Comparing Religious Architecture

Comparing Religious Architecture

The three pieces of architecture I have chosen for this exercise are the Great Mosque of Cordoba in Cordoba, Spain, the San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, and the Orvieto Cathedral in Orvieto, Italy. I will describe each building, the reason I chose each one, and how it represents its religion. The Great Mosque of Cordoba is an Islamic Mosque, the San Vitale is an Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Orvieto Cathedral is a Catholic church.

My first architectural monument is the Great Mosque of Cordoba, which I chose simply for its beauty. Just looking at the pictures is mesmerizing and I could almost visualize myself there. I found it very hard to choose just three pictures to share with you. I also chose this Mosque because it had been expanded on three times by later rulers, but the basic formula of it was maintained in each addition (archnet.org, 2007). Cordoba was conquered by Ferdinand III King of Castile in 1236 C.E. and a decision was made in 1523 to build an entire Gothic chapel into the heart of the Great Mosque (archnet.org, witcombe.sbc.edu, 2007).

The Great Mosque of Cordoba was built during the reign of Abed al-Rahman I, who escaped from Syria to the Iberian Peninsula after his family was massacred by a rival political dynasty (archnet.org, 2007). Abed al-Rahman I founded a dynasty in Spain where Muslims were already established and chose Cordoba as his kingdom's capital. The Great Mosque of Cordoba began between 784-786 C.E. (islamicarchitecture.org, 2007). The Mosque "was built on a Visigothic site, which may have also been the site of an earlier Roman Temple" (archnet.org, 2007).

The Great Mosque of Cordoba's original prayer hall was about 260x138 feet, with 11 aisles arranged perpendicular to the Qibla wall. The center aisle is 26 meters wide, which is about 3 feet wider and slightly higher than the other aisles, which are 23 feet wide (Islamicarchitecture.com, 2007). This is called a directional type of mosque because of the emphasis that has been put on the center aisle. The prayer hall is one thing that makes this Mosque representative of the Islamic religion. However, it does not have a minaret, which is where the calls to prayer usually come from. Instead, "Arabic sources state that the calls to prayer were made from the tower of the government palace" (Islamicarchitecture.org, 2007).

The next architectural monument I will discuss is the San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy. This is an Eastern Orthodox Church and it was begun by Emperor Justinian 526-547 C.E. (Sporre, 2005). Emperor Justinian wanted to combine the East and West Empires and become the Roman Emperor. The San Vitale is actually built in a city that he conquered from the Western Empire. It was a major Justinian monument and "probably rose as a testament of the power of Orthodoxy in the declining kingdom of the Ostrogoths" (Sporre, 2005, p.193).

One of the most noticeable characteristics that you notice right away is the octagonal shape. Once inside you see that there are two floors and beautiful wall mosaics. The second floor of the ambulatory was reserved for women, which was a standard feature of Byzantine Churches. The narthex in this building sits at an odd angle. A narthex is a porch or vestibule of a church generally colonnaded or arcaded and preceding the nave, which is the central area where the congregation gathers (Sporre, 2005). The hemispherical dome is 100 feet above the floor. There are many windows which flood the interior with light, which was much different from earlier edifices (Sporre, 2005).

The final architectural monument I will discuss is the Orvieto Cathedral in Orvieto, Italy. This is a Catholic Church as mentioned before and it is of Gothic style. I chose this Church because I think that it is not only intriguing from the outside but on the inside as well. The frescoes, the statues, and the mosaics are just beautiful. There were many artists who were involved in making this Church the beautiful monument that it is.

This Church was begun in 1285 and has three naves. It was built on the site where earlier churches had been located (bluffon.edu, 2007). The lower portion of the faÐ"§ade, which is the front of the building, is covered with scenes from the Old and New Testaments. The upper portion is covered with both mosaics and statues of the Blessed Virgin, the Prophets, and the Apostles (newadvent.org, 2007). Both the interior and the exterior are adorned with sculptures, paintings, and frescoes. These works of art were done by a number of medieval sculptors and painters.

Each of the architectural monuments I have