The churches of the Byzantine era were built to represent heaven on earth. Architecture, art and liturgy were intertwined in them to a degree that has never been replicated elsewhere, and the symbolism of this relationship had deep and profound meanings. Sacred buildings and their spiritual art underpinned the Eastern liturgical rites, which in turn influenced architectural design and the decoration which accompanied it. 

This Thursday, May 1st, Professor Nicholas N. Patricios, author of the forthcoming The Sacred Architecture of Byzantium: Art, Liturgy and Symbolism in Early Christian Churches, discusses what happens at the nexus between buildings, worship, and art.

This event is presented in association with Heaven and Earth: Sacred Music from the Byzantine Greek and Slavic Eastern Orthodox Christian Traditions, a part of Sound and Spirit: a Concert Series. Heaven and Earth will take place at 7:30pm on Thursday, May 1st, at the Glicker-Milstein Theatre.  Reservations are required.  More information, including a link to the reservation page, is available here.

Sponsored by the Institute for Religion, Culture, and Public Life at Columbia University. Co-sponsored by the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University.

Directions to 754 Schermerhorn Extension are available here, and an interactive map of Columbia campus is available here.

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Holger A. Klein, Professor and Chair of the Department of Art and Architecture at Columbia University, will act as Discussant.

Nicholas N. Patricios is Professor and Dean Emeritus in the School of Architecture at the University of Miami. His previous books include Kefallinia and Ithaki: A Historical and Architectural Odyssey and Building Marvelous Miami.