a) All these churches are shaped in such a way as to accommodate the frequent communal rituals and ceremonies that they are built for. Their plans illustrate this. For example, Santa Sabina is an example of a long plan church. Long plan churches have a predominantly axial approach that encourages petitioners to progress through church in a straight line towards the focal point, the altar. This orderly progression through the church encourages solemnity and allows the visitors to experience the grandest part of the church. As for central plan churches like San Vitale, they accommodate communal ritual by allowing circumambulation around the central dome. This circular path allows pilgrims and other visitors to fully experience the elaborate decoration and shrines covering the walls of the arcade. The Hagia Sophia is a fusion of both a long plan and a central plan church. Its sheer size accommodates the thousands of people who could have participated in the ceremonies in it. Furthermore, the height of its dome evokes the grandeur of heaven and heightens the spiritual experience within it. Its plan allows for great mobility and the division of different groups on different spaces of varying spiritual importance. For example, a line of columns partitions the arcade from the central dome, allowing for a more sacred central area to be reserved for the religious and political leaders. All of the layouts of these buildings serve their need to accommodate communal ritual they because of their size and the paths they create along which people can move according to the religion they practice.
b) These buildings are also oriented in such a way that the viewers eyes are directed to certain focal points. For example, the church of Santa Sabine has a long nave leading to an apse at the far end. This break from strict symmetry makes it visually notable and a source of focus. The repetition of the pillars of the arcade guides the viewers eye down the nave and to the altar in the apse. In the case of central plan churches like San Vitale and (loosely) the Hagia Sophia, the eyes is drawn upwards to wards the roof of the central dome. The verticality of the pillars draws the eye upwards and towards the peak of the interior domed space. The entire form of the building culminates in the central dome, starting with a wide footprint and gradually tapering to a point. The place directly below the dome also is a primary focal point in a centrally planed church because it occupies the centre of the entire church, a place of great significance. Interior decoration also serves as a means of directing focus to certain areas of a churches interior. More ornate or opulent decoration often signifies a place of greater significance. Representations of important figures may also draw attention to a certain part of the churches interior. In short, lines of sight that point to intentional focal points in churches are most often created by the churches interior architecture and decoration.
c) The decoration within a sacred space speaks volumes about the believe of those who built it. For example, the decoration within the church of Santa Sabine represents the early Christians believe in the importance of a good internal character. The interior is clean and beautiful, compared to the graceless and unornamented exterior, representing the Christians preference of internal character than external beauty. Also, the use of pagan columns in the name indicate that they wanted to not scare people by taking such a dramatic step away from the old and still wanted to maintain their ties to the authority of Rome. The interior decoration of insdie the church of San Vitale and the Hagia Sophia represent the byzantine desire to portray religion in an otherworldly, surreal, mystical way. The use of carefully position gold tiles makes the interior mosaics glitter in an ethereal way. The subjects of the artworks, religious leaders as well as political ones, display the byzantine believe that the political leader is himself a spiritual one. Structures like the Hagia Sophia seem to float and appear to be structurally impossible. This lends them the same otherworldly appearance and paints religion as something mystical. It is clear that the interior decoration of these buildings intentionally represents the exact values of their respective religions.
b) These buildings are also oriented in such a way that the viewers eyes are directed to certain focal points. For example, the church of Santa Sabine has a long nave leading to an apse at the far end. This break from strict symmetry makes it visually notable and a source of focus. The repetition of the pillars of the arcade guides the viewers eye down the nave and to the altar in the apse. In the case of central plan churches like San Vitale and (loosely) the Hagia Sophia, the eyes is drawn upwards to wards the roof of the central dome. The verticality of the pillars draws the eye upwards and towards the peak of the interior domed space. The entire form of the building culminates in the central dome, starting with a wide footprint and gradually tapering to a point. The place directly below the dome also is a primary focal point in a centrally planed church because it occupies the centre of the entire church, a place of great significance. Interior decoration also serves as a means of directing focus to certain areas of a churches interior. More ornate or opulent decoration often signifies a place of greater significance. Representations of important figures may also draw attention to a certain part of the churches interior. In short, lines of sight that point to intentional focal points in churches are most often created by the churches interior architecture and decoration.
c) The decoration within a sacred space speaks volumes about the believe of those who built it. For example, the decoration within the church of Santa Sabine represents the early Christians believe in the importance of a good internal character. The interior is clean and beautiful, compared to the graceless and unornamented exterior, representing the Christians preference of internal character than external beauty. Also, the use of pagan columns in the name indicate that they wanted to not scare people by taking such a dramatic step away from the old and still wanted to maintain their ties to the authority of Rome. The interior decoration of insdie the church of San Vitale and the Hagia Sophia represent the byzantine desire to portray religion in an otherworldly, surreal, mystical way. The use of carefully position gold tiles makes the interior mosaics glitter in an ethereal way. The subjects of the artworks, religious leaders as well as political ones, display the byzantine believe that the political leader is himself a spiritual one. Structures like the Hagia Sophia seem to float and appear to be structurally impossible. This lends them the same otherworldly appearance and paints religion as something mystical. It is clear that the interior decoration of these buildings intentionally represents the exact values of their respective religions.