6. MOSAIC SETS IN ROME, THESSALONIKI AND RAVENA DURING THE EARLY CHRISTIAN PERIOD

 

During the Early Christian period, ancient Greek works of art were being placed in the streets of Constantinople. Constantinople became the new Rome, without this meaning that the old Rome fell into obscurity.

One of the most famous buildings for their interior decoration of that period was the Mausoleum of Santa Constantia in Rome (Mid 4th century AD). This was a pericentric building, as was customary in burial structures. The lighting of the building was more intense in the center than in the side aisles. That was symbolic. It symbolized the ascension of the soul. Depending on the lighting of each part of the building, each believer used to choose the place where he would pray.

In the mausoleum of Santa Constantia, as in other buildings, the Romans preferred as its decoration the application of mosaics. The reason they did it was because they were solid materials, which were making the lighting more intense.

Today, everything one knows about the mosaic decoration of Santa Constantia is located on the sides of the church. The mosaics in this area give the impression of a carpet. There is no sense of depth in the scenes. Their colors are not very bright. Where the space is illuminated, the colors are softer while in the darker places they become more intense.

Regarding the mosaics of the 5th AD. century, they generally give the impression of fabrics or carpets. The high quality mosaics of the period show that there was already an important tradition in this art. The tiles are usually small and their qualities are very high. Their materials are gold, glass and more. Common themes are birds among fruit branches, angels, other forms in circular frames and more. Monuments with such high quality mosaic decorations are usually associated with emperors.

A famous building for its mosaics is the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. This is a building with a street character. This type of typology is found in both ancient and Christian buildings of a religious nature. Of course in the classical temples the decoration is external while in the Christian ones it is internal.

An ancient entablature is preserved inside Santa Maria Maggiore. Also in the part of the central arch mosaics are preserved.

The mosaics of this church are reminiscent of those of Hellenistic times. Their impression is that of the sunset time. Their forms are created in a completely modern way, reminiscent of that of the modern Impressionists.

The scenes depicted in this temple are from the Old and New Testaments and show the older tradition introduced into Christian art. The most characteristic are the following:

"Abraham is accepted by the priest Melhisedek, who welcomes him as the winner to enter the city." The forms of the scene are embodied. There is an anachronism here: Christ flies and blesses even though it is a scene from the Old Testament and not from the New Testament.

"Pharaoh's daughter welcomes Moses who is a small child." Here someone can see the whole spirit of the east in terms of precious clothes and bright colors.

"Moses, Aaron and Joshua were stoned to death by the Israelites." To show the intervention of the divine power, the artist created a round shape around the three chased figures, which indicates that they are protected. In scenes like these, the small models of the cities and other architectural elements make an impression.

At this point it should be noted that the models of many illustrated manuscripts were the models of many mosaics of the Byzantine period. One of the best known is Vatican’s Virgil. Manuscripts like this were an important source of inspiration for Byzantine artists. These are art works with scenes that often have a pagan character and depict herbs, the seabed with its corals, medical themes, the myths of Aesop, Alexander the Great and more. The orderers of the Byzantine mosaics used to offer the relevant manuscripts to the artists, so that the latter could consult them and create their works.

In this point, it must be mentioned that in general, Byzantine art is divided into three periods:

The early is from the 4th to the middle of the 9th AD century.

The middle is from the middle of the 9th (end of the iconoclasm) to the middle of the 13th AD century (Crusades).

The later period is from the middle of the 13th century (reoccupation of Constantinople) until 1453.

From a political point of view, a characteristic of these periods was the obsession of the Byzantine emperors to maintain the entire territory of the state that contained the lands occupied by Alexander the Great. Of course this maintenance was extremely difficult. During the reign of Justinian, territories of the Italian and Iberian peninsulas were recovered, with the contribution of generals Narsis and Belisarius. The rest of Europe was impossible to be maintained due to barbaric invasions.

During the time of Heraklius, the title "king", which was Persian, was added to the Byzantine title "Emperor".

So, the most powerful of the Byzantine emperors gave their name to the various periods of Byzantine art.

The term "Renaissance" is also found in Byzantine art. In this case, however, it does not mean creating something new but returning to old things.

Thus, in the centuries of Byzantine art, various renaissances took place, such as the one of the period of the Komnenos’ dynasty, the other of the period of the Palaiologos’ dynasty, etc.

It is certain, however, that the most important work of art of the Justinian period is the Church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, with the characteristic huge dome, which occupies the entire width of its middle aisle. This is a building that, depending on the time of day, changes its natural interior lighting.

In the time of Justinian (emperor of the period 527-565 AD), orthomarbling and mosaics were less common in the decoration of buildings. Particular attention was paid to matching the veins of the marbles used.

However, from the Justinian period, more miniatures survived, such as those on ivory.

A typical art work among the others is "Justinian", which is known as the Barberini diptych and dates to the beginning of the 6th AD century.

Another well-known work is the depiction of two ladies.

In this point it must be mentioned that the term "diptych" means a kind of high art invitation, carved on ivory.

Another well-known diptych is the "Archangel" which reminds of ancient Victory. It is characterized by plasticity, contra posto, etc. The shallow erection of the figure and the feeling of its floating legs show that it is clearly a Byzantine work and not a work of late antiquity. Nevertheless, the volume of the face and the rich clothes of the angel are reminiscent of ancient Greek art.

Mensoria are also a category of Byzantine works of art. These are dishes that have decorations. Some well-known representations of Byzantine mensoria are the following:

"David fights with the lion." On a plate found in Cyprus.

"David faces Goliath."

"Meleagros and Atalanti".

The decorations of the floors of the Holy Palace of Constantinople are also very beautiful and well-known. Some of the scenes they represent are the following:

"Hunting scene". It is reminiscent of the ancient floor of Antioch.

"Roman lady".

"Shepherd feeding his animal".

"Poseidon". This representation is again reminiscent of the ancient floor of Antioch.

In Thessaloniki of the Early Christian years, several remarkable buildings were constructed, such as St. George the Round and St. Demetrios.

St. Georgios the Round was built by the tetrarch o Galerius and some believe that it was intended to be his tomb. Of course, in the end Galerius was not buried in Thessaloniki. So probably the building took the use of a temple of worship of Kaveirs or Zeus. Also, the top hole and the water collection tank just below the building indicate that it was not a mausoleum.

A remarkable mosaic representation of the temple is that of "Heavenly Jerusalem". It was in the canopy and it was very interesting. It was made of high art mosaics. The representations of buildings in it are impressive. In front of them, men are presented who cover the range of all the then known professions (doctors, clergymen, etc.). Next to each form,  the name, the profession and the date of his celebration are written. However, it seems that the depicted buildings have been influenced by the forefront of Roman theaters or facades of Roman buildings. All these buildings look like jewelry and do not show their weight. It is as if they have lost their material character and are in the realm of the imaginary.

In the dome of the church a sketch in black pencil depicts Christ. There are forms of angels around him. So this is a takeover.

There is still plasticity in the forms of the building's decoration. The scenes are dominated by the play of the golden with the brown tiles in the background for a more interesting result. The figures are in symbolic positions. Their luxurious clothes do not reveal the shape of their bodies but give them flatness. Finally, in the scenes there is also the palm bird. The depiction of palm trees in Byzantine art is a symbol of the Renaissance.