Renaissance.

The Creation of Adam is perhaps one of the most well known religious paintings ever created. It just so happens to be done by one of the greatest artists of all time, as well- Michelangelo. We can see the influence of the Renaissance style in the glorification of the human body once again, and the decorations seen around the depiction of God, and the promoting of more blatantly religious works again.

14th Century.

The Well of Moses is perhaps one of the most religious pieces of art in the 14th century. It highlights the 6 prophets of old who prophesied of Christ. The piece is done in all stone, by Sluter of France. Originally painted, we can see that over time, the piece has aged, along with some of its original aspects. Some elements of Gothic style are apparent, but the extreme realism of it sets it apart from the previous movement of Gothic-ism.
Although it is now a tourist attraction due to its visual beauty and perfection, the piece was once a religious sculpture that inspired spiritual reverence from those worshiping nearby.

Gothic.

The stained-glass window in the Chartes Cathedral is a beautiful display of biblical occurrences. We see things from the Creation to the Good Samaritan, all encompassed in a magnificent, large window. The light that hits it is central to the main focus of Gothic architecture. They were all about playing with and manipulating light to make the buildings beautiful. The vibrantly colored glass, holding up the vaulted ceilings of the Chartes, is able to fill the room with just enough light, with the added appeal of bright colors.
The subjects of the stained glass art piece display the devotion to deity that the people of the Gothic period held. Not only did they worship in this building, but they painted of God, thought of God and spoke of God. This amazing piece of art is a good symbol of the time dedicated to God in this beautiful place.

Romanesque.

The Church of Saint Sernin in Toulouse, France is a perfect indicator of the attitude toward God that was held by the people of that time period. Built around 1100, this large church became an important site for pilgrims to stop at and view the precious relics held inside. The architecture was nicknamed the "pilgrimage plan" rather than the traditional one. 
The structure is unique to its time period in that it is much larger than the traditional basilicas of previous times. With noticable vaulted ceilings, the building is very famously in the shape of a cross. This architecture is different than all earlier churches and sets it apart, tying it solely to Romanesque style. 

Early Medieval.

Beowulf is not just a movie that opened in the early 2000s. The movie does not give justice to the classic epic poem of written in the early medieval time period. The story is not in any way an obvious religious tale. It does not praise god openly or make references to deity the whole time. But upon further investigation, we can see that perhaps, in between the poetic lines of Beowulf lies tale promoting christian ideals and characteristics, that we can see being personified in the characters.
There is speculation that Beowulf was written by a monk. This is a somewhat credible theory, considering the fact that hardly anyone was literate back in this day. In the story, we see the principles of selfless love given through sacrifice, which draws an obvious parallel with the death of Christ. Deity may not have been as openly influential in the lives of these people, but through stories, the people could relate to ideas of Christ.

Islam.

The Qur'an is a very accurate representation of the dedication of the people of the Islamic religion to their deity. The Qur'an is the most important of books to these people. It is basically their bible, to give a similar comparison. The writings of the book are given from Allah (deity), and are supposed to be studied by the people and recited on a daily basis. If one was to study the teachings within it, the views of Islam express that that same person would grow much closer to Allah. It gives the people guidance and direction.
The writings within the text are very poetic and visually appealing as well. It is truly an artistically based spiritual text.

Byzantine.

Hagia Sophia was a basilica in its own time. It is now a museum in Turkey. The architecture, vastness in size, and beautiful location make it one of my favorite historical structures that we have studied. Although not always used for religious purposes originally, the building was dedicated to Logos, a person in the Holy Trinity. So we can see that the people did have God in mind upon completion of the great structure.

Famous for its large dome, Hagia Sophia is a perfect example of Byzantine architecture. The Latin translation of the name means "Church of the Holy Wisdom of God". It is interesting to see that the artistically designed building did not just mean a place of worship to the people, but also a public gathering place for commerce as well. The separation of church and state seems to be lessening around this time, as seen by the way this fine building was though of by the society of people who used it on a daily basis.

Early Christian.

The suidicide of Judas and Crucifixion ivory plaque from c. 420 is a classic sculpture-type art piece from the early Christian era. This era in history did not provide many pieces that we focused on. But the role of deity in the lives of people in this era was obvious. The title of the era is named after Jesus Christ, the same of whom the piece of art is about. The people named themselves Christians after this same deity. Not only did they hold a firm belief in their God, but they knew through history and faith that Jesus Christ had come down among his people years before.

Although this is one of the few early christian pieces we studied in class, I'm sure there are thousands of other pieces out there. This was a very spiritual time for these people, because of the recent birth and death of Christ, and of all of the time periods that we review for journals, this is the only one in which the era is in the name of the god of the people studied.

