Architecture and ritual in the churches of Constantinople : ninth to fifteenth centuries

This Book Examines The Interchange Of Architecture And Ritual In The Middle And Late Byzantine Churches Of Constantinople (ninth To Fifteenth Centuries). It Employs Archaeological And Archival Data, Hagiographic And Historical Sources, Liturgical Texts And Commentaries, And Monastic Typika And Testaments To Integrate The Architecture Of The Medieval Churches Of Constantinople With Liturgical And Extra-liturgical Practices And Their Continuously Evolving Social And Cultural Context. The Book Argues Against The Approach That Has Dominated Byzantine Studies: That Of Functional Determinism, The View That Architectural Form Always Follows Liturgical Function. Instead, Proceeding Chapter By Chapter Through The Spaces Of The Byzantine Church, It Investigates How Architecture Responded To The Exigencies Of The Rituals, And How Church Spaces Eventually Acquired New Uses. The Church Building Is Described In The Context Of The Culture And People Whose Needs It Was Continually Adapted To Serve. Rather Than Viewing Churches As Frozen In Time (usually The Time When The Last Brick Was Laid), This Study Argues That They Were Social Constructs And So Were Never Finished, But Continually Evolving-- Liturgical Ritual : The Shape And Development Of The Byzantine Rite -- The Sanctuary And The Templon -- The Naos -- The Narthex And The Exonarthex -- Subsidiary Spaces; Chapels, Outer Ambulatories, Outer Aisles, Crypts, Atria, And Related Spaces -- Non-liturgical Use Of Churches. Vasileios Marinis, The Institute Of Sacred Music, Yale University. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "This book examines the interchange of architecture and ritual in the Middle and Late Byzantine churches of Constantinople (ninth to fifteenth centuries). It employs archaeological and archival data, hagiographic and historical sources, liturgical texts and commentaries, and monastic typika and testaments to integrate the architecture of the medieval churches of Constantinople with liturgical and extra-liturgical practices and their continuously evolving social and cultural context. The book argues against the approach that has dominated Byzantine studies: that of functional determinism, the view that architectural form always follows liturgical function. Instead, proceeding chapter by chapter through the spaces of the Byzantine church, it investigates how architecture responded to the exigencies of the rituals, and how church spaces eventually acquired new uses. The church building is described in the context of the culture and people whose needs it was continually adapted to serve. Rather than viewing churches as frozen in time (usually the time when the last brick was laid), this study argues that they were social constructs and so were never finished, but continually evolving"-- Provided by publisher List of Illustrations ix Acknowledgments xv Map of Churches xvii INTRODUCTION 1 1. LITURGICAL RITUAL: THE SHAPE AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE BYZANTINE RITE 10 2. THE SANCTUARY AND THE TEMPLON 25 3. THE NAOS 49 4. THE NARTHEX AND THE EXONARTHEX 64 5. SUBSIDIARY SPACES: CHAPELS, OUTER AMBULATORIES, OUTER AISLES, CRYPTS, ATRIA, AND RELATED SPACES 77 6. NONLITURGICAL USE OF CHURCHES 100 CONCLUSION 114 Appendix: Catalogue of Churches 119 Glossary of Terms 209 Bibliography 211 Index 235