Sacred Architecture and Art of Four Byzantine Capitals

The aim of this book is to depict the architecture and iconography of the significant churches built in one the four capitals of the Byzantine Empire over a period of about nine centuries. Capitals of the Byzantine Empire were Constantinople (today Istanbul) on the Bosporus the major capital city; Thessaloniki located in northern Greece the co-capital; Mystras in the central Peloponnese a medieval capital; and Mount Athos on a peninsula in northeast Greece still today the spiritual capital of Eastern Orthodox monasticism. The book is an invaluable visual and written account of sixty-nine Byzantine churches, nearly all visited by the author, richly illustrated with color photographs many full-page, a total of 391 in color out of the 476 illustrations in the book. The architecture and art of each church is depicted with an informative written description, a floor plan and visually by color photographs. Descriptions of those churches in Constantinople, in particular, are vital as nowadays they accessible only with great difficulty as they have been converted to mosques especially the famous Agia Sophia. Byzantine churches are exceptional as their architecture, art, and liturgy are integrated and imbued with symbolism, and they do so in so many different ways. The best have impressive architectural exteriors and striking iconographic interiors. These churches of the Empire’s capitals are most significant as they acted as models or prototypes, for those built elsewhere in the Byzantine world. It is remarkable that the Byzantine-style church has continued to be built even after the Byzantine Empire ceased to exist in Greek and Eastern Orthodox communities throughout the world to the present day. Author: Nicholas N. Patricios, PhD., is an architectural historian and Emeritus Professor and Dean of the School of Architecture, University of Miami. He is the author also of The Sacred Architecture of Byzantium: Art. Liturgy and Symbolism of Early Christian Churches. Read more