Christ is the second Adam, who becomes and fulfils all that the first Adam (that is, us) failed to be and do. Irenaeus reminds us that Man is created in the image of God [i.e. which glowing fire ignites for Gods honour, We have already discussed how the cross represents Christs Second Coming, of which His transfiguration is a foretaste. Unlike perhaps the most famous church in Ravenne, San Vitale, which is a central plan, Sant'Apollinare Nuovo is a Basilica plan. esk; Dansk; Deutsch; English; Espaol; Franais . The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen. The Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo was included in the list of Italian World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1996. The Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is regarded as one of the most crucially important sites of Medieval Christian art in Europe. He is accompanied by another bishop (perhaps his predecessor Maurus (642-671), plus a priest in a yellow chasuble and two deacons. THE MOSAIC APSE OF SANTAPOLLINARE IN CLASSE, RAVENNA: SantApollinare in Classe mosaic. Like the empire it served, it was a direct continuation from its Imperial Roman predecessor, but played a far greater role in the defence and survival of the state than its earlier iteration. Above him is a great golden cross set within in an orb of star speckled blue. 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. So our mosaic suggests a link between this promise to Abraham and the kingdom to come, in which the faithful from many nations are gathered into the New Jerusalem, the kingdom of God, to live in an everlasting covenant with Christ. And when we looked down the We are witnessing the material word shining with light, like Christs garment on Mount Tabor. Or to use another analogy, as spiritual gardeners we are to cultivate the wild and wonderful world into a garden. October 13, 2016The Altar and The Portico (pt.1), April 8, 2021Painting as Prayer, The Art of A. Sophrony Sakharov, August 27, 2015Lighting in Orthodox Churches: Liturgical Principles and Practical Ideas, September 3, 2020Being, The Art and Life of Father Sophrony, April 3, 2015Holy Tables with Reliquaries, a Short History. 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. Once senses an affirmation of St Pauls (and St Gregory of Nyssas) assurances that even in eternity we shall continue to grow in His likeness, passing from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). Why then did He allow His glory to shine in this particular instance, on Mount Tabor? This hymn was composed perhaps as early as the fifth century, and certainly no later than the seventh, so it may well have been known by the person who designed the mosaic and therefore support this interpretation of the bees on Apollinares chasuble. 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. There's another frieze of large figures that are interrupted by the windows on the side of the church. 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. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfilment at Jerusalem. In the internal faade of the basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo is exhibited a rectangular fragment of detached mosaic depicting a sovereign: he is in a frontal position surrounded by a golden halo and with his head adorned with a pearl diadem and precious stones from which the pendilia (hanging chains) descend. Christ is the second Adam, becoming and fulfilling all that the first Adam (that is, us) failed to be and do. But he also dressed like a Roman senator, his toga bearing the senatorial a shoulder to hem stripe. The mosaic possesses various concentric bands of enclosure. 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. This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven. (Acts 1:11). But bees also represent communal transformative labour, since the work of the hive changes nectar into honey. Quite remarkably, close inspection of the little golden designs on Saint Apollinares chasuble reveals that they are in fact bees (see figure 13). We are clearly looking not at a wild forest but a garden, one cared for by men and women. The mosaic aims to encompass not just the beginning but also the end, the fulfilment of Gods work of salvation in Christ. The Church is a priestly being, whose calling is to give thanks for all creation and to offer it to the Creator. To this theme we shall now turn. 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. Light thereby literally comes from within the mosaic itself, and is not merely reflected off its surface. While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. and their confrontation. And just like Sant'Apollinare in Nuovo, there would have been mosaics all along the nave, but those are gone. The eighth day resurrection therefore takes human nature beyond the endless trapped cycle of the seven day week. They had a God-given task, and this task once fulfilled would lead to their perfection, which was union with God, transfiguration. So as well as depicting Apollinare as a celebrating bishop, our mosaic also suggests his - and by extension, our role as kings and queens within the world. By the 6th century BC the Assyrians had adopted it as pardesu, domain. (figure 6) These two simple letters capitulate the whole theme of the apse mosaic. Bishop Apollinare is celebrating the liturgy. largest figure, Christ, dressed in imperial purple. But the curvature of the apse means that the actual running dimensions of the apse are greater still: around 24 metres/78 feet wide, and 17 metres/55 feet high. On the left side are the secular authorities: the emperor and his brothers Heraclius and Tiberius, with a fourth figure holding a ciborium. Through incorporation into the Body of Christ and through our Eucharistic life, all matter can be transfigured. Any ministry that Bishops, priests and lay possess are all participants in Christs ministry. We could say that he is there simply because he was the first bishop of Ravenna. In this article I want to explore some of the themes expressed by this splendid mosaic. A large church built to look . 405-431 and builder of Ravennas cathedral and baptistery; and Ursicinus (VRSISINVS), bishop 533 -536, and commissioner of SantApollinare in Classe. Corrections? 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. 12th century, Saint Catherine's Monastery. Brilliant! a long line of male martyrs parallel the female This in part explains the special luminosity of our mosaic. But we shall come to these later. In Genesis Adam and Eve try to hide from God in Eden. For this reason the Son also appeared in the fullness of time to show how the copy resembles Him.