IARC: IAR 221: Faith in Architecture

Power & Faith in Architecture

· Located in Jerusalem.

· Completed in 691CE.

· Octagonal floor plan.

Dome of Temple Mount, Jerusalem

Temples throughout history have always displayed power in architectural forms. One way this temple displays power is through the gold dome on the very top. This is basically the central focus of the temple through plan and through what it encloses. Underneath the dome lies the foundation stone. The foundation stone is believed to be the underpinning on which the world was created.(Ching, 302).

The octagonal shape of the plan has been used a lot in baptisteries. Within the octagonal shape lies a series of circles, piers, and columns that support the large dome.

Observing this structure for the first time is a bit intimidating. I feel that size and forms of temples enforces a little fear into the people who worship within them. It helps them stay on the path to righteousness. The oldest structure which contains a dome is the Pantheon. I believe this structure was precedence for structures to come and structures we have in our modern times.

Indoor football stadiums come to mind when I think of structures with domes. I always thought they placed domes on the stadium to resemble the shape of a football, but in actuality domes are everywhere in our history.