Anamarie Perez
May 3, 2020
Spring 2020
Assignment #5
The Pantheon is a Roman temple that was built from 118-28CE. The Pantheon is most known for one of the most influential works in the Western architectural history. This temple was constructed in the reign of the emperor Hadrian. The entrance of the Pantheon consists of an enormous portico and twenty Corinthian columns. The portico is connected to the circular cella. The Pantheon was converted to Christian use. When standing in the middle of the cylindrical cella, the dome looks massive compared to the actual measurement. The interior part of the Pantheon is just a wide spatial area, where the dome outlines the exterior. There are many coffered squares on the interior part of the dome and there is a open circle in the middle of the dome so light can shine in the Pantheon. Overall, the Pantheon is structure that has influenced many other buildings.
The Hagia Sophia is one of the greatest masterpieces of the Byzantine architecture. The Hagia Sophia was built at Constantinople in Turkey from 532-537CE. The Hagia Sophia is a basilica with a central dome and semidomes at the front and rear of the building. In the interior of the Hagia Sophia, there is a linear space. There are two aisles on sides of the building and in the middle is a rectangular space. The central dome has a diameter of 107 feet, and it is supported on pendentives. The light shining in the Hagia Sophia comes from the many windows created at many levels. These windows created at many levels are set between the dome’s ribs and create an illusion of the dome being unsupported. The architects of this buildings designed the Hagia Sophia so it would rival the Pantheon. To conclude everything, the Hagia Sophia is similar to the Pantheon but they have their differences.
