Citation link:
https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/bhs1987/0040
JERZY MIZIOŁEK
71 and postscriptum), and apocrypha (?): the Epistle of the
Apostles and the Renelation of Peter. It seems that tłie scene
in S. Paulo presents Chrit as the True Sun who would reveal
in the East when the time came. Such an interpretation is
confirmed by the dome decoration of the so-called mausoleum
of Galla Placidia in Ravenna, where, according to Nord-
strom, the shining cross symbolized Christ as the rising Sun
during the Final Corning (the Empress Galla Placidia also
founded the decoration of the triumphal arch in San Paolo
fuori le mura). 2. Mosaics in the domo of the church of St.
George in Salonica.
The poorly presorved mosaics in the church named now
Hagios Georgios were most probably executed in the middle
of the 5th century. The existing fragments enable one to
distinguish three basie zones of the decoration: the medallion
in the dome centre, supported by four angels and accompanied
by the shining cross and Phoenix, which representing Christ
is mainly known thanks to the Synopium discovered by Torp ;
the second zone, almost completely destroyed, with fragments
of feet and palliums of numeorous figures; the lowest zone
with twenty saints in orantlike poses with architecture in the
background. The author develops Grabar and Kleinbauer's
hypothesis that it was not the Ascension but the Final Corning
of Christ that constituted the subject of the decoration.
First, the author completes the relation between the imago
Christi and the representation of the ancient god of light,
he points out to numerous examples of Helios clothed in
a long coat who, similarly to Christ holding a long cross, raises
his right hand and wields the sceptre in his left one. The above
representation is likely to be derived from the Colossus of
Rhodes or other cult statues of Helios (sceptre). Let us add
that the Salonica effigy is related not only to the reprezen-
tation of Christ the Sun in the apse of the Roman Church of
SS Cosma e Damiano but also to the representation in the
medallion in the centre of the cross crowning the spring of the
Water of Life in a miniaturę of the Soissons Gospels (fig. 21),
where perhaps the late antique pattern was followed. The
figure, most probably Christ himself, is dressed in a long coat
and raises his right hand and wields the cross in his left one.
Last but not least, the above representation can be associated
with Christ the Sun on the ground of the writings of loannes
Chrysostomos and Andrew of Crete.
Following some earlier hypotheses the author is of the
opinion that the second zone presents neither prophets nor
angels but the Elders of the Apocalypse. Owing to Snyder's
investigations we know that the Revelation could have been
a literary source of the programme for Salonica was linked
with Rome in the 5th century. It was also in Salonica that
the artistic conceptions of both parts of the Empire merged.
Similarly to the triumphal arch in San Paolo fuori le mura,
the programme of the Salonica dome consists of three zones:
Christ amidst the angels, the Elders, and saints. This may
lead to a suggestion that the decoration of the Salonica dome
was a wariant of the flat wall of the Roman arch or vice
versa. Correspondingly to S. Paolo, the programme of the
church of Hagios Georgios was based on various literary
sources: the Reuelation, patristic writings, apocrypha (?),
where Christ of the Fii^al Corning had the countenance of the
Sun.
3. The Lamb .in the Sun" in the Homage of the Elders
of the Apocalypse in pre-Romanesque art.
