San Vitale in Ravenna and Octogonal Churches in Late Antiquity
By (author) Mark J. Johnson
Hardback (Published)
(March 2018)
ISBN: 9783954902897
6.69 x 9.45 inches
Price: $147.00
In stock
This book represents the first complete study of the octagonal churches of Late Antiquity (ca. 300600 CE). Starting with the origins of the type found in small funerary chapels of the fourth century, the book examines the physical and literary evidence for 35 churches of the type, which saw its culmination in the construction of the church of San Vitale in Ravenna, dedicated in 547.
This book represents the first complete study of the octagonal churches of Late Antiquity (ca. 300-600 C.E.). Starting with the origins of the type found in small funerary chapels of the fourth century, the book examines the physical and literary evidence for 35 churches of the type, which saw its culmination in the construction of the church of San Vitale in Ravenna, dedicated in 547. Few of these buildings remain standing; several are known from nineteenth-century reports or more recent excavations and others are known only from literary sources that mention or describe them. The study demonstrates the relative rarity of the type in this period and notes that most of these churches served a funerary or martyrium function, marking the sites of the death or burials of certain Christian martyrs. A few were erected as memorial structures, marking important Christian sites such as the birthplace of Jesus Christ at Bethlehem and the House of Peter in Capernaum. The exception is the octagon at Antioch known as the Great Church appears to have functioned as the cathedral of that city, Numerous architectural drawings and color photographs illustrate the churches. During the sixth century, some of these churches were retrofitted to house regular liturgical services and the new churches of that century were designed to house both martyr shrines and the standard liturgy. Attention is also given to the design process of these buildings, noting that their octagons are usually based on diameters of numbers of feet divisible by ten and proportional schemes based on simple ratios such as 2:1, 3:2, and 5:3. The chapter on San Vitale demonstrates how its design was based on these simple ratios and identifies the unit of measurement used in its construction as the Byzantine foot. The book is intended for scholars and students of Byzantine and Late Antique architecture, as well as for those interested in larger questions of Architectural History, Byzantine history, material culture, and religion.
- By (author) Mark J. Johnson
Johnson has written a useful and quietly important study. Given the fact that the church has yet to be the subject of a proper architectual survey, his focus on typology has seized upon one of the few entrees into studying the building. In doing so, he offers the first comprehensive study of octagonal churches, thus establishing the lineage of San Vitale within the context of martyr shrines. (...) Although straightforward and, in some respects, obvious, these observations are important, as they bring a steady foundation and with it a much-needed clarity to the study of San Vitale, thus establishing the book as a springbook for future study.<br/><br/>Von: Sarah Bassett<br/>In: Speculum 94/4, Oktober 2019 <br/>-----------------------------------------------------<br/>Mark Johnson’s study of octagonal churches<br/>is an important addition to research on<br/>late antique and early Byzantine Christian architecture.<br/>Apart from tracing the evolution of<br/>the octagonal typology from its use in Roman<br/>funerary architecture to monumental churches<br/>built at the dawn of Byzantine civilisation,<br/>J. identifies a number of design and building<br/>principles that help answer long-standing questions<br/>regarding the dating and form of certain<br/>late antique sanctuaries.<br/>(...)<br/>Although brief, the analysis in the last<br/>chapter is useful. Succinctness, in fact, is a general<br/>characteristic of the book, with J. doing a<br/>great job of providing up-to-date introductions<br/>to thirty-five buildings in a short and highly<br/>readable text. The bibliography is essential<br/>rather than extensive. Nevertheless, the key<br/>studies are mentioned and, thus, the book represents<br/>a useful starting point for further<br/>studies on the specific buildings. J. gives GPS<br/>coordinates for the sites he discusses, a useful<br/>instrument that testifies to his attention to<br/>contemporary research tools. The volume is<br/>lavishly illustrated, containing numerous plans,<br/>drawings, as well as black and white and colour<br/>photographs, placed at the end. The format is<br/>functional, with the publisher using different<br/>kinds of paper for text and images, optimising<br/>the use of both. Indexes are not provided but<br/>the text is short and manageable, being divided<br/>into brief and clear sections. Finally, a number<br/>of typesetting errors are present, indicating<br/>that an additional review of the text would<br/>have been desirable. This, nevertheless, does<br/>not affect the readability or the accuracy of<br/>the text which through both content and<br/>clarity of form is likely to become a landmark<br/>in the study of late antique Christian architecture.<br/><br/>Von: Vladimir Ivanovici<br/>In: Jahrbuch für Antike und Christentum 61, 2018, S. 297f.
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Other Titles in this Series
Das Tafelbild aus der Kathedrale von Trogir
Kunsttechnologische Studien zur Tafelmalerei Dalmatiens des 13. Jahrhunderts
Byzantinische Malerei. Bildprogramme – Ikonographie – Stil
Symposion in Marburg vom 25. bis 29. Juli 1997
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz. Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst. Bestandskataloge. Band 1: Textilien aus Ägypten
Teil 1: Textilien aus dem Vorbesitz Theodor Graf, Carl Schmidt und dem Ägyptischen Museum Berlin
Byzanz, der Westen und das »wahre« Kreuz
Die Geschichte einer Reliquie und ihrer künstlerischen Fassung in Byzanz und im Abendland
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz. Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst. Bestandskataloge
Band 2: Werke der Alltagskultur. Teil 1: Menasampullen
Funktion und Nutzung der Krypta im Mittelalter
Heiligsprechung und Heiligenverehrung am Beispiel Italien
Kapitelle des 11.-13. Jahrhunderts im Veneto
als Nachgestaltungen antiker und spätantik/frühbyzantinischer Modelle und das „revival“ im Kirchenbau
Cilicia as Sacred Landscape in Late Antiquity
A Journey on the Trail of Apostles, Martyrs and Local Saints
Flankenräume im mittelbyzantinischen Kirchenbau
Zur Befundsicherung, Rekonstruktion und Bedeutung einer verschwundenen architektonischen Form in Konstantinopel
Die Christianisierung der spätrömischen Welt
Stadt, Land, Haus, Kirche und Kloster in frühchristlicher Zeit
Byzantinischer Schmuck des 9. bis frühen 13. Jahrhunderts
Untersuchungen zum metallenen dekorativen Körperschmuck der mittelbyzantinischen Zeit anhand datierter Funde
Paulinus Nolanus und die Basilica Nova in Cimitile / Nola
Studien zu einem zentralen Denkmal der spätantik-frühchristlichen Architektur
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