EARLY CHRISTIAN, JEWISH,

AND BYZANTINE ART

 BATTLE OF THE MILVIAN BRIDGE (312 CE)
AND THE EDICT OF MILAN (313 CE)

Arch of Constantine, Rome, 312-15 CE

THREE MONOTHEISTIC RELIGIONS IN THE NEAR EAST?
THREE MONOTHEISTIC RELIGIONS IN THE NEAR EAST:

JUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY, ISLAM

SAVIORS AND PROPHETS

HOLY BOOKS

BELIEFS ON IDOLATRY AND THEIR IMPACT ON ART

CATACOMBS BENEATH ROME
Good Shepard, Orant Figures, and Story of Menorahs and the Ark of the Covenant,
Jonah, painted ceiling of the Catacomb of Saints wall painting in a Jewish catacomb,
Peter and Marcellinus, Rome, 4th c. CE Rome, 3rd c. CE
Good Shepard, Orants, and Story of Jonah, painted ceiling of the
Catacomb of Saints Peter and Marcellinus, Rome, 4th c. CE
Arch of Titus, Rome, concrete and marble, c. 81 CE
RAIDERS OF THE LOST
ARK, 1981

• HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.CO
M/WATCH?V=0APF3SO9TQ
E
Wall with Torah Niche, from a house-synagogue, Dura-Europos, Syria,
244-45 CE
EARLY JEWISH ART

Solomon

Herod the Great

Jerusalem was conquered 586 BCE by Babylonians, was returned to power under
Cyrus the Great of Persia in 539 BCE, then again conquered 70 CE by Roman emperor
Titus
Solomon: King of
Israel, Son of
David, 970-931
BCE, first temple
in Jerusalem

Herod the Great:

Roman ally, King
of Judea, c. 36-4
BCE, second
temple in
Jerusalem
Detail of wall painting at Dura-Europos, Syria, 244-45 CE
COMPARE THESE MAPS:
THE ROMAN EMPIRE AND THE
SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH?

What are the Gospels?

Who are the Evangelists?
When was the New Testament written?
How is it organized?
What year did Jesus die?
How was the early church organized?
When did the Roman Government recognize Christianity?
When did the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches split?
What are the Gospels? Books of the New Testament in the Bible

Who are the Evangelists?

Matthew (angel), Mark (lion), Luke (ox), and John (eagle) – authors of the
Gospel Books

When was the New Testament written? 70 to 100 CE

St. Jerome, an early Church father, arranged them and translated them to
Latin
How is the New Testament organized? Along with the Gospels, there
are also the Acts of the Apostles, Epistles (letters), and Apocalypse

What year did Jesus die? c. 33 CE

How was the early church organized? Dioceses, Bishops, Parishes,

Cathedral, Pope/Patriarch

When did the Roman Government recognize Christianity? 313 CE

When did the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches split?
1054 CE
EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
ARCHITECTURE

Reconstruction of Old St. Peters Basilica, Rome, c.

320-27 CE
Basilica, Trier, Germany, early 4th c. CE
Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, 432-40
Parting of Lot and Abraham, mosaic, Santa
Maria Maggiore, c. 432
Church of Santa Costanza (daughter of Constantine), Rome, c. 350 CE. Image on the
right is a detail from the image program within the building shown on the left
Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, exterior, Ravenna, Italy, c. 425-26
THE ADVENTURES OF GALLA PLACIDIA

SHE WAS THE HALF-SISTER OF THE ROMAN EMPEROR HONORIUS, WHO MOVED THE
CAPITAL OF THE WESTERN EMPIRE TO RAVENNA

SHE WAS IN ROME WHEN IT WAS SACKED BY THE VISIGOTHS IN 410 CE

SHE WAS CAPTURED AS A PRIZE OF WAR BY THE GOTHS

SHE TRAVELED WITH THEM AROUND FRANCE AND SPAIN, FINALLY MARRYING THEIR
KING

WHEN HER HUSBAND WAS MURDERED, SHE RETURNED TO ITALY, WAS MARRIED AND
WIDOWED AGAIN, AND BECAME RULING REGENT FOR HER SON OVER THE WESTERN
ROMAN EMPIRE FROM 425 TO 437 CE
Interior of Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna, Italy, c. 425-26
Mark Rothko, Rothko Chapel, Houston, 1964-71
Mosaic of St. Lawrence in a lunette, Galla Placidia, Ravenna, Italy, c. 425-26
Interior of Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, with Good
Shepherd Mosaic, Ravenna, Italy, c. 425-26
Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus, marble, c. 359
Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus, Church of Hagia
Sophia, Constantinople (now Istanbul), Turkey, 532-37.
Interior of Hagia Sophia (was later converted to a mosque, and
is now a museum).
Church of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy, 526-47
Mosaic of Saint Vitalis and Bishop Ecclesius presenting a model of the
church of San Vitale to Christ, Church of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy,
526-47
Mosaics of Justinian and Theodora,
Church of San Vitale, Ravenna,
Italy, 526-47
Apse mosaic in Church of Sant’Apollinare in Classe, Italy, depicting the
Transfiguration of Christ, c. 549
Detail of the Evangelists Mark and Luke carrying their
books of the Gospels, Apse mosaic in Sant’Apollinare in
Classe, Italy, c. 549
 Mosaic of Christ Pantokrator, Church of
the Dormition, Daphni, Greece, c. 1080
Central Dome and Apse, Katholikon, Monastery of Hosios
Loukas, early 11th c.
St. Catherine’s Church, Athens, 11th c.
Photographs taken by Dr. Von in Spring 2015
Iconostasis, 16th century chapel, Athens, Photo by Dr.
Von, May 2015

Virgin of Vladimir, icon, originally made in

Constantinople and then brought to Kiev in
Russia in the 12th century and to city of
Vladimir in 1155
Icon of the Virgin and Child, Hosios
Loukas Monastery, Greece, 11th century
 Raphael, Small Cowper Madonna, oil on
panel, Renaissance, c. 1505. National
Icon of the Virgin and Child, Hosios Gallery, D.C.
Loukas Monastery, Greece, 11th century
ROCK-CUT BYZANTINE CHURCHES AT CAPPADOCIA
IN MODERN DAY TURKEY
ROCK-CUT SACRED ARCHITECTURE
 CONTINUED BYZANTINE
INFLUENCE IN VENICE,
ITALY

Cathedral of St. Mark, Venice,

begun 1063