Early Christian Art and Architecture

Early Christians Found Themselves Scapegoats for Rome The famously evil Roman emperor Nero had Christians tortured after a fire that nearly destroyed the city. Christian refusal to pay tribute to Roman gods and goddesses seemed a threat to the social order.

Still, Christianity spread The earliest Christian art is found in catacombs under Rome. It is usually done by fresco, painting done on wet plaster. Christian tombs were often marked by a fish

In Rome, Christians decorated the catacombs with rich iconography that blended stories from the life of Christ with stories from the Hebrew Bible Below: Jonah being cast off the boat 4 th Century C.E.

At left: The Good Shepherd C.E At right: Calf Bearer 570 B.C.E.

Dura-Europos The find of the ancient city of Dura- Europos proves that Christianity coexisted with Judaism, worship of Roman god and goddesses and even Mathraism.

Constantine Constantine was a pretty intriguing guy He was born in what is now Serbia (it was the Roman Empire) His mother was Christian He rose in the ranks as a military leader, eventually becoming Caesar.

He witnessed the persecution of Christians under his predecessor Diocletian In 312 he issued the Edict of Milan granting tolerance to Christians

Was Constantine ever truly a Christian? It’s hard to say. He funded the building of basilicas and seemed to support the early Christian church, but he also built an Triumphant Arch covered with Greek gods and goddesses.

In 323 C.E. Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire to Byzantium, which was renamed Constantinople (now Istanbul).

Why move? Istanbul was a great port; it had the potential to be an economic powerhouse This region was the most Christianized at the time A new capital city for a new state religion Rome was increasingly under attack from tribal peoples from France, Germany, etc. Remember the Dying Gaul?

East West Divide West: In Rome, the pope held authority apart from the state Roman Catholic Church East: In Constantinople, emperor granted authority to the church’s patriarch Eastern Orthodox Church

Byzantine: (adj.) Characterized by elements from Byzantium, a medieval Holy Roman Empire located in what is now Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) that was artistically influenced by the Ancient Greeks

Reign of Justinian and Theodora 527 C.E. The power couple of the East Roman Empire Justinian, a rags to riches story. He was helped by his uncle (who was a military leader) into power. He was known as the emperor who never sleeps. He spent big. Theodora, a rags to riches story. She was a courtesan who liked to spend big too. They ushered in a golden age. They were devout Christians. So devout that they shut down the last Platonic school in the empire because the suspected pagan influences. They both liked to see pictures of themselves.

Empress Theodora and her Attendants Page 171

Culture centered on Constantinople (as developed by emperors Constantine and Justinian) Where Greeks focused on exterior beauty, Christians focused on inner beauty Exterior of churches very plain Churches commonly use domes on square bases Side altars evolved for private, wealthy patrons/families Interior filled with mosaics and gold painted altarpieces

Basilicas were very straightforward in their footprint and can best be described as longitudinal.

Plain façade opens to incredible richness… Saint Apollinare, Ravenna, Italy C.E.

Opens to incredible richness…(see pg. 166 of your books)

Hagia Sophia (Church of Holy Wisdom – once the world’s largest church) in Constantinople (now a museum in Istanbul) Built by Holy Roman Emperor, Justinian, C.E. Byzantine Architecture, identified by round domes (4 minarets added in 1453 with Muslim influence)

Interior of Hagia Sophia Byzantine Architecture characterized by darkness with gold paintings and glass mosaics Iconography removed with Ottoman Empire control

Engineering Innovations such as pendentives make the Hagia Sophia soar

The Romans built domes, but never one on this scale The Hagia Sophia takes Roman tradition to a new level. Light suffuses the basilica, reminiscent of the light of God as well as Plato’s illumination of knowledge.

Tessarae Mosaics Glass tiles Shiny; slightly irregular Intense color Mosaics of this scale were unprecedented

Emperor Justinian and courtiers, wall mosaic, San Vitale, Ravenna, c. 547 C.E. Almost life-sized Page 169

Empress Theodora and her Attendants Page 171

Interior shot of San Vitale built 547 C.E.

Interior, San Vitale Sparse lighting through Romanesque windows

Byzantine painting Common in Eastern Orthodox traditions Iconography - paintings in gold, red, blue on wood Disproportioned figures and lack of perspective or depth reflect irrelevance of the exterior and the body Figures not firmly-grounded, represent focus on spiritual life Meaning and emotion take precedence over reality Use of discs as halos to represent Godliness Faces similar, stressing the unimportance of individuality in this world; often eastern in features and skin tone

Maesta Altarpiece (Madonna in Majesty) Tempera on Wood, , by Duccio Byzantine painting Page 261

Detail of Maesta, by Duccio Location: Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena

Madonna Enthroned c Painted by Cimabue Tempera on Wood altarpiece Style: Byzantine (gold paint, ethnicity) Gothic (subjects stacked upward, toward heaven) Page 260

The Annunciation of the Virgin, painted by Simone Martini, 1333 Tempera on wood, altarpiece Gothic Frame Identify Symbols: Lilies Words of Life Foreshadow ing of crucifixion The holy spirit Olive laurels Page 264