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Justinian Religion

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Justinian of Constantinople took throne in 527 over the Byzantine Empire, he was known for his tight and harsh reign of control and the architecture he inspired through his beliefs such as the Hagia Sophia and the San Vitale (Cunningham, Pg. 224). Justinian lived in a region clashing with Orthodox and Arian Christians, both of which believed that God was divine but they had a slight difference in their views of Jesus Christ (Cunningham, Pg. 224). His personal belief was in the Orthodox Christianity and viewed Jesus in both forms, divine like god and a human (Cunningham, Pg. 225 & 229). The Arian Christians believed Jesus was not directly connected to god but was made by and separated from god (Cunningham, Pg. 238 (Glossary)). Justinian’s central …show more content…

As you will learn later in my writing he definitely did this, the architecture he influenced was nothing short of grand and magnificent. What really strikes me was the ability Justinian had to incorporate his religion with his own life goals. He incorporates his beliefs in to the architecture of Hagia Sophia and San Vitale with the Orthodox Christianity and shows that his power is issued by god in the mosaics they possess (History). During this time Justinian’s beliefs and architecture popularity spread thorough out other cultures such as Russia and Italy where the San Vitale was located. Russian ambassadors were sent to Constantinople to learn about the religion of Byzantine Christianity and religious art, they returned to Russia was favorable opinions further promoting Justinian’s cultural impact at that time(Cunningham, Pg. …show more content…

This piece is the most interesting to me because Justinian had so much influence in a church where he had never stepped foot in (Khan Academy). In the San Vitale Mosaics portray the mighty and powerful Orthodox Emperor Justinian across from him his equally powerful Empress Theodora as well as numerous mosaics of Jesus Christ (khan academy). Much like the Hagia Sophia it is covered in many windows with lots of light to illuminate the beautiful art. The mosaics reflect Justinian’s belief in Christ as well as his belief that authority is divinity that Christ has given him. In this architecture the only intercultural influences I have found have been the bricks that were used from ancient Roman buildings for the exterior of the church. When the church was created the Iconography was not in Greek or any other form, they were trying to come up with a new art that have never been used for Christian art. This effected culture at that time by adding a new face or style to the types of art made instead of using styles from the

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