File: Mosaic of the exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac from the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo.jpg The evangelists summarize the whole work of Christ about which they wrote, from His birth through to His Ascension and the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. - A royal park. So we are now in a place to gather together all these connotations of the term paradise and relate them to our mosaic. The Gospel of Matthew makes very clear the connection between the Taboric experience and the Second Coming when he writes: Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom (Matthew 16:28). , Cite this page as: Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker, "SantApollinare Nuovo, Ravenna," in, Reframing Art History, a new kind of textbook, Guide to AP Art History vol. Christ scenes in, Arians and the church of SantApollinare Nuovo, the gold background now dominates. This Privilegia mosaic encapsulates the Orthodox ideal of symphony between Church and state. Mosaics of the basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo. Moses and Elijah are depicted plainly either side of the cross. 5 April 2006. And this would be the moment Creatures in paradise We see sheep, but also birds perched on trees, rocks, grass, and even on the floral adornment of the border. The union that this mosaic affirms is not just between God and man and matter, but also between the all faithful throughout time. This church contains magnificent mosaics depicting the teachings, miracles, Passion, and Resurrection of Christ; these are among the oldest such representations in existence and are. In fact, his palace was next door. 0% 0% found this document not useful, Mark this document as not useful It is however not impossible that it is a remake of an earlier work made at the same time as the conch mosaic, in the sixth century. my blood, and remember me. So this hymn traces the stages from God-given nectar, to the work bees transforming nectar into honey and wax, followed by mans work to change the wax into candle. Secondly, the curvature of the apse itself is a form of enclosure. If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked. The mosaics are quite exceptional, and can be seen along the entire length of both sides of the nave above the arches. In Genesis Adam and Eve try to hide from God in Eden. Something went wrong. In Gods plan this royal and crafting role is inextricably tied to our priestly role, since in the Eucharist we offer not wheat and grapes, but bread and wine, which are the fruit of human labour. Set against this deep expanse the whiteness of the sheep and the saints garments seem brighter still. In this context it is worthwhile tracing the development of the word paradise, since the many associations it has accrued over time are present in our mosaic. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. But what stands out most to the viewer is the whiteness of the sheep against the green and to a lesser extent also Moses and Elijah, whose white is not quite so contrasting against the golden background. The artists power over his or her medium is that of craft and wisdom (Minerva the Roman god of wisdom was pertinently also the good of crafts). So what our mosaic concentrates on is not so much Christs transfiguration but ours. Byzantine medieval way of representing in a symbolic way, but in a way that's legible and clear, so that anyone here would have known and been able to identify the story. Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Luke tells us that they were speaking about Christs departure about to be fulfilled in Jerusalem. The altar table, symbolically speaking, is the exclusive prerogative of the Church, but the ciborium protects this altar, and this protection the state can offer through its laws and privileges. God promised: I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you (Genesis 17:7). The Two Faces of Jesus - How the early church pictured the divine, Robert M. Jensen, BR 18:05, Oct 2002. As St Irenaeus reminds us, the initial step for us all to come to knowledge of God is contemplation of nature. Abel, Melchezidek, Abraham and Isaac, 7th century. Justin, that the Eastern Orthodox Church could learn a lot from the creative approach of the early Western Church when it comes to expressing timeless theological truths in its church schema. Sunlight enters each piece and re-emerges as emerald tinted. My first encounter with this mosaic I can best liken to smelling a host of fragrances that drift over the wall of a concealed garden. Why, we might ask, is Christ depicted so small, and in the midst of a great cross instead of in His shining garments? They went up onto a mountain to pray. That will give you the perfect overview of Ravenna's history before you see the mosaics in situ. The interior decoration includes acanthus leaf capitals, presumably imported from Constantinople (now Istanbul). He is accompanied by another bishop (perhaps his predecessor Maurus (642-671), plus a priest in a yellow chasuble and two deacons. Mosaic. The ultimate purpose of Christs incarnation is our deification, our union with Him. Here in our mosaic