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Aula Palatina
Germany
Late Antique Europe
Early 4th century C.E.
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Content: Built in the traditional Basilica plan, this was a christian church created more for the purpose of service rather than a display of grander.
Style: Almost all styling of the church is on the interior, besides the arched windows and apse which can all be viewed from the exterior all well. The overall style of the church is similar to Roman architecture but with early christian influences. The are still the repetitive roman arches around the windows, the high ceiling, and the main meeting space that became a space for the pews. But this church had a very different purpose than the basilicas and temples of ancient Rome; instead, the Aula Palatina was open to the entire public, represented the change in religious beliefs from Roman mythology to christianity. The interior is also very stark and bare, with the inclusion of small panes of glass in the barred windows. The apse also includes a high, domed ceiling with coffers, similar to the Pantheon, but in this case made with wood.
Context: This church was built during the very final days of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the rise of Christianity and the Dark Ages. The overlaps in eras explain the roman influences that appear, but also why those influences are more simplified. The church was focused less on decoration and appearance than it was on just supplying a place for christian worship, which is why the interior is stark and bare, with all focus centered on the altar and where the service would have taken place.
Old St. Peter's Basilica
Rome, Italy
Content: This is a building built in the Vatican in Rome, which consists of a main basilica, side aisles, a courtyard, and a surrounding wall.
Style: The basilica here was built as a variation of the traditional basilica plan, one that disappears until later christian architecture. It involves a main basilica area, with side aisles built off on either side to expand the interior space. The basilica space ended with an apse and was then bisected by a horizontal hallway called the transept, to make the entire building a representation of the cross. The building was also surrounded by a gate, with a narthex entryway leading to an atrium (not unlike the private homes of Roman times). Also like the Romans, the basilica included colonnades and a clerestory.
Context: The building reflects some of the influences that no doubt came from the city of Rome that surrounded the Vatican, including the atrium with a water-based center (fountain) and the colonnades. This basilica is now referred to as the "old" St. Peter's Basilica because, during the start of the dark ages, it fell into disrepair.
People raided the building for construction materials to build their own houses. The basilica was also made from stone, concrete, and had a wooden roof that eventually caught fire and added to the destruction. A new St. Peter's Basilica was built later on in the exact place where this one once stood and the newer version still stands today as part of the Vatican.
#48
Catacombs of Priscilla
Content: These catacombs are underground tunnels carved from tufa stone that lay beneath a villa and house (or used to house) around 40,000 tombs for early Christians in Rome. There are stacked shelves throughout the tunnels where the bodies were places and some parts of the catacombs are decorated with frescos. The entirely of the tunnels are about 5 miles in length.
Style: The tunnels were all carved by hand as were the "liccoli", the spaces for the bodies. The painted frescos, especially those in the entryway to the tunnels, included the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th orders of painting, with panels decorated with painted stone borders and with illusionistic sense within the panels. The liccoli themselves were also hand-carved, sealed with plaster, marble, or terra cotta and then painted.
Context: Early Christians at this time were largely prosecuted in the Roman Empire, which is part of the reason why these burial sites had to be constructed underground and out of plain sight. Still, the decorations of the catacombs are very Roman, with the use of the order of fresco paintings and use of construction materials like plaster, marble, and terra cotta, as well as the similar painting materials. At the same time, though, these tunnels held the strongly unique and identifiable iconography, symbolism, and stories of Christianity.
The land under which the catacombs were constructed was actually gifted by a wealthy, christian (although perhaps not openly) patron named Priscilla who was herself, buried within the catacombs. Her house rests onto of the complex and the basement of the house serves as the main entry point to the tunnels.
The bodies stored in the tombs of the catacombs were mostly people of the Christian faith who had died for the name of their religion and were hence religious martyrs and saints, with their bodies being considered relics, that could be worshiped by living Christians in the catacombs.
Greek Chapel
In Catacombs of Priscilla
Content: This is a section of the catacombs called a cubicula that is painted with significant frescos depicting certain stories from both the new and old testaments of the Bible. The scenes include the story of the salvation of Susanna by Daniel, the resurrection of Lazarus, and the story of Moses striking water from a rock. There is also the inclusion of animal imagery (peacocks, doves, quails, and sheep) and the Orant and Good Shepard frescos. There is even a fresco that looks very similar to a representation of the last supper. All the frescos are focused in depicting the various miracles of christ.
Style: The style of fresco shown here is known as the Pompeian style, utilizing green and red lines to separate different stories and imitating the look of marble. The background of the frescos are also painted white, possibly to enhance the image or to create a feeling of salvation. Additionally, each of the figures are simplified and have slightly unrealistic proportions.
Context: This section was dubbed the "Greek" chapel because some greek symbols were found right along side the Christian symbols (like images of anchors and fish) and some latin writing. It is part of the catacombs that is closest to the basement of the house, meaning it was one of the first cubicula to be carved and decorated. Other than depicting the miracles of Jesus, the Greek Chapel also has a fresco dedicated to the life of Priscilla and it is thought that her body may have been placed here, along with those of her family, as a tribute for her patronage and christian faith. The painted peacocks, too, symbolize the afterlife.
Orant Fresco
In Greek Chapel
Content: Thought to be a depiction of Priscilla herself, the orant fresco actually contains two other images other than the one of Priscilla in the orant position. The two other images show Priscilla getting married and then having children. In the center, orant image, Priscilla is looking upwards and holding her hands out as if to receive something.
Style: There is still a stylization and simplification happening in this fresco, like the lack of personalized features in the face and enlargement of the hands. The colors of the fresco are relatively muted but the inclusion of blue in Priscilla's head wrap is reminiscent of the Virgin Mary. The shading of the face also gives the impression that there is a light source coming from above.
