Publisher's Synopsis
The book ""The Church of Sancta Sophia, Constantinople: A Study of Byzantine Building"" by W.R. Lethaby is a comprehensive study of the famous church of Sancta Sophia in Constantinople, which is considered to be one of the greatest architectural achievements of the Byzantine Empire. The book provides a detailed analysis of the building's design, construction, and historical significance, drawing on a wide range of sources including architectural drawings, historical records, and archaeological evidence. The author explores the various architectural features of the church, including its dome, arches, and decorative elements, and examines the ways in which these features reflect the cultural and religious values of the Byzantine Empire. The book also includes a discussion of the church's role in Byzantine society, as well as its later history and restoration. Overall, ""The Church of Sancta Sophia, Constantinople: A Study of Byzantine Building"" is an essential resource for anyone interested in the history of Byzantine architecture and the cultural legacy of the Byzantine Empire.1894. Sancta Sophia is the most interesting building on the world's surface. Like Karnak in Egypt, or the Athenian Parthenon, it is one of the four great pinnacles of architecture, but unlike them this is no ruin, nor does it belong to a past world of constructive ideas although it precedes by seven hundred years the fourth culmination of the building art in Chartres, Amiens, or Bourges, and thus must ever stand as the Supreme monument of the Christian cycle. The attempt here is some disentanglement of the history of the Church and an analysis of its design and construction; on the one hand, we have been led a step or two into the labyrinth of Constantinopolian topography, on the other, we have thought that the great Church offers the best point of view for the observation of the Byzantine theory of building.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
