The Pantheon
Built by Hadrian in 118-128 CE, the Pantheon served as a temple to all of the Olympian gods. The building has the normal looking entry of a pediment upheld by Corinthian columns, but what set it apart was the circular part of the building that came right after the entry. Built completely of concrete, the engineers were able to construct a dome atop the rotunda, which became one of the main attractions of this temple. This dome was made so mathematically well, that for years after this and other domes like it were built, people forgot and could not figure out how to duplicate a dome such as the Pantheon’s dome. Although we can all see the Pantheon’s circular features today, it wasn’t that way when it was originally built. The enclosed courtyard around the Pantheon kept the circular shape concealed until people actually walked in and noticed the rotunda and dome. Inside, the floor level consists of more Corinthian columns, plus a few statues. The domed ceiling, which takes up most of the structure, extends high into the sky and is divided up into square coffers. At the very top is a circular oculus 29 ft. in diameter that exposes the inside of the temple to the outside elements. When the sun is shining, the bright, almost heavenly light from above, combined with the open space of the building, provides a feeling of being able to rise right out of the ceiling and up into the heavens.
The Church of Hagia Sophia
In 532-537 CE, Byzantine Emperor Justinian I ordered the construction of the Church of Hagia Sophia, meaning “The Church of Holy Wisdom,” in order to show his earthly power and promote Christian glory. This church combined central and longitudinal planning, with a circular structure in the center, and extensions on the sides that formed a more rectangular structure. This huge structure featured a dome in the center supported by four pendentives. The dome was by far the focal point of the whole church because of the feeling that the dome was almost floating, or held up by a string. Other features of the inside of the church were mosaics of saints and angels, and above the overshadowed altar was a painting of Christ on his thrown. The heavenly and spiritual feeling evoked from the “floating” dome was reinstated by the many clarestory windows that allowed the sunshine to shine throughout the church.
When Christianity began to take over Rome, the spirituality of the citizens and leaders was not the only thing that changed. The elaborate columns and sculptures that adorned the outside of Roman buildings began to be replaced by Christian churches that were less elaborate on the outside, but made up for it on the inside. The Christian churches completely did away with the columned porches seen on many Roman temples. The churches did, however, keep the idea of the dome and circular structures, which can be seen in both the Roman Pantheon and the Christian Church of Hagia Sophia. Although much of the inside of the Roman temples cannot be seen as they were when they were built, we do know that they included life-like yet idealized sculptures of rulers and deities. In the Christian churches, there were less sculptures seen, and most were very unproportional. The church walls were instead covered in mosaics or painting of Christ and saints that did not look quite as realistic as the art of the Romans had.
