Visual Systems of Female Piety in Byzantine Sacred Architecture

Abstract

This paper examines how sacred architecture and rich visual culture in Byzantine Constantinople, particularly within the magnificent Hagia Sophia and the Church of Chora, mobilised the image of the Virgin Mary as a structural and theological axis for enacting female sanctity. Rather than reading Marian centrality as a zero-sum dominance over other female figures, the paper gently reframes it as a generative force that enabled a wider devotional economy of female participation. Drawing on art historical, theological, and philosophical sources, the study carefully  explores how mosaics such as the Deësis and Dormition affirmed doctrine and constructed meaningful sites of affective encounter, intercession, and ritualised visibility. The paper shows that sacred space operated as a powerful visual vehicle of inclusion, where sanctity was represented and performed. It argues for rethinking sacred architecture as a vital civic mechanism that encoded gendered presence into the very fabric of Byzantine public and religious life.