ROME

The Romans were very famous for their architecture; in particular, their skillful crafting of large, sturdy, and still-standing arches. The arch of Titus is arguably the most well-known Roman era arch still in tact in our society today. The depictions of the people can be seen upon a close look at the extreme, minute details incorporated into the making of the arch.
The minorah seen is a religion symbol of the Jewish people. The fact that it is seen on such a great and massive piece of art in the midst of a large city shows that the Roman people were people of worship. There is not just one menorah; but many.
The Roman style if reflected in this piece in its extreme detail. The overall craftmanship is amazing from the large success of the stability of the arch, the tiny people almost hidden all throughout the work. There are textual inscriptions added to the piece as well. This piece is  "triumphal arch", which is a large type of archway structure credited to the Romans for creating.

CLASSICAL GREECE

One of the most well known ancient structures in history, the Parthenon still stands somewhat in tact in Athens, Greece. It was once a temple, dedicated to the Goddess Athena, the "protector" goddess. Dating back to 447 BC, the ancient temple once stood as a symbol of the wonderful democratic system established in Athens thousands of years ago.
The architecture we see in what is left of the Parthenon is dripping with Classic Greek style. We see the remains of a crepidoma, with the average stylobate to complete the Greek look. An inner chamber is included, which is often called a cella or naos. This does not just have classic style importance. The inner chamber was often the most sacred area of the temple, where a statue (of the god the temple was dedicated to) stood. Again we see the concept of worship and honor of deities in the Greek culture and art.
The purpose of this temple was for the people to get closer to their gods. The deity-centered minds of these people can be seen so easily through careful study of their sculptures, temples, vases, and other artistic works.

EARLY GREECE

Kouros is a statue type from ancient Greece, also known as the Archaic Greek era. The statues are widely accepted as depictions of male youths of the time, but the original was a representation of the god Apollo. Made of marble usually, these pieces of art have lasted many years and proven useful in the process of uncovering our past unknown history.
A possible link between Egyptian art style and the Archaic Greek era seems obvious in pieces such as kouri. The stance and even the overall look of the man's face, hair, and build reflects ideas of Egyptian culture.
The fact that the original Kouros was made in the likeness of the god Apollo is made evident through another piece of art, depicted on a vase. The worship of the perfect body and the polytheistic paths of the Greek people seem to interweave. The Gods were heeded and worshiped through artistic expression. All of the art pieces have a common thread: a fit, able body.
The depiction of the strong, healthy body has always been a trend visible in Greek culture, even before the Classical period, when the concept really took flight.

EGYPT

Egyptian Hieroglyphics practiced an ancient alphabet, comprising more than five hundred characters. The alphabet was difficult to learn and master. It combined elements of logo-graphic and alphabetic styles of practice. The concept of hieroglyphs is a very old one, possibly being inherited into Egypt from the former Mesopotamian people.
One of the main uses of the hieroglyph alphabet was for religious literature, especially the cursive form of the writing. For religious burial ceremonies, hieroglyphics were utilized to decorate the walls, the sarcophagi, and the famous "Book of the Dead". This magical funerary book's purpose was for the living to recite spells to help the one who has died to reach the afterlife. The people were very focused on the afterlife and their role in proving worthy to their deities.
Many gods were worshiped in ancient Egypt. Some included Ra, Osiris, and Anubis. Religion was a way of life for the Egyptians, and the hieroglyph writing system was just another way to show respect and honor to the gods of the afterlife.

ANCIENT NEAR EAST

Ziggurats were structures in ancient Mesopotamia that were more massive than any other structures of time. It is basically a step pyramid. The sheer size of the structures is the most impressive aspect of the wonders. Countries such as Iran and Iraq are home to these massive buildings.
While theories of purposes of these towers vary, it is clear that these were places of security, protection from flood, as well as sacred areas for high priests to enter into. Unlike the majority of large entities, ziggurats were not places of public worship or allowance. Also, sacrifices were not a main purpose for the ziggurats. The idea of them was that they were homes for gods. "Patrons of God" were appointed over each city. They would then be permitted to enter the lower rooms, like the High Priests.
Shrines dotted the very peaks of these structures, symbolizing that their reason for being built was to bond with the gods. The massive beauty of the step pyramids was to honor, please, serve, and meet with the deities.
Structures of worship in the Mesopotamian age oftens included niches and flying buttresses. The interesting part about the ziggurats was the fact that the architecture was new, unique, and creative. Just as the majority of temples in the area, a rectangle room in the lower chambers of one of the structures.
God was evidently a large part of the lives and thoughts of the people of the ancient near east. The most famous buildings in the old Mesopotamian land could easily be the ziggurats- proving them to be universally recognized and a deity-centered society of people.