-
-
The major theme of the mosaic program is the authority of the emperor in the Christian plan of history. The mosaic program has also been seen to give visual testament to the two major ambitions of Justinian's reign: as heir to the tradition of Roman Emperors, he saw himself as the defender of the faith. As such it was his duty to establish religious uniformity or Orthodoxy throughout the Empire. -
This is an iconic painting of Mary and the saints of Christ, it had become increasingly central in Byzantine Empire in worship. People were concerned that they were just worshiping the image instead of venerating them or respecting them. It began at the period of iconoclasm, which is a Greek word for "Breaking Images" There was violence going on and believed that every image in the city of Constantinople was destroyed. This lasted from the early 700s to the mid 800s. -
This reliquary, or container is holding the remains of a saint or holy person, which was one of the most famous in all of Europe. It was so famous that it was originally located in a monastery in Agen but the monks at Conques held the remains of Saint Foy, a young Christian convert living in Roman occupied France during the second century. -
These are carved sculptures which is called the Last Judgement tympanum, Below these saints, a small arcade is covered by a pediment, which is meant to represent the House of Paradise. Those are blessed people, who have been saved by Christ and who will remain in Paradise with him for eternity. On the bottom right shows Hell, which things aren't looking very good. Its a chaotic disorderly scene, this is where the devil is from, and you see demons pushing people into the mouth of Hell. -
In earlier state, the medieval representations of Christ focused on his divinity. In these work of art, Christ is on the cross. but never suffers. His divinity overcomes all human elements and so Christ stands proud and alert on the cross, immune to human suffering. There were many other Pieta statues, but this one appeared in Germany in the late 1200s and were made in this region throughout the middle ages. -
-
This is the Virgin of Jeanne, what makes it typical to the Gothic Period is that it is extraordinary tenderness that we see between the mother and child, the child is represented as Christ. It is a symbol of resurrection, recalling not the beginning of his life, but the end.