Architecture Rome Essay Example for Free

Architecture Rome Essay Arch of Constantine Rome, Lazio, Italy This arch is religiously significant because it commemorates the battle that led the Emperor Constantine to convert to Christianity, thereby changing the religious landscape of the western world. The Arch of Constantine was erected to commemorate Constantines victory over Maxentius at the  Battle of Milvian Bridge  in 312 AD. According to contemporary historians, the night before the battle Constantine had a vision. He saw the symbol of  chi-rho  (the first letters of Christ in Greek) or the cross in some accounts in the sky with the words,  By this sign, conquer. Facing an army larger than his own, Constantine was happy to try anything. He had his soldiers carry the Christian symbol into battle, and he was victorious. So Constantine adopted Christianity for himself and declared the religion officially tolerated throughout the Roman Empire. With Constantines conversion, Christian persecution ended and the development of Christendom began. Thus, the event celebrated by the Arch of Constantine was a  major turning point  in the history of the western world. 7. Archbishops Palace, Prague Jean Baptist Mathey city of Prague in the Czech Republic The Archbishops Palace in Prague in the Czech Republic dates back to the mid-15th century. The Archbishops Palace in the city of Prague in the Czech Republic is home to some of the finest architecture around Europe and was constructed on the foundation of a Renaissance home. The home was reconstructed for two years in 1562-1564 and later in 1669-1694 in the Baroque style. The front of the Archbishops Palace in the city of Prague is a magnificent display of extravagant 18th century architecture and the interior is just as spectacular. Tapestries decorate several rooms and the furniture is all from the 18th century amongst portraits that relate to the Christian Church. The Archbishops Palace shares its entrance with the Sternberg Palace which is an incredible public attraction that is open to visitors to view great art masterpieces from the 14th 18th centuries. On the facade of the Palace there is a display of different hats that are ranked for the church officials. The hat with ten tassels belonged to the Archbishop and the others with five tassels were the bishops. The Archbishops Palace and the Sternberg Palace are worth seeing while visiting Prague even if you just get a chance to see the incredible architecture of this building. Archbishops Palace, the Seat of the Arch Bishop near the entrance to the Castle of Prague, Czech Republic, Europe. 8. The Ark, London Ralph Erskine, Lennart Bergstrom, Arkitektkontor, Rock Townsend Hammersmith, London, The Ark is that very unusual but arty and landmark office building by the Hammersmith flyover in west London, which appears always empty to the millions of car commuters that stream past it everyday, on their way in and out of London. In fact, the building was bought by GE Capital Real Estate back in 2006, who finally have decided to use it to consolidate the various GE London offices into one space. The Ark is an original and popular landmark greeting visitors to London as they drive in on the A4 through Hammersmith, from the west or Heathrow Airport. On a cramped site hemmed in by a concrete overpass on one side and a railway cutting on another, the Ark sits serenely if rather darkly, its brown glass hiding some long gaps between lettings. Visually, the Ark is immediately striking both outside and in. Outside, it plays the Ark idea almost to the full, although early plans for a large ramp leading up to the entrance have not been fulfilled. The idea of such a ramp is still hinted at by the cutaway in the facade, where any metaphorical ramp would fold up into hull once the animal pairs were all on board.