César Alberto Luna Sandoval A00343746

Santa Sofia

The church that I chose was the Constantinople church, it´s name is Santa Sofia.
The church it has 4 poles around it, the thing that seemed estrange to me was that one of the poles is orange and the other ones are white, also it has a big blue dome on the top.
The sculpture rests in 4 big arches that at the same time are sustained by four pillars.



Inside it was beautiful made so the light would come so majesty and beautiful, it has a mosaic so they actualize realize the beauty that is inside.
It was a church until it was conquest by the Turkish people; it also was use as a shelter to may families during that event.
For me, this church is pretty spectacular, it so enormous it immediately captures your sight and your feelings, it doesn’t seem a big deal on the outside but when you look inside is very spectacular.

Frontage

The construction of the mosque began in August, 1609.
The front of the entry was constructed in the same way as that of Süleymaniye's Mosque, with the exception of the torrecillas of the domes of the corners. The court is almost so big as the ownproper mosque and is surrounded by a constant gallery .It possesses relies on space for the ablution in both sides. The hexagonal source fountain that one finds in the center is relatively small compared with the dimensions of the court. The monumental door of access to the court rises from the gallery. His semidome possesses a delicate structure in the shape of stalactites, crowned by a small dome nervada on a drum of great height.
Has several such as material elements brick and stone for exterior and interior coatings of mosaic, series of arches of half a point, classic column as support. The churche is very beautiful and interesting.

http://www.estambul-online.com/mezquita_azul.htm

Azul S G.
date:25/sep/09

Eduardo Urbina A00343804 "Dome"

Dome
It is mostly the dome which makes Hagia Sophia world famous. The dome sits at the centre of the church. It is between two half domes which together equals to the diameters of the dome. The dome is built by brick and mortar, it is 31, 24 mt (102 ft 6 in) diameters and is 55, 6 mt (182 ft 5 in) high. Because of the several repairs and constructions in time, the dome lost its circular shape and the diameter became 31,24 mt (102 ft 6 in) to 30,86 mt (101 ft 3in).

The dome is carried on four pendentives and these pendentives enable its transition into the square shape of its piers below. These pendentives distribute the weight of the dome to the walls under it.





Hagia Sophia is a great architectural beauty and an important monument both for Byzantine and for Ottoman Empires. Once a church, later a mosque, and now a museum at the Turkish Republic, Hagia Sophia has always been the precious of its time.

The mystical city Istanbul hosted many civilizations since centuries, of which Byzantium and Ottoman Empires were both the most famous ones. The city today carries the characteristics of these two different cultures and surely Hagia Sophia is a perfect synthesis where one can observe both Ottoman and Byzantium effects under one great dome.

http://www.hagiasophia.com/

Aldo (: A00343767 Notre Dame

Notre Dame is one of the most famous churches of all times, the exquisite gothic influence it has makes it a bit dark, but definetely a treat to the eye of those lucky enough to see it.

The Gargoyles perched on top of the church (see picture above) were there as a metaphor, protection of the holy church, plus the water spouts in them symbolize the capacity of taking evil spirits and "vibes" out of the temple. The tinted glass windows make a beautiful and sensual lighting inside the church, the play between colors is definitely a big plus in the whole Notre Dame experience.

The vaulted ceilings give the sensation of a lot more height than the one the church actually

possesses also the arches in the balconies, with the gothic moldings are definitely classy, sleek and elegant. The whole charm of this artistic current is the whole juxtaposition of details, it's a bit over the top but it's made in a way it still looks elegant and classy instead of the tadpole tacky it would in other situations.

Medieval architecture

Peace, trascendance, happiness, and many other different emotions and ideas are experienced when we observe these beautiful churches, these imponent yet protecting and inspiring buildings.

They are more than just buildings, and that is the reason they are still in our world being part of our history of our identity.

Today I am offering you two wonderful pictures, it was hard to choose, because none of the pictures that I could found get any close to the beauty of these constructions, so please, before posting make sure you visit many websites, look at many different books so you can appreciate different perspectives of each church.

