Byzantine Art and Architecture

Hagia Sophia is a former Greek Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later an Ottoman mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey.

Mosaics, frescoes, and icons were all popular forms of art in Byzantine churches.

Biblical scenes were the most common subject matter of Byzantine mosaics.

The Raising of Lazarus in the Church of the Chora is one of the most famous examples of Byzantine frescoes.

Christ, the Virgin Mary, and saints were all common subjects of Byzantine icons.

The Pala d'Oro is a gold altarpiece in the Basilica di San Marco in Venice, Italy.

The Mandylion is a legendary image of Jesus Christ said to have been created by a miraculous imprint of his face on a cloth.

The Kontakion of Romanos is a Byzantine hymn written in the 6th century.

The Alexiad is a Byzantine history written by Anna Komnene in the 12th century.

The Enneads is a collection of philosophical works by Plotinus written in the 3rd century.

The Almagest is a treatise on astronomy written by Ptolemy in the 2nd century.

The Elements is a treatise on mathematics written by Euclid in the 3rd century.

The Canon of Medicine is a medical encyclopedia written by Avicenna in the 11th century.

The Code of Justinian is a collection of Roman law compiled by Justinian I in the 6th century.

The Basilica of San Vitale is a Byzantine church in Ravenna, Italy, built in the 6th century.