the12nd century, mainly affecting the northern region. Italy does not really accept the structural system and modeling principles of Gothic architecture, but regards it as a decorative style, so it is extremely difficult to find a "pure" Gothic church here.

The Italian church does not emphasize the sense of height and verticality, and there is no bell tower in the front, but the composition is made of screen gables. The roof is relatively flat, the windows are not big, and tip coupons and semi-circular coupons are often used together. Flying buttresses are extremely rare, and the carving and decoration have obvious Roman classical style.

Siena Cathedral uses rib coupons, but the vault is a little sharp, and the others are semicircular. Viateau Cathedral is still the roof of the wooden house. The facades of the two churches are similar, and the overall composition is the development of screen gables, with three peaks in the middle and two sides. Although the exterior is decorated with many Gothic spires and piers, the large round windows on the flat wall and the continuous coupon gallery are still the inherent style of the Italian church.

The most famous Gothic church in Italy is Milan Cathedral, which is one of the largest churches in medieval Europe. Construction of 14 began in 1980s, and it was not completed until the beginning of 19. The interior of the church is separated by four rows of huge columns with a width of 49 meters. The middle hall is about 45 meters high, and the intersection of the horizontal wing and the middle hall is more than 65 meters high, with an octagonal lighting pavilion above it. The middle hall is rarely higher than the side hall, and the side high window is very small. The interior is dark, and the exterior of the building is dazzling white marble. The tall flower windows, the upright buttresses and the minaret of 135 all show upward momentum, and the statue at the top of the tower seems to be about to soar. The front of the west is an Italian gable, which is decorated with many Gothic spires. But its doors and windows have the style of the late Renaissance.

In addition, during this period, Italian cities made great achievements in secular architecture, especially in many rich cities and countries, where many famous municipal buildings and luxury houses were built. The city hall is generally located in the central square of the city, with heavy stone walls and seriousness; Many of them are equipped with tall and thin bell towers, which are rich in architectural composition and become the symbol of the square. There are many tall towers in the city, and the overall outline is beautiful.

There are many masterpieces in Venice's secular architecture. The Governor's Mansion in St. Kyle Square is recognized as one of the most beautiful works in medieval secular architecture. The facade adopts a continuous Gothic pointed coupon and a coupon gallery with flame patterns, with unique composition and bright colors. Venice also has many palaces with Gothic colonnades, which face the water and are very elegant.

baroque architecture

Baroque architecture is an architectural and decorative style developed on the basis of Italian Renaissance architecture in 17 ~ 18 century. It is characterized by free appearance, dynamic pursuit, rich decoration and sculpture, strong color, and commonly used curved surface and oval space.

The original meaning of the word baroque is grotesque, and classicists use it to refer to this architectural style that is considered to be deviant. This style has played an important role in opposing rigid classical forms, pursuing free and unrestrained styles and expressing secular interests, and has influenced city squares, garden art and even literary and art departments. It was once popular in Europe.

The Jesuit church in Rome, designed by the famous Italian architect and architectural theorist Vignola in the late Renaissance, is a masterpiece of the transition from technicalism to baroque style, and some people call it the first baroque building.

Handicraft is an artistic style in Europe in the late16th century. Its main feature is the pursuit of weird and unusual effects, such as expressing space in a deformed and uncoordinated way and expressing characters in an exaggerated slender proportion. In the history of architecture, it refers to the tendency of early baroque style in the works of some Italian architects from 1530 to 1600.

The Jesuit church in Rome has a rectangular plane with a shrine at the end, which evolved from the Latin cross used in Gothic churches. The central hall is wide, and the vault is covered with statues and decorations. Two rows of small prayer rooms were used on both sides to replace the original side porch. A dome rises in the middle of the cross. The altar of the church is richly decorated and free, and the mountain flowers on it break through the classical French style, making icons and decorating the lights. The facade of the church draws lessons from the treatment method of Santa Maria, a small Florence church designed by Alberti, an architect in the early Renaissance. The eaves and mountain flowers above the main entrance are made into overlapping arcs and triangles, and inclined columns and flat pilasters are used on both sides of the main entrance. There are two pairs of large scrolls on both sides of the upper part of the front. These therapies were unique and were widely imitated later.

Baroque style broke the blind worship of Vitruvius, an ancient Roman architectural theorist, and also broke through all kinds of rules and regulations formulated by classicists in the late Renaissance, reflecting the secular thought of yearning for freedom. On the other hand, the baroque church is magnificent, which can create a very strong mysterious atmosphere and meet the requirements of the Catholic church to show off its wealth and pursue mystery. Therefore, Baroque architecture originated in Rome and soon spread all over Europe, even as far away as America. Some baroque buildings pursue luxury and verve too much, even to the point of being bulky and piled up.

Since 1930s, the wealth of Italian churches has been increasing day by day, and all parishes have built their own baroque churches. Because of its small scale, it is not suitable to use Latin cross plane, so it is mostly changed to single-space halls such as round, oval, plum blossom and round petal cross, and curved surfaces are widely used in modeling.

