Why Byzantine Architecture Still Inspires Designers Today

And when you step into a magnificent building with a great dome, filled with golden mosaics that catch the light and arches that seem to lift you up, up to the sky — you are experiencing something architects made 1,500 years ago. And Byzantine architecture, which grew out of the ancient city of Constantinople — today’s Istanbul — continues to influence how we conceive buildings and embellish spaces and consider the look of light and color in our own 21st-century world.

From posh hotels in Dubai to contemporary churches in the United States and from government buildings to shopping centers, Byzantine design is ever present. But why is this ancient look such a perennial favorite? Why do architects, interior designers and artists return again and again to concepts that first emerged in the Eastern Roman Empire? The answer lies in great engineering, great special effects and a spiritual environment Byzantine builders achieved centuries before the modern age.

The Underpinnings: What Made Byzantine Architecture Different

Byzantine architecture was an outgrowth of Roman Architecture which became established around 330 BC when Emperor Constantine the Great moved the capital of the Roman Empire to Byzantium and shortly thereafter renamed it Constantinople. This was not just an exchange of venue but a catalyst for a fresh style of building design that married Roman engineering expertise with eastern artistic traditions and the Christian symbolism provoked by some ambitious commissioning.

The Byzantine builders answered questions that had eluded other architects for centuries. They managed to put colossal domes on top of square buildings, make walls appear as though they were radiating colors, and turn spaces that can induce the feeling that one has just entered heaven itself. These buildings weren’t just pretty; they were marvels of engineering, stretching the limits of what could be done with stone, brick and mortar.

Three major characteristics characterized Byzantine architecture: great domineering domes, extensive use of mosaics and colored marble, and an emphasis on interior space effects rather than exterior appearances as a focal point. Whereas Roman buildings had focused on exterior grandeur, Byzantine ones generally appeared plain from the outside, but when you opened them up… oh my.

Domes That Defy Gravity: Engineering Marvels

The dome lies at the center of Byzantine architectural invention. There had been domes before in other ancient civilizations, but Byzantine engineers refined the pendentive — a curved triangular section that enabled a circular dome to sit on a square base. That breakthrough would also pave the way for domes to be bigger, higher and grander than before.

The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul is a perfect example of this technique. Its central dome runs 102 feet in diameter and stretches upward to 180 feet above the floor. When it was finished in A.D. 537, people thought it must be suspended by a “golden chain from heaven” because the engineering seemed impossible. The secret? The dome is supported by four pendentives, and there are windows at its base that cast a sort of floating halo around it.

The same principles are used today by modern architects. When architects are searching for a big, open space — stadiums or museums or convention centers — they often look to dome buildings. The Atlanta, Georgia Dome (since demolished) and the Islamic Arts Museum in Malaysia both closely imitate Byzantine dome construction. Computer modeling has demonstrated that the Byzantine way of distributing weight is still one of the most efficient methods for covering large areas.

Byzantine Dome Features and Modern Applications

Light as a Building Material

Byzantine architects used light as carefully as they worked with stone or brick. The windows were centered to achieve particular effects at different times of the day. Morning light would catch some of the mosaics and afternoon sun others. This was no accident — it was deliberate design.

The use of windows in Byzantine domes produced something architects like to call a “dematerialized” effect. The dome looks weightless because the light coming in from below separates it visually from the building underneath. Contemporary architects borrow this method in structures from airport terminals to luxury retail space.

Modern day architect Renzo Piano employed similarities to early Byzantine light within the Nasher Sculpture Center in Texas. His roof design screens ambient light through specialized panels to provide the kind of soft, filtered glow that Byzantine mosaics require in order to shine. Just as importantly, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens draws on the dynamics of Byzantine light to generate ambience independent of any artificial enhancement.

These ancient practices are now being used as they inform the work of interior designers working on homes and offices. Clerestory windows (high windows that admit light without compromising privacy), light wells, reflective surfaces capable of bouncing illumination around a room — all had precursors in Byzantine design. Smart home technology has even enabled people to program light, tricking it into changing throughout the day in a way that Byzantine builders accomplished through carefully considered window placement.

Mosaics and Modern Visual Design

Byzantine mosaics were not only a form of decoration — they constituted an elaborate communication system that linked art, religion and psychology. These small pieces of colored glass and stone, backed with gold leaf, created pictures that seemed to be made of light or fire — a tailor-made effect for images meant to flicker in candlelight. The method was a feat of great skill and forethought.

