HSE Publishing House

The book presents a study of actual and insufficiently studied problems of medieval architecture of Byzantium and the Caucasus. The first part of the book is dedicated to the architecture of Byzantium. The book contains a study of such complex topics as the originand early evolution of the cross-in-square, the genesis of the Kuppelhalle, the emergence of the cross-in-square triconch and its spread in the East. For the first time the author givesan overview of the phenomenon of gate churches, the role of the segmental apse and the semicircular niche. Much attention is paid to the relationship between the architecture of Constantinople and the provinces of the Middle Byzantine East (the activities of the Constantinopolitan master buildings and cases of other influence of the capital), as well as the regional traditions of the latter.
The second part of the book is dedicated to the architecture of the medieval Caucasus. It deals with general issues such as paradigms and re-dating in the history of Caucasian architecture and the history of the domed basilica in the Caucasus. A new overview of the formation of post-Arab architecture in Kartvelian, Abkhazian and Armenian lands is given. In addition, the book also deals with particular issues of Caucasian architecture: the brick architecture of Vaspurakan, masters and buildings of David Kuropalates, the churches of Varzahan as an example of architectural synthesis.
The book is intended both for specialists in the history and culture of Middle Ages, and for those interested in Byzantine and Caucasian architecture and medieval culture.