Courses of Study 2013-2014 
    
    Mar 29, 2024  
Courses of Study 2013-2014 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

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ARTH 6351 - Problems in Byzantine Art

(crosslisted)
(also CLASS 7752 , MEDVL 6351 , NES 6351 , RELST 6351 , VISST 6351 )
Spring. 4 credits.

Co-meets with ARTH 4351 /CLASS 4752 /MEDVL 4351 /NES 4351 /RELST 4351 /VISST 4351 .

B. Anderson.

Topic for Spring 2014: Hagia Sophia.

The “Church of Holy Wisdom,” cathedral of Constantinople, was built anew under the Byzantine Emperor Justinian and dedicated in 537. The structure, which still stands at the heart of Istanbul, was the crowning glory of ancient architecture, a marvel of the engineer’s art and a space of indescribable beauty. Byzantines believed that an angel had revealed its design, and the conversion of the Russians to Christianity was attributed to the awe that it inspired. Following the Ottoman conquest, the church became a mosque, and by the seventeenth century it was said that the Prophet himself had aided in the construction of its dome. A museum since 1934, today the Hagia Sophia continues to be an object of desire and center of conflict. We will consider its place in the history of ancient architecture, its central role in Orthodox liturgy and Byzantine ceremonial, its significance for Ottoman culture and Muslim practice, its entry into the modern canon of masterpieces of world architecture, and the very current controversies surrounding its proper function.



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