[1]. We are witnessing the material word shining with light, like Christs garment on Mount Tabor. This is usually taken to refer primarily to His crucifixion, but I would suggest that at the same time it refers to His Ascension, His departure from earth into heaven. Date palms, symbols of paradise, fruitfulness and victory. For the sake of completeness we can mention the date palms that stand either side of the apse. But this visual discourse is not merely to be observed. Light thereby literally comes from within the grass itself, and not merely reflected off its surface. Add to this the emerald green and you feel embraced by the garden. It depicts the priest King Melchezidek standing behind an altar with bread and wine, with Abel offering a lamb on his right, and Abraham offering Isaac on his left. and to promulgate an understanding of For the sake of completeness we can mention the date palms that stand either side of the apse. the Father], and the image of God is the Son, in whose image man was created. - [Beth] The female virgin martyrs that we see all carry crowns. Please check your email for further instructions. Sunlight enters each piece and re-emerges as emerald tinted. We recall that not only did Christs person shine with light on Tabor, but also His inanimate garments. The upper tier: Christ and the four living creatures. Something went wrong. Mountains are not a place of instasy, a place to remain. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen. Deeply rooted in the classical tradition. In a medallion at the very top and centre of the triumphal arch is depicted Christ, blessing and holding the scriptures. We recall that not only did Christs person shine with light on Tabor, but also His inanimate garments. The Septuagint translates the Hebrew term gan or garden (Genesis 2:8 and Ezekiel 28:13) with the Greek word paradeisos. Global shipping available. We respect your privacy. The Church can prophetically oppose a secular power that acts contrary to Gods commandments, but it can also accept material assistance from it if this genuinely aids the Churchs spiritual work and benefits peoples lives. There are in fact ninety-nine stars in our mosaic. They are the only human figures in our mosaic that are clothed entirely in white. Collectively we are that lost sheep, and the good angels are the ninety-nine sheep not lost. Mosaics, Sant'Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna, 6th century. Above him is a great golden cross set within in an orb of star speckled blue. We had work to do in paradise. All is culminated in the material wax becoming immaterial fire in praise of God. was actually dedicated to Christ the redeemer. Whom do you seek? Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.. Our God-given power within the world is, I think, best understood in an artistic sense rather than exploitative. Such is the sixth century apse mosaic at the basilica of Saint Apollinare in Classe, five miles from Ravenna, Italy. Here is the wine, this is 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. After he had communed with God and received the tablets of the law on Sinai, Moses had to leave the summit and descend back to the encamped Israelites. 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? The ultimate purpose of Christs incarnation was our own deification, our union with Him. A conversation with Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris. The Lords Second Coming will establish His Kingdom without end. People visit mountaintops, but they do not stay there. Each side are the four winged creatures, each holding a Gospel. There, according to the Genesis account, God placed us humans and give us the task to cultivate it. Sant'Apollinare Nuovo: Right Side of the Nave. our published articles. How are we to understand the large figure of Saint Apollinare (identified by the inscription SANCTVS APOLENARIS)? Palms traditionally represent paradise and a fruit bearing life. It is a precursor to the rich vision that St Maximus the Confessor was to write about a century later, where in Christ the human person becomes both microcosm and mediator, to use Lars Thunbergs phrase. Creatures in paradise We see sheep, but also birds perched on trees, rocks, grass, and even on the floral adornment of the border. 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). Christs parable of the lost sheep (Matthew 18:10-14) speaks of the shepherd leaving ninety-nine of his flock to find the one lost sheep. It is clear from the branch collars we see in the larger trees on the mosaic that they have been pruned. The Creator in His turn transfigures and offers this world back to us. Mosaics in Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna (6th century) The sumptuous mosaics that cover the walls of the nave in Sant'Apollinare Nuovo reflect the dominant role that mosaics had assumed in the churches of the Christian East. The Cross: Christs Second Coming in glory, The jewelled Cross, sign of Christs transfiguration, crucifixion and Second Coming. The number ninety-nine appears again in the Bible and offers a second, complementary layer of meaning. Early Christian, 493-504; established by Theodoric when he was king of Italy; palace church; relics of St. Apollinarus brought here in 9th cent. The great meadow of luminescent green mingles with blue and gold, adorned with imperial reds. he would take Communion. How to use 'Greek cross' in a sentence? Which phrase best describes the style of the Christ as Good Shepherd mosaic from the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia at Ravenna? When modern man makes streetlights for the night he places the lampposts precisely the same distances apart and makes each lamp identical in brightness and colour. And yet it also possesses dynamism, movement and life. Another clue to this link between the Lords Transfiguration and His Second Coming is His other statement, eight days before the Transfiguration: Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God. The most immediate meaning of these words is understood by most commentators to refer to Christs coming Transfiguration. This was a church that They are the only human figures in our mosaic that are clothed entirely in white. 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. This collection _______ the best short stories I have ever read. We see Christ with his 12 Apostles. 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