Today’s designers are taking cues from Byzantine mosaics in unexpected ways. Digital pixel art works under the same logic: small color units combining to form complex images. Game designers, digital artists, and publishers of graphic media alike knowingly use mosaic methods as these are applied to pixel art.

Mosaic work is back in a big way, especially when it comes to physical spaces. Luxury hotels, fancy restaurants and modern churches are also calling on artists creating mosaics in the Byzantine tradition. In Los Angeles, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels boasts enormous mosaic installations made from methods that have barely changed since the 6th century. The Norwegian National Opera in Norway features a series of outdoor walkways connected to the building that are decorated with tile resembling mosaic patterns.

Among fashion designers, there are also Byzantine borrowings of visual vocabulary. The 2013 Dolce & Gabbana collection featured creations covered in mosaics and gold. Designers make jewelry that reflects the geometric designs and gold accents of Byzantine mosaics. The influence of Byzantine style is even evident in smartphone cases, wallpaper design and textile patterns which all use geometric shapes, vivid colors and metallic accents.

Sacred Geometry Meets Modern Mathematics

The architects of Byzantium perceived mathematical relationships among space, sound, and humanity without the benefit of any scientific instruments to measure their effects. They employed proportional systems according to sacred geometry—mathematical ratios thought to mirror divine order.

Byzantines seemed most fond of the Golden Ratio – 1.618:1. The golden ratio occurs very frequently in nature and when we see objects with these proportions we tend to find them pleasing. Byzantine architects used this ratio when designing the dimensions and placements of rooms, windows and decorative elements.

The architectural modernists rediscovered these proportional systems in the 20th century, and realized that they are even more effective than we know. One of the most brilliant modern architects, Le Corbusier, created his “Modulor” system in large part through relying on Byzantine methods of proportion. The same ratios are computed by contemporary architects with the aid of computer programs, as they design everything from skyscrapers to private dwellings.

Acoustic engineers examining Byzantine churches made an intriguing discovery: the proportions responsible for visual harmony also make great sound. The geometrics of the walls, dome curves and floor areas establish their own natural amplification and echo control. Today’s concert halls and theaters are designed around these concepts. The acoustics in the Hagia Sophia are so good that when people are planning new performance spaces, engineers come to study them.

The Color Psychology Connection

The builders of Byzantine knew something that modern psychologists have validated: Color has a profound impact on the human psyche and behavior. They created a sophisticated color plan, prescribing the use of certain colors to evoke specific emotional reactions.

Gold portrayed the light of heaven and eternity. Blue represented heaven and the Virgin Mary. Purple was a royal color (purple dye being extremely expensive). Red signified sacrifice and divine love. Green represented life and renewal. These were not random decisions; they carried profound cultural significance and evoked deep psychological reactions.

Even today, interior designers employ the same psychology of color, many unwittingly by way of its Byzantine roots. In business environments, blue is a color that serves to create calm and boost productivity. Restaurants prefer warm reds and golds to promote appetite and conversation. Hospitals use green to stimulate healing and well-being. Luxury brands lean heavily on golds and purples in describing quality and exclusivity.

Byzantine color layering is evident today in many designs through mixing different shades of a color family for depth. Designers call it “monochromatic color schemes.” But Byzantine mosaicists were the first to use it. They knew that using ten shades of blue was more interesting to look at than using five different colors.

Arches and Columns: The Structural Details That Turned Into Art

The arch had been passed down to Byzantine architects from the Romans but it had changed by then becoming more ornate and diverse. They created several kinds of arches: the Roman half circle arch, the horseshoe arch and a characteristic triple set that became typical in Byzantine architecture.

These arches served a dual purpose — they were actual structural elements that bore weight, but also had visual rhythm and a way of pointing the eye to something important. This double use is readily appreciated by modern architects. Mall architects deploy arched passageways to guide shoppers through space. Hotel lobbies use arches to frame their views and make a good first impression.

Byzantine columns deserve special mention. In contrast to the solid, blocky columns of Roman architecture, those used in the Byzantine variety were frequently very thin and decorated with elaborately carved capitals (or decorative top sections). These capitals had basketweaves, acanthus leaves and intricate geometric designs delicately carved into stone that appeared to defy the gravity of the building.

