ARCHITECTURE. 137 
triple arches, resting on pairs:of columns and supporting the ceilings of the 
side buildings (ewedre), which, on account of the octagonal shape of the 
church, do not form regular aisles. From two of these exedree the sanctuary 
is approached through the arches GG. Over the exedre are the galleries, 
which again are bounded by columns resting on the lower ones. In the 
- construction of the cupola (jig. 4) great lightness has been attained by the 
use of earthen vases (amphore, jig. 46), in rearing the vault. They are 
placed vertically over, or rather in, each other, the points of the upper ones 
being placed in the necks of those in the row below. This arrangement 
is continued to the top of the windows. From thence upwards they are 
- placed horizontally in a continuous spiral line to the top of the dome, which 
is surmounted by a light framework supporting the sloping roof. The 
interior of the church is rich in decorative sculpture and painting. The 
columns are peculiar for having no bases, whilst their capitals (figs. 6, 7) 
are formed by two truncated reversed pyramids placed one above the other 
and having decorated faces. On several of them occur the cyphers of the 
Bishop Neo and of the Treasurer Julian. 
Pi. 29, fig. 19, represents the ground plan of the mosque Achmed, in 
Eeaciintmople, sniping a ea, application of columns and domes both 
in the interior of the building and on its different outer walls, as well as in 
the spacious fore-court. When the Byzantine style came more generally 
into use in the west it experienced some important changes. A greater 
simplicity was introduced in the ground plan, and the front was made to 
terminate in a triangular roof, sloping on both sides. This was not a gable 
proper, as no cornice separated the main wall from its top, forming the 
regular gable field. The church of Trani, in the kingdom of Naples ( ae 28, 
jig. 16), exhibits this arrangement, with the variation of having two fae 
dinate lower roofs in the same style. At the same time it is a fair example 
of the meagreness with which the fronts were decorated in the 11th century. 
On the other hand, this was the period of the introduction of towers in the 
construction of churches. The church of Trani has probably the oldest 
known tower. It is very simple, and like the towers of that time generally, 
much less high than those of the subsequent German style. This church 
may, however, be regarded as the connecting link between the Byzantine 
and German styles, as it exhibits both round and pointed arches. 
Pisa contains three remarkable buildings in the Byzantine style: the 
cathedral, the leaning tower, and the baptistery. The last was not built 
before the twelfth century, and therefore belongs to another period of archi- 
tecture; but being strictly in the Byzantine style, we include it here. It 
is a circular building of white marble, 115 feet in diameter, and 172 feet 
high. Three steps surround it, supporting twenty rather tasteless columns 
in three-fourth outline on pedestals. They have capitals with the Roman 
combination of volutes and foliation, and below them the necks have still 
other foliated ornaments. The shafts stand 2} diameters apart, and are 
connected by elliptical arches, on which rests a poorly moulded entablature 
supporting 60 columns, again connected by elliptical arches. High gables 
are placed on every pair of these arches. The gable fields are decorated 
137 
