Byzantine Art

After the Roman Empire split in two, the eastern half became the Byzantine Empire. It lasted for about 1,000 years. Byzantine artists made beautiful art for churches and palaces. They loved to use gold backgrounds that glowed in candlelight. Their art showed religious figures like Jesus, Mary, and saints. The style was flat and formal, but full of color and sparkle.

Golden Mosaics

Byzantine artists covered church walls and ceilings with mosaics. They used tiny pieces of glass and stone. Many pieces were coated in real gold. When candles flickered, the gold tiles seemed to glow and shimmer. The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul is a famous building with beautiful Byzantine mosaics. These artworks took many years to complete.

Icons and Religious Art

An icon is a special painting of a holy person. Byzantine artists painted icons on wooden panels using egg-based paint. The figures looked serious and stared straight ahead. Artists used the same poses and colors each time so people could recognize each saint. Icons were placed in churches and homes for prayer. Some of these icons are over 1,000 years old and can still be seen in museums.

Fun Facts

• Byzantine artists put real gold into their mosaics to make church walls shimmer in the light.
• The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul was the largest church in the world for nearly 1,000 years.
• Byzantine icons followed such strict rules that artists could not change the colors or poses of holy figures.

Did You Know?

Some Byzantine mosaics are made of more than a million tiny pieces of glass, stone, and gold!