Monuments of the early church . ust be treated under this head. In thus employ-ing the dome to roof a hall of distinctly oblong proportions, itscentralizing influence was not ignored, — it was modified. Itwas modified by the one device which is conceivably applicableto the case : by supplementing the dome with two half-domes ofequal aperture at each end of the room. The two half-domes THE CENTRAL TYPE — Oblonr/ Plan 155 were in a measure merged with the central dome by the spheri-cal surfaces of the pendentives, and the effect of the wholeceiling was practically that of a long elliptical dome
Monuments of the early church . ust be treated under this head. In thus employ-ing the dome to roof a hall of distinctly oblong proportions, itscentralizing influence was not ignored, — it was modified. Itwas modified by the one device which is conceivably applicableto the case : by supplementing the dome with two half-domes ofequal aperture at each end of the room. The two half-domes THE CENTRAL TYPE — Oblonr/ Plan 155 were in a measure merged with the central dome by the spheri-cal surfaces of the pendentives, and the effect of the wholeceiling was practically that of a long elliptical dome : that is tosay, it no longer demanded an eurythmic symmetry; it de-manded, on the contrary, a predominant emphasis upon thehorizontal axis which corresponded with the dimensions of theroom and comported with the ritual. The combination of thesevarious spherical surfaces in the ceiling required, however, acorresponding variety in the plan of the room, and this wasfurnished by the four niches and the apse. It is evident that. Fig. 52. — Plans of S. Sophia and of the basilica of Maxentius. a perfectly regular plan, either rectangular or elliptical, wouldnot have harmonized so well with the ceiling. The consistent execution of the programme required that thedome should rest immediately upon the pendentives withoutthe intervention of a drum, and that it should be constructedas flat as possible 5 it proved in fact too flat for buttressing system was very elaborately thought out, andwith one exception it was thoroughly adequate. The half-domes were each supported by four piers, two of which theyshared in common with the dome. They were amply buttressedat one end by two niches and the apse; at the other by thecorresponding pair of niches and a double narthex. The 15C ARCIIITECTUBE half-domes in their turn constituted a most effectual supportupon two sides of the dome. The pendentives transmitted theweight and part of the thrust of the dome to four mighty pierswhich
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectchristi, bookyear1901
