History of Roman Architecture - Essay Example

The ancient Romans imposed a unique uniformity to every field of life and this can be clearly demonstrated by an examination of their sacred architecture; religious constructions were done not only to impress men but also to glorify deities (“Religious Roman Architecture”). Understandably, the architects; so inspired, exceled themselves and created countless architectural masterpieces, wherever the Roman rule was enforced in the world ranging from churches tombs to halls. In the same way, they copied many of the cultural practices and assimilated the knowledge of their Etruscan neighbors and ancestors; they modeled their temples after the early Greek from whom they borrowed many of their gods. They developed the existing architecture from a several other nation they conquered including Egypt and improved it with their knowledge so it could fit with their wealth and the rapidly expanding urban population. In the Ottoman Empire, there was also a distinct connection between the nature of architecture and the cultural and religious beliefs and in many ways; the architecture reflected the Islam faith (Saound 2). For instance, Sultan Suleyman designed a mosque that had rooms that were specifically designed to accommodate travelers and strangers, engendering some of the basic tenets of Islamic faith. This paper is aimed at discussing Roman and Ottoman architecture in the periods between the 4th and 17th century in relation the religious significance borne. The designers of the first Roman temples were priest who lead in the practice of rituals in the period around 600-800 BC, at this point, the Romans were not the great nation they were to later become and did not even have an empire. They would hold rituals aimed at the cultivation of Godly values, family and ordering the life of the society, the rituals would each get the formation of space deemed appropriate for them. With time, the priests would frame the space they needed for their rituals in the abstract; eventually, actual buildings were put up to contain the activities and this morphed into different temples; for different Gods and with different purposes. While Roman architects were expected to be practical in their work, beauty and grandeur were critical aspects of any construction commissioned especially for their Gods and Rulers. This is because the buildings were intended not only for the performance of public functions but also to impress not only the local but also visitors who would spread news of Rome’s grandeur. Gradually, the religious importance attached to Roman temples came to transcend the religions and the deities for whom they were constructed, retrospectively; Romans practiced a syncretic religion with many gods who had temples dedicated to them. However, when Rome became the headquarters or Christianity in general, and the Catholic Church in particular as it still is, many of the temples were turned into churches and still functional as such to date. One of the greatest works of Roman architecture was the Madison Carree, located in Nimes, France; it was built in the 16 BC, however in the 4th BC when Christianity had entrenched itself in Roman social fiber, it was converted into a church albeit having served as a temple for the early secular Gods. A discussion of Religious architecture, Roman or otherwise, would be incomplete without a mention of the Pantheon; it was and remains one of the most remarkable and well preserved architectural works from ancient Rome. Built in 126BC, it has served as a Roman catholic church since the 7th century; it is made up of a huge Circular portico and there Corinthian columns made of granite three ranks of huge granite Corinthian columns (Moser). Probably the most amazing aspect of the design is the fact that the at the top, the temple is there is a central circular opening known as the Oculus making the temple a huge tourist attraction is even more popular during the rainy weather. Then, visitors can watch the rainfall from the top of the building through the Oculus and drop through to the bottom creating a magnificent spectacle. The Romans used the arch and dome design as well as the use of concrete in the constructions of many of the temples and other secular structure that used more or less the same architectural design. The vaulted ceiling facilitated for the practical construction of massive public space such as baths and basilicas, the Pantheon and Diocletian baths respectively are examples of these (Craven 1). Roman architecture spread and through the world through military conquest, it continued to grow and change with time, it contributed to the gothic style in 12th century Europe that is characterized by pointed arches and common early European churches. Other characteristics of the Gothic period were the large windows and stained glass especially in church building as well as castles, creativity was pursued extensively with the introduction of petal shaped stones rose widows as well as designs such as the flying Buttress wherein walls sideway thrust was enclosed by delicate stone monofilaments. The gothic period was followed by the Renaissance that brought about the revival of early Greek works reflected in Roman architecture, it drew on the splendor and might of Italian courts and blended aspects of religion and religious forces (Beck). The Baroque period is often estimated to have coincided with the reign of the popes, Innocent X and Alexander VII, spanning from 1623 to 1667 who commissioned several architects such as Gianlorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini (Gascoigne 10). The triumph arch was a central part of many of the religious constructions and theorist have postulated it had a symbolical significance of power vested upon the resident gods and priests, during the Christian period, the symbol of power underwent radical transformation. It was associated with the power and triumph of Christ over death in the afterlife, the fact that many temples yet stand today is testimony of the durable nature of not only the materials, but also designs, which are still copied and reconstructed among modern architecture. The period between 16 and 19th century was known as the age of the dome which traditionally begun in the 2nd century in Rome in structures such as the Pantheon and the Santa Sofia in around the 6th