Byzantine Revival architecture

Neo-Byzantine architecture (also referred to as Byzantine Revival) was a revival movement, most frequently seen in religious, institutional and public buildings. It incorporates elements of the Byzantine style associated with Eastern and Orthodox Christian architecture dating from the 5th through 11th centuries, notably that of Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) and the Exarchate of Ravenna.

Neo-Byzantine architecture emerged in the 1840s in Western Europe and peaked in the last quarter of the 19th century with the Sacré-Coeur Basilica in Paris, and with monumental works in the Russian Empire, and later Bulgaria. The Neo-Byzantine school was active in Yugoslavia in the interwar period.

List by country

German states

Earliest examples of emerging Byzantine-Romanesque architecture include the Alexander Nevsky Memorial Church, Potsdam, by Russian architect Vasily Stasov, and the Abbey of Saint Boniface, laid down by Ludwig I of Bavaria in 1835 and completed in 1840. The basilica followed the rules of 6th-century Ravenna architecture, although its corinthian order was a clear deviation from the historical Byzantine art. In 1876 Ludwig II of Bavaria commissioned Neo-Byzantine interiors of the externally Romanesque Neuschwanstein Castle, complete with mosaic images of Justinian I and Greek saints.

Danish architect Theophil Hansen became a supporter of the style in the 1850s. His major works belonged to the Neo-Grec and Neo-Renaissance style, however, Hansen as a professor of Byzantine art in the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna shaped a generation of architects that popularized Neo-Byzantine architecture in Austro-Hungary, Serbia and post-war Yugoslavia. Hansen's own Neo-Byzantine work includes the Arsenal in Vienna (1852—1856, with Ludwig Förster), the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Vienna (1856—1858) and the Christuskirche in Matzleindorf, Vienna (1858—1860).

Several Neo-Byzantine-style churches were constructed during the Gründerzeit, for instance, the Sacred Heart Church or the Rosary Basilica, both located in Berlin.

Serbia

Serbia's modern sacral architecture got its main impetus from the dynastic burial church in Oplenac which was commissioned by the Karađorđeviċ dynasty 1909. With the arrival of Russian émigré artists after the October Revolution, Belgrade's main governmental edifices were planned by eminent Russian architects trained in Russia. It was King Aleksandar I. who was the patron of the neobyzantine mouvement. Its main proponents were Aleksandar Deroko, Momir Korunović, , and Nikolay Krasnov. Their main contribution were the royal castles on Dedinje, the Church of Saint Sava and the St. Mark's Church in Belgrade. After the communist era ended, and Nebojša Popović were proponents of new tendencies in sacral architecture which used classic examples in the Byzantine tradition.

Russian Empire

Sophia Cathedral in Pushkin (1782–1788) was the earliest and isolated experiment with Byzantine treatment of otherwise neoclassical structures. In 1830s Nicholas I of Russia promoted the so-called ''Russo-Byzantine'' style of churches designed by Konstantin Thon. Nicholas I despised true Byzantine art; Thon's style in fact had little common with it. Notably, Thon routinely replaced the circular Byzantine arch with a keel-shaped gable, and the hemispherical Byzantine dome with an onion dome; layout and structural scheme of his churches clearly belonged to neoclassical standard.

True Byzantine art, popularized by Grigory Gagarin and David Grimm, was adopted by Alexander II of Russia as the de facto official style of the Orthodox Church. Byzantine architecture became a vehicle of Orthodox expansion on the frontiers of Empire (Congress Poland, Crimea, the Caucasus). However, few buildings were completed in the reign of Alexander II due to financial troubles. Alexander III changed state preference in favor of Russian Revival trend based on 16th-17th century Moscow and Yaroslavl tradition, yet Byzantine architecture remained a common choice, especially for large cathedrals. Neo-Byzantine cathedrals concentrated in the western provinces (Poland, Lithuania), the Army bases in Caucasus and Central Asia, the Cossack hosts and the industrial region in Urals around the city of Perm. Architects David Grimm and Vasily Kosyakov developed a unique national type of a single-dome Byzantine cathedral with four symmetrical pendentive apses that became de facto standard in 1880s-1890s.