And modern minimalist architecture has brought with it a revival of these slim columns. The new Apple Park headquarters in California is supported by slender columns, effectively achieving the same sense of levitation as Byzantine builders did in Hagia Sophia. Elite residential architecture often features carved column capitals in entry vestibules and courtyard arcades.

How Byzantine Buildings Adapted to Their Own Times

Many of the original Byzantine buildings remain erect and continue to be occupied, evidencing its adaptability and longevity. This act of adaptive reuse can help teach modern architects a lesson in how to keep historical buildings relevant.

The Hagia Sophia has been a Christian cathedral, then a mosque, then a museum, and now once more a mosque — all in the same building. All were conversions which respected the old structure and adapted it to new functions. This approach shaped the philosophy of modern historic preservation: reuse instead of raze.

Byzantine churches across Greece, Turkey and Italy have been reborn as concert halls, art galleries and cultural venues. Architects looking at these conversions learned important lessons about retrofitting historic spaces with contemporary systems (heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting) without eviscerating architectural integrity.

These successful adaptations inspire today’s sustainable architecture. Instead of tearing down old buildings and breaking ground on new ones, more and more architects are finding ways to retrofit and reinvent existing structures. This “adaptive reuse,” lessens waste, can save aspects of cultural heritage and usually costs much less than new construction — all tenets the Byzantine builders would have appreciated.

Influence on Religious Architecture Worldwide

Byzantine architecture shaped the way Eastern Orthodox churches look and feel, but its reach went far beyond Orthodox Christianity. The characteristic onion domes of Russian Orthodox churches are derived from Byzantine models. Islamic architects took a great deal of inspiration from Byzantine examples — numerous early mosques were transformed Byzantine cathedrals, and later Islamic builders consciously imitated Byzantine dome and mosaic techniques.

Modern church architecture, regardless of denomination, is heavily influenced by distinct Byzantine features. The Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, California (2008), makes a modern variation on Byzantine space organization and lighting. The daringly modern Cathedral of Brasília in Brazil nonetheless enlists Byzantine principles of light, geometry and upward-drawing space.

Even secular structures borrow from Byzantine sacred architecture when architects want to evoke a sense of awe and contemplation. Libraries, museums and memorial spaces often use Byzantine-like domes, considered lighting and quality materials to promote reflection and reverence.

Byzantine Elements in Contemporary Homes

Byzantine influence is becoming more fashionable, and high-end residential developments feature Byzantine elements updated for the way we live today. Living-room vaulted ceilings are lined with Byzantine barrel vaults. Clerestory windows let in natural light while preserving privacy. Decorative tile work in kitchens and bathrooms alludes to mosaic traditions.

Byzantine style features, suggest interior designers, will help enact certain results:

Drama: A domed ceiling in a foyer or bathroom has a dramatic effect. There are a handful of companies offering prefabricated dome systems for homes.

Better light: Byzantine windows use the maximum amount of natural light while preventing glare. Architects place windows to produce specific lighting effects throughout the day.

Luxury factor: Mosaic tile work in showers, pools or on feature walls brings Byzantine opulence to modern homes. Manufacturers of glass tile make designs with gilded patterns specifically inspired by Byzantine sparkle.

Creating flow: Arched doorways between rooms establish visual connections while setting apart distinct spaces — the same trick Byzantine palaces relied on to organize complicated floor plans.

Even homes with just a nod to Byzantine style benefit. Subtle mosaic accent walls, arched mirrors, well-placed light fixtures and gold-and-blue color palettes add a Byzantine touch to any room.

Sustainable Lessons from Ancient Builders

For the environmentally conscious modern architects, there’s a surprising amount of relevance in the ways Byzantines constructed buildings. Byzantine buildings were quite energy efficient without the benefit of modern technological advances! They incorporated thick walls for thermal mass to regulate temperature, strategically placed windows for passive solar heating and cooling, and reflective surfaces designed to bounce available daylight throughout a space.

The buildings used thermal mass principles—walls absorbed heat during the day and released it at night when temperatures cooled. In modern architecture one frequently rediscovers the concept of thermal mass. Sustainable design and building movements such as Passive House and LEED certification promote variations on this theme.