Context: The panel which displays the orant fresco is thought to be depicting the major life events of Priscilla, including her marriage, child bearing, and, in the orant fresco, her death and assent into heave. Because the artist utlized the orant pose, and positioned Priscilla's eyes to be looking above, it is represented that she is looking up to and receiving her salvation in heaven. The use of shading and implying a light source also speaks to the idea that Priscilla is ascending into the light of heaven. The use of all this imagery was probably used to inspire the Christian faith to all practicing Christians who came to the catacombs seeking refuge to practice their religion or worship the remains of christian martyrs who had died for their faith, which may have included Priscilla.
Good Shepard Fresco
Content: This fresco shows a young man standing, surrounded with sheep, birds, and two trees. The fresco is encircled by Pompeian borders and is in the center of the ceiling in the Greek Chapel.
Style: The young man is in the classical roman contrapposto pose, with shifted weight and a tribute to naturalism, despite the figures iconic and stylized look.
Context: The fresco was meant to display a young jesus in the literal position of being a good Shepard to his flock. The image shows christ as young, perhaps also innocent, healthy, and strong. The sheep represented the christian worshipers and how they would be protected by Jesus. It was another fresco done to help inspire faith in the early christians and continuously remind them of the stories and beliefs of the Christian faith.
#49
Santa Sabina
422 - 432 C.E.
Content: This is a basilica plan christian church, very similar to the Aula Palatina but with side aisles and more decoration.
Style: Although this church is similar to the Aula Palatina, it's interior architectural innovation and decoration is more elaborate and harkens back to the glory of Rome and the Old St. Peter's Basilica decoration with the use of colonnades, roman arches and side aisles. The church includes Corinthian Columns, a clerestory, and a coffered roof. The doors are original wooden ones with 16 panels each that depict scenes from the Bible. The windows were originally made of selenite - a clear stone that was refined and cut thin.
Context: This was an early Christian church built on a section on land donated by a women called Sabina who was executed for practicing the Christian faith and converting to Christianity. Because of her death, she was made a saint for which they named the church after. The elaboration in decoration in this church also speaks the rising power of Christianity in Rome and elsewhere that was expressing pride in its religious values for the public. The paneled doors of the church set a standard for church doors for many years, utilizing the panels to separate and depict stories of the Christian faith.
Late Antique Eruope
Content: Basilica Plan church with additives built with style in mind.
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Style: The Santa Sabina was an expansion on the traditional Basilica Plan with a nave, expansive side aisles all facing towards the apse. The church also included colonnades and utilized the side aisles to support the clerestory level and heighten the ceiling. The paneled doors were also a new innovation in architectural design.
Context: The floor plan of the Santa Sabina represented the next step the Christians took in expanding their faith through their churches.
#50
Rebecca and Eliezer at the Well, from the Vienna Genesis
Early Byzantine Europe
Early 6th Century C.E.
Content: This singular page depicts the story of a pink clad women leaving a walled city, walking along colonnaded paths to a well, where she provides a drink of water to a young man and his many camels. There is a semi-nude female perched near the well but is not interacted with by any of the other characters. The page also includes written text above the illustration of the story.
Style: Made on vellum (calf's skin) and illustrated with painted pictures and inked words, the pages of this book represented the early medieval style in art and documentation. The pictures, depicting the story of Rebecca and Eliezer from the Old Testament, was created using continuous narration, with all the events of the story taking place along the same timeline or the same scene (similar to a time-lapse). There is an attempt at illusionary perspective in showing the far-off city from where Rebecca came from, but it lacks reality. The columns, similarly, are too small in their proportions to appear life-like. The entire surface of the vellum was originally soaked in dye to make it purple and the letters were painted using silver leaf.
Context: This is a single page from the illuminated manuscript called the Vienna Genesis (a version of the Old Testament from the Bible). These types of medieval books (made like those today, with separated pages and hard front and back covers) were created with detailed illustrations to communicate the messages and stories in Christian religion to a largely illiterate population in Europe. However, the costs of producing these early codex pieces of religious value was so expensive that they were created at the commands of royal families and used to educate the royals of Europe in Christianity. This led to the lavish design of some of the manuscripts and the use of silver leaf in the Vienna Genesis. It communicated a connection between the power of religion and the power of royalty. The semi-nude female figure was meant to be the human representation of the well (or the spring around which it was built). This use of personification is similar to the Greek and Roman myths about water spirits and shows the borrowing of ideas between the weakening influences of Rome and Early Christian Europe.
Jacob Wrestling the Angle, from the Vienna Genesis
Content: This page shows the procession of Jacob and his followers and the confrontation Jacob has with an angel. The story is based off the biblical story and is depicted as one illustration.
Style: Made in the same style as the first page (Rebecca and Eliezer), this page utilizes the continued narration technique and use very undeveloped forms of perspective. The scene is depicted as moving right to left, then at the edge of the illustration, the bridge is painted with an attempt at changing depth and perspective so that the narration continues on the bottom half from right to left. The figures themselves also have incorrect proportions, with too large of hands and heads to fit the short bodies.
Context: This page holds the same context as the last, but with specifics on the lack of proportion and coloration of the pages. After the fall of Rome, many of the perfected artistic cannons of proportion, realism, or even expressionism vanished. The illustrations in the Vienna Genesis show a "return" to the art seen before the development of classical pieces and convey the limited knowledge these artists had about being able to create correct proportions or illusionary depth on the 2-D surface. The pages of the book, as mentioned before, were either painted or dyed purple. This was done in order to enhance the royal appearance of the book, as purple was considered a royal color.
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