Biblical Research
While the goal of every artist is to create an aesthetically pleasing work of art, there is usually an underlying meaning that will often take priority over the aesthetics of a piece of art. In medieval art, this underlying meaning as well as the theme was almost invariably religious. The mosaics from Sant Apollinare Nuovo are no exception as the New Testament scenes depicted along the walls of the nave are each symbolic of what would have happened inside of the church. In addition to relating to the actions performed around them, the mosaics also relate to one another in three pairs, one being near the entrance, one near the altar, and the other in the middle. As well as the series of New Testament scenes along the North and South walls, there are also depictions of processions beneath these scenes which also relate directly to what happened in the church.At the entrance on the south side of the nave is a depiction of when Jesus appeared to the disciples after being resurrected from His tomb and is showing them His scars to prove that it is really Him. As He pleads with them to have faith, Jesus also tells them to spread the word of God because "there is forgiveness for all who turn to [Him]" (Luke 24:47). This mosaic, b
Near the middle of the nave are mosaics of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead and Peter denying Jesus. Both are symbolic of the power of repentance. In the case of Peter, he denied being one of Jesus' disciples three times just as Jesus predicted he would before the rooster (standing on the column in the mosaic) would crow (Matthew 26:31-5). He, however, repented and is now a saint. Lazarus, other than being a symbol of the strength of God, also symbolizes the power of God. These works are near the middle of the nave because they are both stories of how life does not end with a single sin. Just because Lazarus had reached the end of his life, it was not completely over for him because of God's decision to resurrect him. Peter had denied his faith, but his religious life continued as he repented and preached Christianity to the masses. Underneath the mosaic scenes are processions of male martyrs on the south side and female martyrs on the north side. They symbolize the offertory procession that would have taken place through the nave. The male martyrs are wearing white robes and carrying crowns. Both the white robes and crowns are symbols of divinity. The female martyrs wear bridal gowns and carry crowns for the same reasons as the male martyrs. The female martyrs are led by the Magi in a procession toward the Virgin Mary and the newborn Christ. These processions of holy people carrying and wearing holy items likened the people in the church to the martyrs, suggesting that all of God's children are holy, and that not even those who are recognized as holy people are any better than faithful Christians. The placement of the mosaics in the nave is also significant. Their location in relation to the entrance and altar has already been described in the significance of the work itself, but the placement of each mosaic in relation to the other mosaics is also important. On the south side of the nave, the passions of Christ are in chronological order from east to west. This direction of the chronology symbolizes Christ's journey away from the altar, which is the human place of worship, and toward heaven. The mosaics were placed where they are well before it was acknowledged that the Earth is roun
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1499
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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