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From: lauf-s <lauf-s@xxxxxxxxxxx>
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Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2003 20:50:35 -0400
John,
Santa Sophia is considerably smaller than St. Peter's. I
venture to guess that Santa Sophia is the first building to
have a such an enormous domed interior, and perhaps even the
largest interior of (late) antiquity (532-7), although the
original St. Peter's in Rome (c. 315-330) was also a very
large building of more or less single interior.
I've heard of the African Basilica you mention, and I think
it is pictured in the book MUTATIONS (2001), but I don't
know of any exact scales comparisons (besides it's own
claims of biggest).
As to Patrick's notion of building height relating to "his"
story, I see the whole size of building issue as more one of
setting gauges by which to subsequently make comparative
"design" judgments, and not at all as records to be
continuously exceeded. For example, the plan of one floor of
my house is still the smallest plan in Quondam's collection.
The eyeball series at www.cryptome.org would be even more
informative if a comparative scale were somehow established
between varying aerial photo sets.