By James JE. Nightingale, Esq. Ill 



them, the presbytery was removed from the apsis at its back to the 

 choir in front. All the examples and fragments of these early 

 ritual arrangements, which still exist in the venerable church of 

 San Clemente at Rome and elsewhere, are of richly worked marble, 

 very generally adorned with mosaics, partly of glass and partly of 

 precious marbles. The basilica, thus modified and adapted to 

 Christian worship, contained the germ of the Ecclesiastical archi- 

 tecture of all Christendom. 



Another style of Christian architecture, however, arose almost 

 simultaneously with the adoption of the Basilica at Rome. The 

 Emperor Constantine having transferred the seat of empire to By- 

 zantium, there immediately sprung into existence a new form, 

 which to this day is prevalent in the East. 



The Eastern Christians seemed to have taken the models of their 

 churches from the great domed halls of the public baths. Instead 

 of the long nave and transverse presbytery of the Roman basilica, 

 four naves or pillared avenues of equal length and breadth were 

 disposed at right angles to each other, so as to form the figure of a 

 cross ; a dome or cupola was raised in the centre, resting on four 

 pier masses ; and in the more sumptuous Byzantine churches, 

 smaller cupolas were reared at the extremities of the four limbs of 

 the cross. 



Another peculiarity consisted in the squareness of their build- 

 ings ; they did not delight in vistas ; the exteriors were imposing 

 only from the numerous domes which formed the roofs, and the 

 multitude of curves and semi- circular arches in every direction. 

 The capitals and columns of earlier buildings were used oftentimes 

 with incongruous effect ; and, where new capitals had to be re- 

 stored, no attempt was made to copy the classic examples. They 

 became little more than square blocks, tapered down to the shaft, 

 and decorated with foliage in low relief, or with a sort of basket- 

 work, peculiar to the style. 



The Mosque of Santa Sophia, at Constantinople, as rebuilt by 

 J ustinian, in the 6th century, may be considered the model of By- 

 zantine architecture. The church of San Yitale, at Ravenna, 

 also built by that Emperor, is interesting, as marking the first 