Byzantine artisans used local materials, whatever they found close at hand to keep transport costs down and leave the landscape unmarred. They used lime-based mortars and plasters which were simpler to make, and not as hard on the environment as the cement of today. Some modern architects specifically select traditional Byzantine materials and techniques for environmentally friendly projects.

The longevity of Byzantine buildings — many have remained standing for 1,500 years with little maintenance along the way — also has lessons to teach modern architecture and construction. Building for centuries instead of decades minimizes long-term environmental damage. This durability was not accidental, but arose from quality materials, skillful construction and designs that did not work against natural forces but with them.

Digital Design and Byzantine Patterns

Computer enhanced designs have led to newfound respect for Byzantine geometry. When architects or graphic designers digitally analyze Byzantine decorative systems, they find complex mathematical ratios and modular principles of design that are hardwired into the designs themselves.

Byzantine craftsmen made pattern systems that could be replicated infinitely without losing coherence — exactly how digital vector graphics work today. The geometric designs of Byzantine mosaics can be copied, mirrored and altered on computer design programs for variations beyond imagination of the ancients.

Parametric design in which architects use algorithms to form buildings sometimes resembles Byzantine architecture. This is no coincidence—both ways employ mathematical rules to simulate complex, beautiful forms. Some of the buildings following this method are referred to as “digital Byzantines” due to the fact that they replicate characteristic proportions and spatial organizations found in Byzantine churches.

Video game designers often use Byzantine architecture for its grand, otherworldly qualities. Games such as “Assassin’s Creed” and “Elder Scrolls” have Byzantine-inspired buildings because the style communicates to players everywhere in that world, ‘Important Place.’ Learn more about Byzantine architecture’s influence on modern design through contemporary examples.

Teaching Design Through Byzantine Examples

Byzantine buildings are found in architecture schools all over the world because they illustrate architectural principles so cleanly. Students learn about:

Structures by examining how pendentives carry the weight of a dome to the supporting walls

Lighting design through study of Byzantine windows and reflective surfaces

Material properties through the combination of various stones, bricks and mortars

Color theory through mosaic composition and the choice of pigments

Spatial psychology, experiencing how Byzantine interiors contribute to our psychological state or perception

Those lessons are still with us because the Byzantines worked under constraints that anyone who has ever struggled to get a project completed recognizes: limited materials, no steel or concrete, no artificial light, let alone computer calculations – and they achieved what we can all see is extraordinary. Studying the way they were able to solve problems with simple tools allows designers today to think more creatively.

In many architecture programs, students must design a project according to Byzantine principles before they get their hands on modern materials and methods. This is an appreciation exercise for the core of design thinking, which applies beyond technology.

Byzantine Revival Movements

Architecture periodically stages revival movements. The Byzantine Revival occurred in a number of phases, most notably at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century.

In this time span architects in many areas of Europe and America turned to Byzantine architectural forms, usually applying those forms to churches or other buildings. A magnificent example of the Neo-Byzantine style is the Westminster Cathedral in London (finished 1903), with its banded brickwork, enormous domes, and profuse marble ornamentation. America’s largest Catholic church, the Basilica of the National Shrine in Washington, D.C., is part Byzantine, part Romanesque.

But these revival movements weren’t just about copying old forms; they were about adapting Byzantine principles to new building types and technologies. They combined the ancient aesthetic and modern engineering to create something that was different. The 1920s and ’30s design trend was influenced by simplified Byzantine images—geometric designs, gold trim, and focus on vertical lines.

We’re in the midst of another Byzantine revival, though it’s a quieter one than before. Instead of slavishly imitating whole buildings, today’s architects take bits and pieces of the Byzantine style to incorporate into otherwise modern buildings. This cherry-picking method has yielded new, hybrid styles that respect tradition but incorporate more modern ideas.

The Cultural Symbol of Continuity

Apart from functional and structural advantages, Byzantine architecture served to indicate its imperial status. So that in a world where everything seems to be moving too fast, these ancient buildings and the modern ones they inspire are reassuring touchstones of human accomplishment and timeless values.

For the various Orthodox Christian communions throughout the world, Byzantine architectural style remains connected to their religious heritage. New Orthodox churches, whether constructed in Moscow, Athens or Chicago, refer directly to Byzantine models and thereby create recognizable spiritual places.