From among pre-Romanesquo representations of the
Homage there are only two examples where it is the Apoca-
lyptic Lamb, presented in the light-em&natirg clipeus, that
was adored — I mean here the Soissons Gospels and Beatus
from S. Milian de Cogolla. Aceordirg to Schnitzler, the same
representation could have been depicted in the mosaics of
the dome in the Aachen Palatine Chapel. The iconography
of the mosaics whoso last fragments were destroyed in the
18th century, is known first of all through Campini's en-
gravings as well as Bergeron's and Petrus a Bceck's descrip-
tions. Of certain importance is also a drawing for Peiresc sińce
it suggosts that the centre of the dome was occupied by the
light-emanating medallion. Miziolek generally follcws Schnitz-
ler's hypothesis according to which it was not the Enthroned
Christ but rather the Apocalyptic Lamb that constituted
the ideological centre of the decoration programme; he also
points out to the fact that both the image Christi and re-
presentations of the Lamb could be present (combination of
that type was popular in art of the first millennium). The
main purpose of the present article is to prove that the light
emanated by the elipeus with the Lamb refers not only to
the Renelation (4, 5): And out of the throne proceeded lightnings
and thunderings and voices (as was suggested by Schnitzler)
but also to solar symbolism. The hypothesis is developed on
the grounds of both the comparative materiał gathered by
the author and the considerations of Baltrue&itis, who related
the representation from the San Millan de Cogolla miniature
with the image of the Sun as a cirele with rays. It is also
supported by Noehles's work on the facade of St. Peter's
church in Tuscany, who pointed out to the great popularity
of rose-windows symbolizing Christ the Sun in Italian art.
Particularly significant in this respect is the representation
of the Lamb „in the Sun" in Pieve di Castel Ritaldi (1141),
perhaps originally encircled by tlie symbols of the Evangelists.
The realation of the above representations with solar sym-
bolism seems to be confirmed by numerous effigies of Christ
the Sun in pre-Romanesque art (the Psalter from Utrecht,
some scenes of the Ascension, and the painting with the
Good Shephard „in the Sun" in the catacombs of S. Gennaro
in Naples — 4th century ?). The author thinks it likely that
the Lamb „in the Sun" was presented for the first time on
the facade of S. Pietro in Vaticano during the pontificate of
Leo the Great or Sergius I around 692.
In the scenes of the Final Corning the solar symbolism
might have been originally opposed by the cult of the Sun;
with time, however, it was incorporated into Christian art.
The representations of Christ shining as the Sun or the Lamb
who symbolized Jesus reminded the Christians of St. Matthew's
words: then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun (Math.,
13, 14). See note 204.
Translated by Piotr Paszkiewicz
71 and postscriptum), and apocrypha (?): the Epistle of the
Apostles and the Renelation of Peter. It seems that tłie scene
in S. Paulo presents Chrit as the True Sun who would reveal
in the East when the time came. Such an interpretation is
confirmed by the dome decoration of the so-called mausoleum
of Galla Placidia in Ravenna, where, according to Nord-
strom, the shining cross symbolized Christ as the rising Sun
during the Final Corning (the Empress Galla Placidia also
founded the decoration of the triumphal arch in San Paolo
fuori le mura). 2. Mosaics in the domo of the church of St.
George in Salonica.
The poorly presorved mosaics in the church named now
Hagios Georgios were most probably executed in the middle
of the 5th century. The existing fragments enable one to
distinguish three basie zones of the decoration: the medallion
in the dome centre, supported by four angels and accompanied
by the shining cross and Phoenix, which representing Christ
is mainly known thanks to the Synopium discovered by Torp ;
the second zone, almost completely destroyed, with fragments
of feet and palliums of numeorous figures; the lowest zone
with twenty saints in orantlike poses with architecture in the
background. The author develops Grabar and Kleinbauer's
hypothesis that it was not the Ascension but the Final Corning
of Christ that constituted the subject of the decoration.
First, the author completes the relation between the imago
Christi and the representation of the ancient god of light,
he points out to numerous examples of Helios clothed in
a long coat who, similarly to Christ holding a long cross, raises
his right hand and wields the sceptre in his left one. The above
representation is likely to be derived from the Colossus of
Rhodes or other cult statues of Helios (sceptre). Let us add
that the Salonica effigy is related not only to the reprezen-
tation of Christ the Sun in the apse of the Roman Church of
SS Cosma e Damiano but also to the representation in the
medallion in the centre of the cross crowning the spring of the
Water of Life in a miniaturę of the Soissons Gospels (fig. 21),
where perhaps the late antique pattern was followed. The
figure, most probably Christ himself, is dressed in a long coat
and raises his right hand and wields the cross in his left one.
