The two structures selected for comparison and analysis in this essay are Hagia Sophia and Saint-Denis. Hagia Sophia, in Constantinople, now Istanbul, was built in 532-537 by the architects Anthemiuys of Tralles and Isidorus of Melitus (The Byzantine Monuments, 2004, p. 2). Saint-Denis was rebuilt under the direction of Suger, Abbot of St. Denis, in the 1140s outside of Paris (France: Abbey of Saint-Denis, 2004, p. 4). The former church is an excellent example the combination of the elements of a Christian basilica to which a domed central square compartment was added along with abutted half-domes. Saint-Denis, in contrast, is an example of the Gothic Western style of a later era employing Romanesque elements.
As one views images of Hagia Sophia, it becomes clear that it was designed to impress the worshipper, to direct his or her thoughts to the power and majesty of God in the form of Pantocrator, the Ruler of the Universe. Impressive, majestic, and above all a triumph of architecture and the decorative arts, Hagia (or Santa) Sophia represents the apex of the church form known as the "central type," a plan built on a modified Greek cross that contained numerous decorative elements. In the context of art history, Hagia Sophia can be seen as moving from the basic formula of the basilica to that of the Eastern tradition of a central church with a domed superimposed over a Greek cross. This feature draws one's attention to the massive dome overhead รป whereas in Saint-Denis, the plan of the Church draws one's attention to the towering stained glass windows and the "rose window" at the entrance and the windows over the altar).
Hagia Sophia employed pendentives, which Adams (p. 176) described as four triangular segments with concave sides. They appear to be suspended or hanging and provide the transition from a square or polygonal plan to the round base of a dome or intervening drum. Adams (p. 176
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