century. Surprisingly, around the 16th 17th century both the Ottoman and Roman seem to independently develop new architectural marvels using domes, in Rome the Completion of the St peters which was an remains the largest cathedral in the world( Gascoigne 10). Correspondingly, in the Muslim world, as shall be examined presently; around the same time, Sultans were also increasingly designing mosques that had domes as the centerpieces. Muslim architecture, like Roman architecture, is very historically rich and bears significant connection to religious and domestic institutions; in such a manner that with close observation one discovers that the mosques and many houses are bear discernible similarities. However, prior to Ottoman influence, the Arab way of life and culture was on the verge of destruction; European Christian armies under the Spanish flag consistently attacked and annexed territory from the Arab world. However, the intervention of Ottoman and the subsequent unification of Muslim nations resulted in a newfound sense of stability and was a significant incentive for cultural artistic and architectural revival. One of the major architectural structures inherited from the Seljuk was a Hana; in1334 this was a building that contained a Mosque and a Madrassa school as well as mausoleum and then there was a hospital added later. With time, Sultans in the Ottoman Empire formed a tradition of building a Kulleye after a successful campaign as a way of thanking God and showing appreciation. It symbolized religious space and is indirectly compared to the way the Roman priest initiated the idea of religious space to accommodate their religious actions rituals. Early Mosques were the equivalent of Roman and what came to be Christian temples and churches; there were simply cast in a rectangular flat design with flat roofs surrounded by raised arcades and arches. Nevertheless, around the 14th century, these features slowly evolved the pillars were raised and this added to the space as well as stateliness, later adjustments were made on the roof with domes being adopted. Later mosques included the Yesil Cami also known as the Green Mosque founded by Mehmet I, 1403-1421: In addition to the mosque, there were baths a tomb and a madrassa, all under one roof dominated by domes roofing of the inner space. The title of green mosque is derived from the green tiles decorating the walls, In the Ottoman Empire, leaders were often competitive, and each tried to “out build” their predecessor by ensuring their mosque was bigger and more beautiful. This could explain why toward the 16th century, Bayzid II built a mosque where the main dome was so big it had to be supported by two other semi-domes. It also had a prayer hall and the domes were used to accommodate travelers; Muslims considered it their duty to care for travelers and strangers and they have adapted their architecture to accommodate their cultural and religious beliefs. In the mid-16th century, Suleyman the Magnificent came to power and at this point, the Ottoman Caliphate was at its zenith; he was able to annex extensive land in both Europe and Africa and thus accumulated immense wealth. He applied this to the development of architecture and achieved some of the greatest feats in architectural history not only in the Arab but also in the world at large; he had acquired considerable experience working with the corps in Janissary. In the Shezade mosque, 1544-1548, the dome described above is increased to the size of the prayer hall and instead of two, there were four domes flanking it four huge pillars and a prayer hall with stained glass. However, his masterpiece was the Suleymanye mosque, it was located strategically at the top of a hill called the golden horn, the main structure, which was the mosque, stood so high that it dominated the skyline of not only the landscape but the whole city of Sinan in general. The Sinan mosque was organized in such a way that the main dome stood at 48 meters and thus centrally raised allowing it to have a considerably brighter lighting as well as the most attractive decor. A remarkable aspect of the design was portrayed when the architect had to make allowances for the many challenges that were posed by the massive size of the mosque in relation to ventilation and lighting (Saound 6). Considering the potential for discomfort and destruction of the decoration by lamps that may have resulted from the fact that the mosque could hold so many people, the architect applied one of the earliest forms of environmental friendly architecture methods. Before constructing the mosque, the wind direction was carefully considered so that it could be used to guide air currents into the sizable dome mosque and help in the ventilation and circulation naturally. Later in the 17th century, the sultan of Ahmet commissioned the blue mosque and he continued with the dome shape design, much is borrowed from the Sinan Shehzade mosque with several additions such as ablution taps in the outer gallery. Ultimately, architecture in both Ottoman and Roman worlds was and remains a dynamic concept, with each passing generation or architects new lessons are learnt, and developments are made based on practicality or aesthetic competition. Today, the architecture remains relevant for not only historical but also didactic purposes, and much of what has been achieved in architecture was possible standing on the backs of retrospective architects. Works Cited Gascoigne, Bamber. “History of Architecture Art and architecture in Florence: AD 1411-1430” History World. n.d. Web.19 March 2013 Beck, H, James. “ Renaissance Art and Architecture; Introduction” Colorado.Edu. n.d. Web.19 March 2013 Craven, Jackie. “Architecture; The Pantheon in Rome” About.com. n.d. Web.19 March 2013 < http://architecture.about.com/od/domes/ss/Pantheon-In-Rome.htm> Moser, Claudia. "Eastern Religions in the Roman World". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2007. Web 19 March 2013. “Religious Roman Architecture; The History Of The Spanish Architecture.” Spanish Art. n.d. Web 19 March 2013.< http://www.spanisharts.com/arquitectura/i_roma_religiosos.html> Saound Rabah. “Muslim Architecture Under Ottoman Patronage. (1326-1924)” Foundation of Science Tradition and Civilization. 2004.Web PDF. 19 March 2013. Read More

 

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