Dimensions and Proportions in Egypt’s Byzantine Religious Architecture

Abstract

In the study of Egypt’s Byzantine religious architecture, modern scholarship has been focusing essentially on establishing the typology of plans and their relative chronology. Church building activity has also been studied by using the written sources complimented by the archaeological evidence. This abundant Christian archaeological material shows an amazing variety and complexity in church designs. There is a need of a rationalized analysis of the proportion ratios of the church buildings, and a necessity to focus on the dominant factors dictating its size, the type of its structure, and the quantities of materials used in its construction. The study of geometric shapes and the evolution of their sacred perceptions is yet another interesting facet of this type of architecture. The purpose of this paper is to explore new approaches in studying the proportion ratios and its correlation with the measuring units used in Byzantine church architecture and the existence of any symbolic concepts.

http://dx.doi.org/10.5913/jcscs.2020.86435971