Last but not least, the above representation can be associated
with Christ the Sun on the ground of the writings of loannes
Chrysostomos and Andrew of Crete.
Following some earlier hypotheses the author is of the
opinion that the second zone presents neither prophets nor
angels but the Elders of the Apocalypse. Owing to Snyder's
investigations we know that the Revelation could have been
a literary source of the programme for Salonica was linked
with Rome in the 5th century. It was also in Salonica that
the artistic conceptions of both parts of the Empire merged.
Similarly to the triumphal arch in San Paolo fuori le mura,
the programme of the Salonica dome consists of three zones:
Christ amidst the angels, the Elders, and saints. This may
lead to a suggestion that the decoration of the Salonica dome
was a wariant of the flat wall of the Roman arch or vice
versa. Correspondingly to S. Paolo, the programme of the
church of Hagios Georgios was based on various literary
sources: the Reuelation, patristic writings, apocrypha (?),
where Christ of the Fii^al Corning had the countenance of the
Sun.
3. The Lamb .in the Sun" in the Homage of the Elders
of the Apocalypse in pre-Romanesque art.
From among pre-Romanesquo representations of the
Homage there are only two examples where it is the Apoca-
lyptic Lamb, presented in the light-em&natirg clipeus, that
was adored — I mean here the Soissons Gospels and Beatus
from S. Milian de Cogolla. Aceordirg to Schnitzler, the same
representation could have been depicted in the mosaics of
the dome in the Aachen Palatine Chapel. The iconography
of the mosaics whoso last fragments were destroyed in the
18th century, is known first of all through Campini's en-
gravings as well as Bergeron's and Petrus a Bceck's descrip-
tions. Of certain importance is also a drawing for Peiresc sińce
it suggosts that the centre of the dome was occupied by the
light-emanating medallion. Miziolek generally follcws Schnitz-
ler's hypothesis according to which it was not the Enthroned
Christ but rather the Apocalyptic Lamb that constituted
the ideological centre of the decoration programme; he also
points out to the fact that both the image Christi and re-
presentations of the Lamb could be present (combination of
that type was popular in art of the first millennium). The
main purpose of the present article is to prove that the light
emanated by the elipeus with the Lamb refers not only to
the Renelation (4, 5): And out of the throne proceeded lightnings
and thunderings and voices (as was suggested by Schnitzler)
but also to solar symbolism. The hypothesis is developed on
the grounds of both the comparative materiał gathered by
the author and the considerations of Baltrue&itis, who related
the representation from the San Millan de Cogolla miniature
with the image of the Sun as a cirele with rays. It is also
supported by Noehles's work on the facade of St. Peter's
church in Tuscany, who pointed out to the great popularity
of rose-windows symbolizing Christ the Sun in Italian art.
Particularly significant in this respect is the representation
of the Lamb „in the Sun" in Pieve di Castel Ritaldi (1141),
perhaps originally encircled by tlie symbols of the Evangelists.
The realation of the above representations with solar sym-
bolism seems to be confirmed by numerous effigies of Christ
the Sun in pre-Romanesque art (the Psalter from Utrecht,
some scenes of the Ascension, and the painting with the
Good Shephard „in the Sun" in the catacombs of S. Gennaro
in Naples — 4th century ?). The author thinks it likely that
the Lamb „in the Sun" was presented for the first time on
the facade of S. Pietro in Vaticano during the pontificate of
Leo the Great or Sergius I around 692.
In the scenes of the Final Corning the solar symbolism
might have been originally opposed by the cult of the Sun;
with time, however, it was incorporated into Christian art.
The representations of Christ shining as the Sun or the Lamb
who symbolized Jesus reminded the Christians of St. Matthew's
words: then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun (Math.,
13, 14). See note 204.
Translated by Piotr Paszkiewicz