A typical example is the church of San Carlo in Rome, which was designed by Borromini. Its temple plane is approximately olive-shaped, and there are some irregular small prayer rooms around it; There is also a living courtyard. The hall plane and ceiling decoration emphasize dynamic curve, the vertical mountain flowers are disconnected, the cornice is horizontally bent, the wall is concave and convex, and the decoration is rich, which has a strong light and shadow effect. Although the design technique is skillful, it is inevitable that there is a feeling of affectation. /kloc-after the middle of the 0/7th century, baroque churches became popular in Italy. There are many novel and original works, but there are also buildings with poor technology and excessive stacking.

In order to show off the wealth of papal countries to pilgrims, the papal authorities built wide avenues and magnificent squares in Rome, which opened up a new road for the free and unrestrained style of Baroque.

Roman Polo Square, built by Roman architect fontana in the17th century, is the intersection of three radial main roads, with an obelisk in the center and statues and green belts around it. There are two symmetrical churches with the same style between the radial main roads. This square is open and unrestrained, and many European countries are scrambling to follow suit. France built a radial square in front of Versailles Palace, and Russia built a radial square in front of the Admiralty Building in Petersburg. The square in front of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome was designed by bernini, an outstanding baroque architect and sculptor, and is surrounded by the Tuscan colonnade in Rome. The whole layout is bold and dynamic, and the light and shadow effect is strong.

Baroque architectural style is also very popular in some countries in Central Europe, especially Germany and Austria. /kloc-in the second half of the 0/7th century, many German architects combined Italian Baroque architectural style with German national architectural style after returning from studying in Italy. By the first half of18th century, German Baroque architecture had become a wonderful work in the history of European architecture.

Baroque church in Germany is simple and elegant in appearance, soft in shape, less in decoration, dry and flat in exterior wall, and in harmony with the natural environment. The interior decoration of the church is very gorgeous, which creates a strong contrast between the inside and the outside. Famous examples are the Fourteen Saints Pilgrimage Church in the suburbs of Bamberg and Abbey Church in Roche.

The layout of the pilgrimage church of the Fourteenth Saints is very novel. The main hall and shrine are made into three continuous ellipses, and the arched ceiling echoes this. The interior of the church is covered with all kinds of plant-like decorative patterns made of lime mud, which is magnificent. The appearance of the church is relatively dull, with a pair of towers on the front, dotted with soft curves and full of intimacy.

The appearance of Roche Abbey Church is also very simple, and the interior decoration is also very exquisite, especially the ceiling above the shrine is covered with flying angels carved with white marble, and in the middle of the shrine is a group sculpture composed of the Virgin and two angels; Below the shrine is a group of statues of saints with different expressions.

Austrian baroque architectural style was mainly imported from Germany. /kloc-In the first half of the 8th century, many famous buildings in Austria were designed by German architects. For example, the Shubelen Palace in Vienna is a serious classical architectural form, while the interior hall is Italian Baroque style. All the pillars in the hall are carved into human shapes, and the pillars and vaults are covered with relief decoration, which is the product of the combination of baroque style and classical style.

It rose in the middle of17th century, with free and unrestrained style and complex and changeable modeling, but some architectural decorations were piled up too much. Santiago Cathedral in Spain is a typical example of architecture in this period.

"Byzantium" was originally a castle in ancient Greece. In 395 AD, the once famous Roman Empire was split into two countries. At that time, the capital of West Rome was still in Rome, while the capital of East Rome was moved to Byzantium, and its country was called Byzantine Empire. Byzantine architecture is the architectural culture of Byzantine Empire born in this period.

Historically, Byzantine architecture developed on the basis of inheriting the architectural culture of ancient Rome. At the same time, due to the geographical relationship, it absorbed the eastern culture of Persia, the two river basins and Syria, and formed its own architectural style, which had a positive impact on the later Russian church architecture and Islamic mosque architecture.

The characteristics of Byzantine architecture mainly include four aspects: the first aspect is the roof modeling, and the "dome" is widely used. The second feature is that the overall modeling center is prominent. In general Byzantine architecture, the center of architectural composition is often very prominent. The tall and large dome often becomes the center of the whole building. Around this central part, some small parts are often arranged in an orderly manner. The third feature is that it creates the structural method of supporting the dome on independent square columns and the corresponding centralized architectural modeling. Its typical practice is to distribute coupons on the four sides of a square plane, and build a dome with diagonal diameter between four coupons, as if a complete dome was cut by distributing coupons on four sides, and its weight was completely borne by four coupons, thus making the internal space extremely free. The fourth feature is that in the use of color, it pays attention to both change and unity, making the internal space and external facade of the building look dazzling.

Hagia Sophia

The whole plane of the church is a huge rectangle. From the external shape, it is a typical centralized building centered on the dome hall. Structurally, it has a complex and organized structural stress system. From the internal space, the church not only introduces natural light into the church through a circle of 40 small windows arranged at the lower part of the big dome, making the whole space erratic, light and magical, increasing the religious atmosphere, but also further creating an artistic atmosphere with the help of the color language of the building. The doors and windows of the hall are colored. Columns and interior walls are made of colored marble such as white, green, black and red. The pillars are green, the capitals are white, and some places are inlaid with gold. The dome is covered with blue and gold glass mosaics. These colorful colors complement each other, are rich and diverse, live in harmony, and are unified in an overall artistic conception: sacred, noble and rich. Therefore, making full use of the color language of architecture to create artistic conception effectively shows the charm of Byzantine architecture. This building has naturally become a dazzling masterpiece in the history of medieval and even human architecture.