Essentially Oriental character of Byzantine architecture
The Oriental love of splendour is shown in the piling up of domes and still more in facing the walls with slabs of marble,...
Koimesis or Dormitio in Nicaea
A type appearing more frequently is the domical church plan or the Greek-cross plan. The Koimesis, or Dormitio, in Nicaea (ninth century) has a...
Paul the Silentiary – the Magnificence of Hagia Sophia
Here are some short extracts from a famous encomium by Paul the Silentiary, in which he draws on the imagery of Hagia Sophia...