Byzantine architecture is a monument to the creative potential and imagination of humanity. These buildings show us that people without computers, electricity or even basic modern tools created wonders in construction that continue to amaze us today. This vision both humbles and inspires modern designers.

A large number of Byzantine structures are classified as World Heritage sites and valued by all people of the world. In this international recognition is the claim that Byzantine architecture does not belong to one nation or people, but to all. Contemporary architects, who reap the benefit of Byzantine traditions, feature in a design language that is nothing short of truly global.

This Old Look Will Never Fade

As we continue to delve into what Byzantine architecture has brought to the world of modern design, a theme begins to emerge: this antique style fulfills basic human desires and preferences that are common among mankind in all times and places.

We are drawn to domes because just like the sky itself, they envelop us — shelters upholding a connection with something greater than we are. Natural light works for us because our biology adapted to interpret environmental lighting as a cue of information and mood regulation. We like those geometric patterns and proportional systems because we have evolved to be good at spotting and enjoying mathematical harmony.

Byzantine architects were not thinking about designing a building for people 1,500 years in the future. They solved pragmatic problems — how to construct grand churches, produce inspiring places of worship, and embody religious ideas in architecture. But while solving those particular problems, they found universal principles that are as true today for the technologies and cultures we have yet to imagine.

Today’s architects look back to Byzantine architecture, not as nostalgics but because it works. The engineering is sound, the aesthetics are strong and psychological effects are dependable. For so long as people cherish beauty, seek inspiration and require buildings not only of use but also suited to their soul — then will Byzantine architecture have power.

When you next walk into a building with a ridiculously high dome, walls that seem to glow, or spaces that make you enter and stare upward, think that maybe what you’ve encountered is Byzantine inspiration. These early builders not only defined their own age, but also the taste and even the design possibilities we’re left with today. Effectively, all modern architects owe a debt to what was taking place in Constantinople more than a thousand years ago.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Byzantine architecture famous for?

The most distinctive element of Byzantine architecture is the domed church, which developed from an earlier tradition of basilican and centrally planned spaces. The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul epitomizes the highest attainment of Byzantine architecture.

Why are contemporary architects still trained in Byzantine architecture?

Byzantine buildings express universal concepts of engineering, light control, proportional balance and human perception that have enduring relevance to the practice of architecture. They used elementary materials and mathematics to solve sophisticated architectural problems, offering lessons for sustainable and beautiful contemporary design.

In what ways did Byzantine architecture affect Islamic architecture?

Arab Muslims who took over from the Byzantines were impressed with and emulated Byzantine architectural methods, particularly with respect to dome construction and mosaic art. A number of the early mosques were converted from Byzantine churches. Islamic architecture included elements of Arab and Persian traditional forms combined with Byzantine innovations.

Can you incorporate Byzantine touches in a modern home?

Absolutely. Byzantine elegance can appear in your home through domed ceilings, arched doors and windows, mosaic tile work, strategically placed lighting and color schemes of gold, blue and purple. Even a few decorative touches like Byzantine-pattern textiles or metallic accents can achieve the effect.

How are Byzantine domes different from Roman ones?

Roman civilization also built stunning domes: the Pantheon comes to mind. Byzantine architects, however, perfected pendentives — meaning that larger domes didn’t need circular buildings to support them, they could be raised over square ones. They also introduced windows around the base of the dome in order to make it seem as if the dome were floating on light — a trick Romans never mastered.

What are some well-known contemporary structures that have been influenced by Byzantine architecture?

Many exist. Byzantine principles are displayed in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, Basilica of the National Shrine in Washington D.C., Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, and many worldwide Orthodox churches. Even secular structures, such as some museums and government buildings include Byzantine features.

Why is gold such an integral part of Byzantine design?

Gold served as divine light in Byzantine religious imagery and as a practical effect; gold mosaics reflect and magnify candlelight or sunlight, causing interiors to seem lit from within. This merging of practical and spiritual ensured the centrality to Byzantine aesthetic, and has echoes in luxury design today.

How long did the Byzantine Empire and architectural style last?

The Byzantine Empire spanned the years 330 to 1453 CE—more than a millennium. Even when the empire was gone, the architectural influence persisted through Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Eastern Europe and Russia — as well as through Islamic architecture in the Middle East. The Byzantine-style building, never totally dormant, goes through occasional revivals.