The reign of Nicholas II was notable for the architect's turn from this standard back to Hagia Sophia legacy, peaking in the Naval Cathedral in Kronstadt and Poti cathedral. These designs employed reinforced concrete that allowed very fast construction schedule; their interiors contained clear references to contemporary Art Nouveau yet the exteriors were a clear homage to medieval Constantinople. Russian Neo-Byzantine tradition was terminated by the revolution of 1917 but was continued by emigrant architects in Yugoslavia and Harbin.

File:Морской Никольский собор в Кронштадте 2018.jpg, Naval Cathedral, Kronstadt
File:Saint Petersburg, Russia (33784600548).jpg, The Kazan church, Novodevichy Cemetery, St. Petersburg
File:Иоанновский монастырь.jpg, Ioannovsky Convent, St. Petersburg
File:Novosibirsk ANevsky Cathedral 07-2016 img1.jpg, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Novosibirsk
File:Novocherkassk Cathedral (2017).jpg, Novocherkassk Cathedral
File:Krestovosdvizenskiy sobor.JPG, St. Nicholas Monastery, Verkhoturye
File:Kharkov002.jpg, Annunciation Cathedral, Kharkiv
File:Sevastopol 04-14 img09 Vladimir Cathedral.jpg, St. Vladimir's Cathedral, Sevastopol
File:Церква Воскресіння Христового6.JPG, Foros Church
File:2014 Nowy Aton, Monaster Nowy Athos (06).jpg, New Athos Monastery, New Afon
File:St. Volodymyr's Cathedral in Kiev.jpg, St Volodymyr's Cathedral, Kyiv
File:Pareizticigo Kristus dzimšanas Rigas katedrale.jpeg, Nativity Cathedral, Riga
File:Kauno soboras. 2007-04-06.jpg, St. Michael the Archangel Church, Kaunas
File:Znamenskaya cerkov Vilnius.JPG, The church of the Theotokos Orans (Our Lady of the Sign), Vilnius
File:Cerkiew prawosławna w Białowieży 02.jpg, The Orthodox Church in Białowieża
File:Cerkiew Aleksandra Newskiego w Łodzi.jpg, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Łódź
File:Poti Cathedral (Photo A. Muhranoff, 2011)-1.jpg, Poti Cathedral
File:Alexander_Nevsky_Cathedral,_Tbilisi_(ტფილისის_სამხედრო_ტაძარი).jpg, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tiflis

France

A prominent example of Byzantine Revival architecture in France is the Basilica of Sacre-Coeur in Paris, built between 1875 and 1914, based on the original plan of Paul Abadie. It features five elongated domes on the exterior and an interior with mosaics and other art inspired by Byzantine art. Another well-known example is the Marseille Cathedral located in Marseille and built between 1852 and 1893.

United States

In the United States and elsewhere, the Neo-Byzantine style is often seen in vernacular amalgamations with other Medieval revivalist styles such as Romanesque and Gothic, or even with the Mission Revival or Spanish Colonial Revival styles.

Notable American examples include many buildings on the campus of Rice University in Texas, and Christ Church United Methodist in Manhattan by Ralph Adams Cram; Immaculate Conception Church in New Orleans, St. Francis de Sales Church in Philadelphia, Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis,and Saints Peter & Paul Orthodox Church, Buffalo, New York.

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a large Catholic minor basilica and national shrine located in Washington, D.C., United States of America.
The shrine is the largest Catholic church in North America, one of the largest churches in the world, and the tallest habitable building in Washington, D.C. Its construction of Byzantine Revival and Romanesque Revival architecture began on September 23, 1920, with renowned contractor John McShain and was completed on December 8, 2017, with the dedication and solemn blessing of the ''Trinity Dome'' mosaic on December 8, 2017, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, by Cardinal Donald William Wuerl.

