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  Weekly Summary This week we read about Islamic and Romanesque Design. Both of these styles were expressed through strong religious movements, yet in very different ways. Islamic design was developed throughout Africa, Europe, and Asia. Mosques served as a very central space for worship in these countries. Common features of the mosques included courtyards and covered halls of columns. They also used decorative elements like horseshoe arches, muqarnas-filled domes, and geometric tilework. Some of the most popular sites are the great mosque of kairouan, the blue mosque in istanbul, and the taj mahal display the islamic architecture designs of both structural innovation and decorative detailing. The Alhambra in Spain uses beautiful garden details and highlights the islamic and european influence. On the romanesque side of design, you can really see the growth of christianity and the rise of feudalism. This era began around 800 AD under charlemagne. Romanesque churches were huge with...

  Weekly Summary This week we looked into the early christian and byzantine periods, which are known for shifting art, architecture, and daily life. What caught my attention the most was the way that faith practices began in secret houses and churches because it was not technically legal. Eventually, christianity rose to dominate the Roman empire under Constantine. When Christianity was finally legalized in 313 C.E., it ended the persecution of Christians and also helped shape interiors, art, and culture. Early religious spaces in house churches were called domus ecclesiae. These spaces were small and intimate, designed for multipurpose use like prayer, teaching, and baptism. Since the space was so small, they usually had a place to dump water on a person's head instead of fully submerging them. Later under constantine, Old St. Peter's Basilica was created and became a model for future Christian churches. The Byzantine period helped elevate architecture with the design of Hagia...