Discuss the relationship between the design of religious architecture Essay

Discuss the relationship between the design of religious architecture and the interests and requirements of the religious tradit - Essay Example This paper will provide more insight into this analogy through discussing four historical religious architectures: the Altar of Zeus, Egyptian pyramids, Suleymaniye Mosque and St. Peter’s Basilica. The Altar of Zeus was created by ancient Greeks, Egyptian pyramids were erected by ancient Egyptians, Suleymaniye Mosque was developed by Muslims and St. Peter’s Basilica was designed by Romans. The Altar of Zeus provides a good Hellenistic Greek sculpture example, which was built between 166 and 156 BCE. The altar is crafted with art and sculpture, which depicts narrations. The Gigantochamy frieze, which adorns the base of the altar, has at least 100 distinct panels that show combats between gods and giants. Here, one connects with the Greek legend where Zaas decided to abandon Gaia’s after the new gods (led by Zeus and in support by Zaas) defeated the old gods (led by Cronus). The East Frieze sculpture, on the other hand, constitutes significant Olympic gods such as Hecate, Artemis, Zeus, Athena and Ares. In the same way, the north, south and west frieze sculptures continue with sculptural and relief narrations of various Greek gods.1 The altar, also known as the Altar of Pergamon, stands at 115 feet in width and 110 feet in depth. The altar was accessible through a stairway, from the west, which led up to a roofed hall extending to the front and sides of the altar. This altar is very important to the people, who regard it highly and it’s highly respected. It has been in existence for quite a long time and many people have high regard for the altar. Due to this fact, the altar of Pergamon is well preserved and taken care of. Ancient Egyptian pyramids held similar themes in architectural designs. The pyramids were erected on the west bank of the River Nile. This was in accordance with Egypt’s religious doctrine which stated that the dead should rest where the sun sets.2 In addition, most pyramids were covered with limestone, which was meant to give them a shiny appearance from a distance. Despite the fact that the pyramids were designed as tombstones for prominent persons such as kings and queens, they were embalmed with religious material. Outstandingly, the pyramids were meant to purify bodies in wait for the afterlife. Within the pyramids were sculptures, paintings and carvings, which portrayed spirituality. In addition, there were illustrations upon the tomb walls, also known as the Book of the Dead, which were meant to guide the deceased in their atonement of sins in preparation for the afterlife. The pyramids also consisted of airways and tunnels, which served to prevent decomposition. The Suleymaniye Mosque was named after Sultan Suleyman who requested it to be built after the Sehzade Mosque was not deemed as satisfactory. Sinan had built the Sehzade Mosque to commemorate the death of Prince Mehmed who had died of smallpox. The Suleymaniye Mosque was completed in 1557 and was of remarkable interior spa ce, height and intricate detail.3 The mosque consisted of four lengthy and thin minarets and a dome, which had a height of over 50 meters. Surrounding the mosque was a kulliye comprising of public baths, schools for teaching Quran, Hadith and primary school children, library, soup kitchen and a hospital. The public baths were situated near the entrance of the mosque since Muslims would take off their shoes before