Great Britain and Ireland

Westminster Cathedral (1895–1903), the Catholic cathedral in London, is the largest and most thorough British effort in the style, by John Francis Bentley (1839–1902), but there are a number of other churches and other buildings such as the Christ Church, Brixton Road, also in London, by Arthur Beresford Pite, 1897–1903, near The Oval cricket ground and St Mary and St George Church, High Wycombe, (1935-1938). From about 1850 to 1880 in Bristol a related style known as Bristol Byzantine was popular for industrial buildings which combined elements of the Byzantine style with Moorish architecture. Newman University Church, Dublin (1885–86) is a notable Irish example.

Gallery

File:Le sacre coeur.jpg, Basilica of Sacre-Coeur, Paris, (1875-1914)
Image:Westminster cathedral front.jpg, The Neo-Byzantine façade of Westminster Cathedral, London
Image:Alexander Nevsky church in Ganja 4.JPG, Alexander Nevsky Church, Ganja
Image:Trieste Serb-orthodox church of San-Spiridione3.jpg, Saint Spyridon Church, Trieste
Image:Throne room, Neuschwanstein Castle, Upper Bavaria, Germany-LCCN2002696256.jpg, Painting of the Neuschwanstein Castle Throne Room
File:Herz-Jesu-Kirche, Innenraum, Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg, 150806, ako.jpg, Interior of the Sacred Heart Church, Berlin
File:Cathedral-basilica-of-saint-louis.jpg, Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, St. Louis, United States
Image:St Francis de Sales (Philadelphia) 1.png, St. Francis de Sales Roman Catholic Church in Philadelphia, United States
Image:Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.jpg, Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington D.C., United States
Image:Temple of Saint Sava.jpg, Church of Saint Sava, Belgrade
Image:Leuchter hram svetog save.jpg, Interior of the Church of Saint Sava
File:Rosenkranz-Basilika, Berlin-Steglitz, 1706281230, ako.jpg, Interior of the Rosary Basilica, Berlin
File:Hram Svetog Đorđa na Oplencu.JPG, Oplenac Church-mausoleum, Topola
Image:Crkva Svetog Marka u Beogradu.jpg, St. Mark's Church, Belgrade
File:Orthodox Trinity Church in Sighişoara (Segesvár, Schäßburg).jpg, Holy Trinity Church, Sighișoara
File:Catedrala Metropolitana SB (3).jpg, Holy Trinity Cathedral, Sibiu
File:Auxiliadora.jpg, Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians, Lima
File:Templo de San Manuel y San Benito 11.jpg, Church of San Manuel y San Benito, Madrid
File:Banja Luka 78000, Bosnia and Herzegovina - panoramio.jpg, Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Banja Luka
File:Zgrada stare Telefonske centrale u Kosovskoj ulici, Beograd 01.jpg, Old Telephone Exchange, Belgrade
File:Christ Church U Meth Park Av 60 jeh.JPG, Christ Church United Methodist, New York City, United States
File:Hurva_31_May_2010.JPG, Hurva Synagogue, Jerusalem
File:German_Fountain.jpg, A historic photochrom print of the Fontaine Guillaume, which literally translates to "William (Wilhelm) Fountain", Istanbul
File:Church_of_St._Michael_and_St._Anthony.jpg, St. Michael and St. Anthony, Mile End, Montreal
File:Newman University Church Interior, Dublin, Ireland - Diliff.jpg, Interior of Church of Our Lady Seat of Wisdom, Dublin
Catedral Metropolitana Ortodoxa de São Paulo (cropped).jpg, Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral of São Paulo, São Paulo

See also

*Romanian Revival architecture – combines Byzantine Revival with Art Nouveau and others

References

External links

Russian Neo-Byzantine Architecture

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19th-century architecture
20th-century architecture

Revival architectural styles