Chapt 15 Christianity & The Formation of Europe

Christ as the Sun, detail of a mosaic under St. Peter's necropolis, Rome. Mid-3rd cent.

Christ is portrayed as a sun-god (like Apollo) with grape leaves - Christ was the true vine- but grape leaves were also Roman symbols of fertility & wine.

Reliquary statue of Sainte Foy. Late 10th - early 11th c Gold and gemstones over a wooden core.

Contains relics of St. Foy herself - pilgrims would have come to pay homage to her.

San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy. C. 527-47

Does not use the standard cross plan, but has a central plan, octagonally shaped, & with a central dome. It is fairly plain on the outside, but...

Plan of a Roman basilica (Reconstruction of Old St. Peter's,Rome. Begun c. 320)

1. Nave: the open center space, which extends up the highest, admitting light. 2. Aisles: the shorter areas surrounding the nave. 3. Apse: a curved section at one or both ends. 4. Entrances (along the sides) 5. Clerestory: the upper extension of the nave, with lots of windows (clerestory windows).

Romanesque Period:

1050 to 1200, based on southern styles from the old Roman Empire.

Gothic Period:

1200 to 1400, based on northern style of the Goths, the invaders. Later called "barbarian" & "vulgar" by Renaissance people.

Gothic Period:

1200 to 1400, based on northern style of the Goths, the invaders. Was later called "barbarian" & "vulgar" by Renaissance people.

Icon:

A picture of a sacred subject painted on a wooden panel.

Byzantine emphasis was on the "there" not the "here":

Abstract, other-worldly, not realistic, or everyday. Images were progressively more stylized, flattened, golden.

Giotto,The Lamentation. Fresco.1305-1306.

Giotto: breaking with tradition. 1.)Showed depth of space going back from the picture plane, like looking out a window (not flat); 2.) Figures showed natural, human reactions.

Empress Theodora and Retinue, detail. c. 547. Mosaic. San Vitale, Ravenna.

Glittering mosaic from the interior of San Vitale, portraying the rulers.

Dedicated to Mary, the Rose Window and lancets, Chartres Cathedral, France, 13th century.

Gothic Feature: Light: Huge stained glass windows Chartres had over 150 of these windows. Gem-like colors represent a medieval vision of heavenly splendor.

Emperor Constantine

In 313, issued an edict of tolerance for all religions, & he himself became Christian. Many magnificent churches were built under his sponsorship.

Constantine the Great, 325-326 C.E. Marble. Head Ht: 8'6"

In 324, Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Constantinople, Byzantium (today known as Istanbul, Turkey). He left behind a 30'H statue of himself as a reminder! Only the huge stylized head remains.

Icon with the Crucifixion. Byzantine, c

Mary & John the Baptist are present. All figures are stylized, portray ideas, not events. It is framed by saints, angels, and important men & women of the early Church.

Saints Theodore, Stephen, Clement, & Lawrence, Chartres Cathedral, France, 13th century.

More in the Gothic Style: more fully rounded, not so much blended into the columns.

Temples were built to house the gods, & for priests to perform rites:

Most common people were not allowed to enter.

Flamboyant (flame-like), or French style.

Only parts of the church, the façade and the shorter, chunkier spire, remained after a fire in 1194. Chartres Cathedral, France. 1134-1260.

Aerial View of Sainte-Foy, Conques, Auvergne, France. c. 1050-1120.

Part of a building boom: there were a variety of churches, but they shared common features: thick stone walls, round arches, barrel- vaulted stone ceilings.

Mosaic depicting Christ as Pantokrator. Santa Maria la Nuova, Monreale, Sicily. Before 1183

The Byzantine Christ is shown as more majestic and awe-inspiring than he is portrayed in images in western Europe.

Door jamb statues, west façade, Chartres Cathedral, France, c. 1145-70

The Welcoming Committee The exterior of the Chartres Cathedral has over 2,000 sculptures. They serve as a bridge between the everyday life and the spiritual life within. They were created at different times, in different styles. These were still in stylized, stiff, Romanesque style.

Duccio, Christ Entering Jerusalem, Detail of Maesta Altar. 1308-11. Tempera on panel

The artist Duccio's landmark painting: 1.) Tried to create a believable outdoor space. 2.) Used architecture to define space, rather than just as a backdrop.

Middle Ages

The period between the fall of the last Roman emperor in 476 & the beginnings of the Renaissance in the 15th century The Germanic peoples were known as "barbarians" (meaning foreigners). Nomads, they were considered crude and uncultured.

Byzantium

They made Christianity the state religion, combining the riches of the earthly kingdom with the images of a heavenly kingdom, & producing magnificent art.

Chartres Cathedral, France. 1134-1260.

This Gothic style, created by an unknown architect, immediately caught on and was imitated: ornate, linear, vertical elements that direct the eye upward.

Sainte-Foy, Conques, Auvergne, France. c. 1050-1120.

This is the earliest Romanesque church still standing.

Interior, Palace Chapel of Charlemagne, Aachen. 792-805.

This opened a new chapter in European history: the political ruler had the blessings of the Church of Rome. C. Built a Palace Chapel at Aachen, modeled after San Vitale, but also using Roman arches.

The High Middle Ages:

This was a period preoccupied with religion: many great cathedrals were built, and most of the artistic legacy was religious. (Two Main Periods Romanesque & Gothic)

Necropolis

Vault of an underground burial chamber (city of the dead).

Charlemagne (Charles the Great).

Was crowned "Holy Roman Emperor" by the Pope in 800.

Basilica:

a multi-purpose meeting hall, a long, rectangular hall, with entrances on both sides or at the ends.

Suger, a powerful French abbot, wanted to remodel the Abbey Church of Saint-Denis, near Paris, along these lines:

a. It should reach up to heaven b. It should have harmonious proportions c. It should be filled with light In response, his architect gave him: a. Pointed arches b. Ribbed vaulting c. Flying buttresses d. Huge stained glass windows