we see a garden made according to this same divine pattern of a perfect imperfection, with a dynamic and not mechanical symmetry. [2] English translation from the Roman Missal 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. (D) destroyed. So the cross in our mosaic is the sign of the Son of Man that will appear in the heavens in the last days, a sign of His Second Coming. At its heart is a medallion bearing an image of Christ. All is culminated in the material wax becoming immaterial fire in praise of God. Portrayals of Jesus as universal sovereign or victorious hero were favoured in areas influenced first by the culture of the imperial court, and then by Byzantine art. the Father], and the image of God is the Son, in whose image man was created. Because this image is so multivalenced, I think the simplest approach is to work verse by verse through Lukes description of the Transfiguration and see how the mosaic interprets his words. In this article I would like to discuss some of these layers. So the many golden stars in the orb that surrounds our cross represent the host of angels who will accompany Christ at His Second Coming. How does one overcome this obstacle and encourage the commissioners of these works to open their minds a bit? The eighth day resurrection therefore takes human nature beyond the endless trapped cycle of the seven day week. Perhaps we could look to some of these examples for inspiration. In this case, He has become the Gardener in Eden. that would have been right next to this church. Palms traditionally represent paradise and a fruit bearing life. Mountains are where people meet God. Eight is thus a symbol of the created world assumed into the divine life, in a union without confusion. Thank you everyone. Christ is the divine archetype in whose image we humans are made, and whose glory is reflected in the whole material creation so brilliantly depicted on our mosaic spread out below. figures that are seated around a table that are Thus the cross in our mosaic is golden and jewelled, to show that it is not only the instrument of the crucifixion but also the sign of conquest and transformation, the means by which Christ tramples down death by death. SPEAKER 2: What we do have is an extraordinary apse mosaic. Nov 2019. We are clearly looking not at a wild forest but a garden, one cared for by men and women. the name was different. It is enacted in the Holy Liturgy that is performed within its embrace, for the mosaic is in an apse and therefore surrounds the sanctuary and Holy Table. In Genesis Adam and Eve try to hide from God in Eden. These mosaics por-tray, on the south wall, the palace (palatium) of the Amal king Theoderic conated with a prole of the urban landscape of Ravenna and, on the north wall, a prole of the nearby suburb of Classe. On the right is Archbishop Reparatus (671-677), receiving from the Emperor the scroll with its promise of privileges. The number ninety-nine appears again in the Bible and offers a second, complementary layer of meaning. We could say that he is there simply because he was the first bishop of Ravenna. One reason is suggested by an Orthodox liturgical text: He wanted not only to display His divinity, but also to show us what it is to be fully human: I am he who is,, was transfigured today upon Mount Tabor before the disciples; and in His own person He showed them the nature of man, arrayed in the original beauty of the Image. The Aryans believe that as people grow old, they become a "man of sorrow." These Splendid Mosaics at Basilica Sant'Apollinare Nuovo Will Take Your Breath Away (Ravenna, Italy). The way that the holy bishop and martyr is set within the scene suggests that he has a broader significance. But I would suggest that our cross also suggests the Ascension, or rather the words of the angels accompanying the Ascension: Men of Galilee, they said, why do you stand here looking into the sky? And at the front of the We think of Mount Sinai in particular, where Moses met the Lord. Photos by Steven Zucker. In Christian symbolism bees represent the immortality of the soul and the resurrection (for a hive seems to come back from the dead after three months of winter hibernation). The some who stand here are Peter, James and John. Our God-given power within the world is, I think, best understood in an artistic sense rather than exploitative. Above him is a great golden cross set within in an orb of star speckled blue. The Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, built by Theoderic (493-526) next to his palace, was originally used as a Palatine Church of Arian religion. By the 6th century BC the Assyrians had adopted it as pardesu, domain. The sheep of course represent the human flock of Christ. The passage reads: O holy Father, Natural landscape. Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, built c. 500, renovated 560s, Ravenna, Italyspeakers: Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker In our mosaic we find coloured clouds both in the apse and on the uppermost register (executed in the 9th century) atop the triumphal arch. a depiction it is. He stands behind an altar with two loaves and a chalice. The figures displaying gammadia are almost exclusively male, except for a long line of female martyr-saints in the mosaics of the Basilica of St. Apollinare Nuovo. Omissions? The twelve lambs beside him represent all the faithful, and the garden around him is a microcosm of the whole creation that he and all the faithful offer in the Eucharist, and upon which the Holy Spirit descends and transforms. This Privilegia mosaic encapsulates the Orthodox ideal of symphony between Church and state. This church contains magnificent mosaics depicting the teachings, miracles, Passion, and Resurrection of Christ; these are among the oldest such representations in existence and are campanile In campanile Christs transfiguration therefore indicates a return to this natural supernatural state of the human person. The twelve lambs beside him represent all the faithful, and the garden around him is a microcosm of the whole creation that he and all the faithful offer in the Eucharist, and upon which the Holy Spirit descends and transforms. The hand above would therefore indicate the voice of the Father, saying, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him (Matthew 17:5). This is graphically affirmed by two passages in the ancient hymn Exsultet, sung in the Western Church by a deacon in front of the Paschal candle. Mosaic of Christ Enthroned with Angels, Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy: Date: 26 August 2011, 06:01: Source: Mosaic of Christ Enthroned with Angels, Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy: Author: Sharon Mollerus He's built this extraordinary church and here he would pray, here 2023 Orthodox Arts Journal | All Rights Reserved | Facebook|Twitter|D&DbyRolla Creative, LLC. Irenaeus reminds us that Man is created in the image of God [i.e. Identify the following term or individual and explain their significance. This in part explains the special luminosity of our mosaic. As kings as well as priests, we are called not just to give thanks for all creation, but also to work within it to transform it like bees. Imagine a verdant garden. However, once again, iconographers who are willing to divert from the standard visual repetition, come up against the conservative and narrowminded requests of the people commissioning these works. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. Silver was used in a similar way. But the one passage that perhaps best describes this remarkable mosaic is from the Bible: For [the Father] has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of His will, according to His purpose which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth. Light thereby literally comes from within the grass itself, and not merely reflected off its surface. It is clear from the branch collars we see in the larger trees on the mosaic that they have been pruned. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, Master, it is good for us to be here. Our mosaic seems to be saying that the Transfiguration transports us humans back to paradise, our original home where we were intended to meet and commune with God. Bethlehem, His birthplace, represents the beginning of Christs earthly ministry, while Jerusalem represents the fulfilment of it. them, there is no sky. And Bishop Apollinare was not present in the Transfiguration, so why does he figure so large in the depiction? Christ is the divine archetype in whose image we humans are made, and whose glory is reflected in the whole material creation so brilliantly depicted on our mosaic spread out below. liturgical ceremony and texts, and relevant I have the privilege of possessing a few of the original sixth century tesserae from this mosaic, given me by one of the restorers who worked on it in the 1970s. [1] Saint Irenaeus, quoted in Man and the Incarnation: A Study in The Biblical Theology of Irenaeus by Gustaf Wingren. This is the same principle He applies when He tells the disciples that He must depart this world so that He can send them the Holy Spirit. This sign of the Son of Man has been understood by the Church Fathers to be the cross. One key to the deeper meaning of our mosaic is given in fact some days before the event of the Transfiguration itself. The female saints in SantApollinare Nuovo (c. 550570 ce) in the same town wear costumes set with green glass cubes among which appear both patterns and large fields of gold tesserae, producing a striking similarity to rich silk brocade. Excellent and informative, thank you very much. (The Feast of the Transfiguration, Great Vespers, Aposticha). Sant'Apollinare Nuovo. and the Christ child surrounded by four angels. He's built a fabulous palace. How do we know that this mosaic depicts the Transfiguration? Yellow or deeper green tesserae surround each created thing. Let us put up three shelters one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah. (He did not know what he was saying.). The great meadow of luminescent green mingles with blue and gold, adorned with imperial reds. For, as St Paul so poetically writes, the Father raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6). This mosaic shows Jesus standing in a hilly landscape. 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