The spiritual uses of the stupa are presented through the design. There is great spiritual importance to having the main part of monument in the shape of a hemisphere because the Buddhist viewed the mound as a symbol of the earth, which was very sacred to them. When the Buddhist would walk around it, spiritually this would put them in harmony with the universe. They would view themselves as the sun circumambulating the earth just like the sun does in reality.
Another great early religious piece of art was the image of the Good Shepard created in the late third century. The statue is an image of Christ standing as a Shepard carrying a sheep on his back. This pose is thought to reflect a young, loving Christ. This image is mostly shown with Christ having no facial hair and is usually a smaller structure. The pose that Christ is represented in is a reflection of Greek art with contrapposto pose portraying Christ in a state of relation with his left leg bent and his right leg rather straightened. The statue is a mere 39 inches so it is most likely that this was created for wealthy individuals rather than publicly available. The importance of this sculpture was invaluable at a time when Christians where continuously persecuted.
The Good Shepard is not an original sculpture but is often repeated with multiple versions of the same statue existing. The sculpture is thought to have been derived from Greek description of Hermes the Shepard or Orpheus with the animals because of the lack of originality due in part to the intermittent persecution of early Christians. This particular statue was made out of marble. This type of sculpture is not merely for aesthetic value although it does not by any mean lack aesthetic value, this statue was a way for the early Christian artists to profess promises and mysteries. The Good Shepard image in one instance is shown from the parable in Luke above the scene of Adam and Eve representing the redemption of original sin. There is still controversy however whether or not these images are representative of Christ or God in general concerning for his herd. This image is rather intriguing do to its lack of conformity with all images of Christ, even with modern art. Christ is shown beardless and in a youthful stage. When Christ is depicted he is often shown with a beard or as a newborn child and few instances between. Like all early world religions the Good Shepard is shown in a compassionate state and gave patrons something to look at and feel strong in their faith with just like the Stupa at Sanchi and the Hagia Sophia.
The next great structure is a dome is from the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine Emperor Justinian built Hagia Sophia starting in 532 AD. The Hagia Sophia is often compared to the Pantheon because in both structures the use of light was very important to enhance the spiritual experience. The project took only five years to build which signifies its importance to the Byzantine emperor and community. The architects Anthemios of Tralles and Izidorus of Miletus designed this church. The building mainly functions as a church but was also used for political events.
Structurally, the church was based on a rectangular shaped floor plan that measured roughly 270 feet in length and covered nearly 1.5 acres. At the middle of the
base is the central dome, which is supported by four large piers and four pendentives. This central dome rises about 185 feet above the floor. There are 40 windows at base of the dome, which functioned as lighting for the church.
The dome of the Hagia Sophia had to be repaired many times due to earthquakes and each time it was not rebuilt exactly as the original. Therefore, the building that exists today is not the original design of the building but is fairly close. In 1453 when the Turks took over Constantinople, Hagia Sophia was transformed into an Islamic mosque. Paintings and sayings from the Koran covered up Christian mosaics on the inside, whereas on the exterior, four towers were added to the corners of the building. These towers gave it the typical mosque look and experience that Muslims want for their religious dwellings. The additions to the Hagia Sophia after it was taken over, shows importance of architectural design to their religion. If it were not important, they would have just left it the same.
The Hagia Sophia is often compared to the Pantheon. The main reason for this is that they both use lighting from open areas in the domes to symbolize the metaphysical joining of the physical and spiritual world. The religious purpose of the lighting is very important in creating the mood for both places of worship. The main difference between the two is to enhance the spiritual experience, the architectures of Hagia Sophia used many windows around the base of the dome to create a powerful lighting that lit up the entire church whereas the Pantheon only had one light source that created a single strong beam. This difference shows the distinction between the two religions on how they use different styles of lighting to maximize there own spiritual experience.
Art is often a reflection of life. The reasons for religious art is countless in that sometimes started out as a way to recruit followers but became something that made the faithful proud and strong in their convictions. The Hagia Sophia and Stupa at Sanchi were built strong and beautifully not for the reason to show off wealth, even though it did accomplish that, but more for value of pride which is still apparent today. The Good Shepard although restricted by the unwritten laws of the artistic society in its era was made to help early Christians with their faith and teach them the compassionate way of their God. These artifacts of worship to the celestial are a way of putting a mark on history and putting the name of their religion in a legendary state.
