Byzantine Architecture
The Golden Age of Byzantine Architecture was under the rule of Justian in 527-565. It was during this period that the most famous examples of all Byzantine Architecture was built, the Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia was rebuilt from 532 to 537 after the previous church was destroyed by riots . This church has some unique features which became the patterns for Byzantine Architecture for years after.
The style of the Hagia Sophia
or Church of Divine Wisdom, was to have a large dome in the middle of the
structure. The dome has a unique form in that it rest on 4 massive
pillars which are arranged in a square. 
The
dome remained the main focus of the Byzantine Church for the remainder of the
empire. The Eastern Orthodox preferred a low light, somber, and almost
mysterious mood in their services. The clergy worked often behind the
scenes with brief appearances. They did not embrace the loud organs
and congregational worship which is seen in the western Catholic
Church. So the Hagia Sophia became the model for the Byzantine church
because was an architectural style that fit with the type of worship the Orthodox church
wanted to emphasize.
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