Church of Santa Maria Maggiore
Date:
432–40
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Italy
Description:
The church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome dates to the reign of Pope Sixtus III (r. 432–40). Mosaic decoration appears along the nave walls, with biblical scenes from the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob on the north side and from the lives of Moses and Joshua on the south. The mosaics of the arch before the apse focus on the life of Mary, to whom this basilica was dedicated, and the early life of Jesus (the mosaics in the apse were replaced in the thirteenth century). At the apex of the throne, Peter, Paul, and symbols of the evangelists flank a prepared throne (Hetoimasia), which Christ is meant to occupy upon his return at the end of days.
Images of cities appear throughout the mosaic decoration. In the nave, Pharaoh's army pours forth from a city before being overwhelmed in the Red Sea, Joshua sends out spies from a Canaanite city, and the city of Jericho appears with one of its walls collapsing. Such high-walled cities with corner towers also appear in the triumphal arch, where the large and bejeweled cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem are prominent. In one biblical narrative (the Presentation in the Temple), a personified Rome decorates a temple pediment. This martial figure appears with her crested helmet, spear, and globe, transforming the Jerusalem Temple into a temple of Roma Aeterna. With this substitution, the mosaicist Christianized Rome and made it the backdrop of biblical narrative.
Images of cities appear throughout the mosaic decoration. In the nave, Pharaoh's army pours forth from a city before being overwhelmed in the Red Sea, Joshua sends out spies from a Canaanite city, and the city of Jericho appears with one of its walls collapsing. Such high-walled cities with corner towers also appear in the triumphal arch, where the large and bejeweled cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem are prominent. In one biblical narrative (the Presentation in the Temple), a personified Rome decorates a temple pediment. This martial figure appears with her crested helmet, spear, and globe, transforming the Jerusalem Temple into a temple of Roma Aeterna. With this substitution, the mosaicist Christianized Rome and made it the backdrop of biblical narrative.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
2
Image Credits:
Wikimedia Commons, flickr (Creative Commons)
