Byzantium Flashcards
pendentive
A concave, triangular section of a hemisphere, four of which provide the transition from a square area to the circular base of a covering dome. Although pendentives appear to be hanging (pendant) from the dome, they in fact support it.
Byzantine
The art, territory, history, and culture of the Eastern Christian Empire and its capital of Constantinople (ancient Byzantium
Choir
The space reserved for the clergy and singers in the church, usually east of the transept but, in some instances, extending into the nave.
monastery
A group of buildings in which monks live together, set apart from the secular community of a town.
oratory
The church of a Christian monastery
refectory
The dining hall of a Christian monastery.
mandorla
An almond-shaped nimbus surrounding the figure of Christ or other sacred figure. In Buddhist Japan, a lotus-petal-shaped nimbus.
iconoclasm
The destruction of religious or sacred images. In Byzantium, the period from 726 to 843 when there was an imperial ban on such images. The destroyers of images were known as iconoclasts. Those who opposed such a ban were known as iconophiles.
Icon
A portrait or image; especially in Byzantine churches, a panel with a painting of sacred personages that are objects of veneration. In the visual arts, a painting, a piece of sculpture, or even a building regarded as an object of veneration.
drum
One of the stacked cylindrical stones that form the shaft of a column. Also, the cylindrical wall that supports a dome.
doge
Duke; a ruler of the Republic of Venice, Italy.
Martyrium
A shrine to a Christian martyr saint.
triptych
A three-paneled painting, ivory plaque, or altarpiece. Also, a small, portable shrine with hinged wings used for private devotion.
Iconostasis
Greek, “icon stand.” In Byzantine churches, a screen or a partition, with doors and many tiers of icons, separating the sanctuary from the main body of the church.
