Medieval and Manuscripts

9th-century Byzantine domes

Timber-roofed basilicas, which had been the standard form until the 6th century, would be displaced by domed churches from the 9th century onward. In the Middle Byzantine period (c. 843 – 1204), domes were normally built to emphasize separate functional spaces, rather than as the modular ceiling units they had been earlier. The cross-in-square plan, with a single dome at the crossing or five domes in a quincunx pattern, became widely popular in the Middle Byzantine period. Resting domes on circular or polygonal drums pierced with windows eventually became the standard style, with regional characteristics. A central image of Christ begins to be used in domes from the late 9th or early 10th centuries, although it is not described as an image of Christ Pantocrator, instead being described as "he who oversees the earth, he who is governor of all, or he who is the universal king".

Also on this shelf

See also

• ▸Church of the Covenant (Boston)
• ▸Chlorocebus
• ▸Eastern Orthodox Church

Uncatalogued shelf

Text from Wikipedia; plate via Wikimedia Commons. Text CC BY-SA 4.0; plate freely licensed (see Commons). Source record. Images and catalogue data are reproduced from open-access collections.