Justinian's Constantinople

Saints Sergius and Bacchus, c.527-536

The Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus was dedicated to two physician saints. It is a double-shelled octagon with gallery in form, and probably was the inspiration for Ravenna's San Vitale. The deep apse gives the structure an axial form, despite the central dome. On a smaller scale, then, it is similar to Hagia Sophia, though the axiality in Hagia Sophia is reinforced by the flat walls that create a clear nave. The undulations in these walls create a less clear sense of space, perhaps more mystical. 

 
Hagia Eirene, begun 532   Lowden, pp. 159-60
The original church of Constantine's time was burnt down in the Nika riots. Rebuilt under Justinian, it was damaged and remodeled in the 740s. The centrl dome rests on deep transverse barrel vaults rather than arches, which adds stability and a more complex sense of space. Colonnades that flank the naos add a sense of axiality to what is essentially a cross in a square, which later becomes standard fir Orthodox churches. The cross in the apse conch relaced an earlier figure, which was removed during the iconoclastic period.

Church of the Holy Apostles, 536-550

The Church of the Holy Apostles (Apostoleion) was built by Constantine as his own mausoleum church, and a matryrium for relics of the 12 Apostles; his body was removed when the Apostles' relics arrived. Justinian's church was built on the site as a Greek cross with five domes and a double narthex. Similar patterns would be found at San Marco in Venice and St. John's, Ephesus. The church was destroyed in 1469 and replaced by a mosque.

 
 
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