Four Different Periods of Construction - Coursework Example

Discuss the relationship between the design of religious architecture and the interests and requirements of the religious tradition associated with it. The Great Mosque of Cordoba The mosque of Cordoba is considered a wonder from religious perspective by the Muslims and Christians. It is locally known as Mezquita Cathedral. It is built on the Visigothic site, which was the site for the early roman temple. The great mosque of Cordoba is considered to be a perfect example of the brilliant architecture by the Muslims. The architectural style of the mosque is based upon the pre-existing religious traditions. It is one of the oldest structures standing in all its glory from the time of Muslims ruler Al-Andalus in the 18th century. This place is important from the religious aspect because of its history which is related to the two important beliefs. The historians believe that there was a temple of a Roman God here where the mosque lies. The temple was converted into a church by invading Visigoths in Cordoba. After that it was converted into a mosque which was rebuilt by the descendants of Umayyads, the first Islamic dynasty to rule Damascus from 661 to 750. The building of the mosque was expanded over 200 years. It has a large hypostyle prayer hall, a country yard with a fountain present in it, a walkway which encircles the courtyard, minaret tower and a tapered bell tower (The Great Mosque of Cordoba). The focal point of the hypostyle prayer hall is the Mihrab. Mihrab is used in a mosque for the identification of the location of Mecca, where the Muslims face while praying. Above the Mihrab is a dazzling dome, built of crisscross ribs which results in pointed arches covered with gold. The Mihrab in the mosque is framed by an arch which has a large space behind it. It is one of the greatest Roman architectures. Sainte-Chapelle Sainte- chapelle is the most famous chapel present in Paris and was built in the 13th century. This was built by the order of Louis nine. It is considered to be the gem of the gothic architecture because of its unique fifteen glass windows and its rose window which forms red and blue walls of light. Sainte-chapelle is located in Ile de la Cite, which is in the centre of Paris. The idea behind the construction of this chapel was that King Louis wanted a place to house the crown of throne and the fragment of a true cross. He bought this from Byzantine Emperor Baldwin two by paying a very high price, about 4 times the cost which incurred to build this chapel. The design of Sainte-Chapelle was created by Pierre de Montreuil and was completed in the time span of six years. It is the perfect example of gothic architecture and is 36 meters long, 17 meter wide and 42.5 meters high. The upper chapel is an artistic master piece as it has stained glass windows and the statues of Jesus and his apostles. The stained glass occupies the area of about 600 square meters and two third part of the glass still belongs to the 13th century. The western window of the chapel was designed in the 15th century. It was removed twice from the chapel in the 19th and during the world war two in order to protect the chapel from harm. The lower part of the chapel belongs to the Virgin Mary and was reserved for the King and his mates. The design of the lower chapel is humble and sober as it includes a low vault ceiling painted to give the image of a sky. The arched columns are decorated with medallions which represent the apostles of Jesus Christ. The columns are also ornamented with fleur-de-lis. Orvieto Cathedral It is again one of the greatest achievements of the gothic architecture. There are very few buildings in the world which have such well balanced and harmonious architecture as this place. Orvieto is considered an important place from historical as well as religious point of view. This is because five popes left Rome and lived here at Orvieto from 1261-1304. This place provided safety from the clashes taking place in Rome at that time. The residing of popes at this place was the main reason for the formation of Orvieto Cathedral. The building of the cathedral was designed by a chief engineer named Lorenzo Maitani. He redesigned the building again to improve its structural integrity. Maitani has used the principles of golden ration while constructing the design of the building. Maitani died in 1330 and most of the structural work was completed by then. His son was made the in charge in his place. Orvieto cathedral is built at the highest spot and its view open towards several streets present in the city. Despite of the fact that this place has a complex building history, still the composition portrays unity in its structure. The cathedral belongs to the Romanesque style but the art and the ornamentation present inside it belongs to the gothic architecture. The monumental façade is decorated with obscure gold mosaic. It is the master piece belonging to European art from the late period of middle age. Gold mosaics were replaced by the newer ones in the 18th and 19th with highly quality construction. The lower part of façade is not decorated with gold but with bas reliefs of high quality which depicts the scenes from the old testaments as well as the new testaments. The golden mosaic on the upper façade shows the scenes portraying the life of the Virgin Mary. The large rose window present in the cathedral is sumptuously ornamented. It was created by Orcagna from 1354-1380. The center part of the window has the face of Jesus sculpted on it. The interior of the cathedral is as ornamental as the exterior. It consists of spacious columns which are adorned with white and black lines. Most of the surface of the cathedral is covered with artistic frescos. The artistic details used in the cathedral represent the importance of art for the Romans. The two chapel of the cathedral (Cappella del Corporale and Cappella di San Brizio) contains art value which is of great importance to the world. Hagia Sophia Hagia Sophia is one of the greatest example as well as the master piece of the Byzantine architecture. It was considered the largest cathedral prior to the construction of Seville cathedral. Hagia Sophia was first a church, then a mosque and presently it is a museum at the Turkey republic. It is considered precious due to its historical background. In the construction of Hagia Sophia the Romans methods of constructions were applied. It was then modified by new designs and ornamental techniques. The new designs and techniques used in its construction were considered eastern but these techniques have said to be evolved from the Roman architecture itself. The interior surface of the cathedral is covered with the polychrome marble and gold mosaics which are encrusted upon its brick structure. It was built in an amazingly short period of time of about five years. The challenging design of the Hagia Sophia and the speed in its construction made this structure unstable, due to which its dome collapsed after an earthquake. It was rebuilt after its collapses in the 9th as well as the 14th century. The architecture of Hagia Sophia is rich in terms of its design and it has the richness of ornamentation. The walls from the top to bottom are covered with similar ornamentations and designs. The architecture of Hagia Sophia is an example for all the museum and mosque present in Turkey. Work Cited The Great Mosque of Cordoba. 2013. 24 March 2013 . Read More