Im just giving you a couple of hints... one is in Istanbul, it used to be in Constantinopla. The other one.... in Paris.

One is Catholic, the other is Orthodox. One is still a church, you can actually go to mass there, the other is nowadays a museum.

So, what do you have to do?

RESEARCH and POSTING.

You need to include the following:

Select one of the churches.

Offer to us, particular information on architecture or the visual arts inside or outside the church (you need to define the term you are explaining) and explain to us exactly where in the building we can see it).

Offer to us, particular information on the building history or context.

Tell us your opinion.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU DO NOT REPEAT INFORMATION THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN PROVIDED BY ONE OF YOUR CLASSMATES.

Please INCLUDE pictures whenever it is necessary.

Due: Friday night.

Enjoy this exercise!

Charlie.

Good job!

Marco, Mr. Martin, Paco, Alex and Aldo. Great comments. You show a particular "eye" for arts.
More information on the piece:

I am sending you the information provided by the Louvre, the museum where this piece is exhibited.

Originally it did have a head and arms. Here is the complete story:

"An original Greek statue probably destroyed by an earthquake, this work was found in countless pieces in 1863 on the island of Samothrace, in the northeast Aegean. The right wing is a plaster copy of the left wing, the only one to have survived. The cement base beneath its feet is also modern; the statue initially stood on the sculpted prow of the ship. It loomed out of a hilltop sanctuary at an angle, which explains why less attention was paid to carving the right-hand side. The Victory — “Nike” in Greek — is shown as if she were just alighting on the prow of the ship to which she is bringing divine favor. Discovered in 1950, her right hand enabled her original gesture to be restored: with her raised hand, she announces the coming event. Staged in spectacular fashion very much in keeping with Hellenistic taste, she could be seen from afar by ships approaching the island. The proportions, the rendering of the bodily forms, the manner in which the drapery flapping in the wind is handled, and the expansiveness of the highly theatrical gesture all bear witness to the search for realism in sculpture dating from this period.After examining certain stylistic details, scholars believe that this monument might be a votive offering from the Rhodians to thank the gods for a naval victory around 190 BC, but André Malraux was delighted with the accidental mutilation of this statue, which turned it into a timeless icon of Western art — “a masterpiece of destiny.”"The winged goddess of Victory standing on the prow of a ship overlooked the Sanctuary of the Great Gods on the island of Samothrace. This monument was probably an ex-voto offered by the people of Rhodes in commemoration of a naval victory in the early second century BC. The theatrical stance, vigorous movement, and billowing drapery of this Hellenistic sculpture are combined with references to the Classical period-prefiguring the baroque aestheticism of the Pergamene sculptors. ""This exceptional monument was unearthed in 1863 on the small island of Samothrace in the northwest Aegean. It was discovered by Charles Champoiseau, French Vice-Consul to Adrianople (Turkey). The goddess of Victory (Nike, in Greek) is shown in the form of a winged woman standing on the prow of a ship, braced against the strong wind blowing through her garments. With her right hand cupped around her mouth, she announced the event she was dedicated to commemorate. The colossal work was placed in a rock niche that had been dug into a hill; it overlooked the theater of the Sanctuary of the Great Gods. This niche may also have contained a pool filled with water in which the ship appeared to float. Given its placement, the work was meant to be viewed from the front left-hand side; this explains the disparity in sculpting technique, the right side of the body being much less detailed. The highly theatrical presentation-combined with the goddess's monumentality, wide wingspan, and the vigor of her forward-thrusting body-reinforces the reality of the scene. "

Marie-Bénédicte Astier. Louvre Museum Website. September 21, 2009.

http://www.louvre.fr/llv/activite/detail_parcours.jsp?CURRENT_LLV_PARCOURS%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198674098115&CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198674098163&CURRENT_LLV_CHEMINEMENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198674098163&bmLocale=en

There you go... start posting! You have lots of information and tools to do a better job this time.

Enjoy!

ps. you just need to make one comment this time.