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PART II
THE MIDDLE AGES
CHAPTER 8
EARLY CHRISTIAN AND BYZANTINE ART
Early Christian Art
Key Images
Painted Ceiling, Catacomb of Santissimi Pietro e Marcellino, Rome, p. 238, 8.1
Sarcophagus, p. 239, 8.2
Jacopo Grimaldi, Interior of Old St. Peter′s, Rome, p. 243, 8.6
Interior (view through ambulatory into rotunda), Santa Costanza, p. 243, 8.8
Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna, p. 245, 8.10
Interior, Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, p. 246, 8.11
Good Shepherd, Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, p. 247, 8.12
Orthodox Baptistery, Ravenna, p. 247, 8.13
Dome mosaics, Orthodox Baptistery, Ravenna, p. 248, 8.14
Interior, Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, p. 248, 8.15
Triumphal arch, mosaic, Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, p. 249, 8.16
The Parting of Lot and Abraham and Shepherds in a Landscape, p. 249, 8.17
Scenes from the Book of Kings, Quedlinburg Itala, p. 250, 8.18
Miniature from the Vatican Vergil, p. 251, 8.19
Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus, p. 252, 8.20

The earliest Christian art can be found in the Roman catacombs, dating to ca. 200 CE.
The primary value of early Christian frescoes in catacombs was symbolic. Christ is
often represented in early Christian art as a shepherd, which was in keeping with the
prohibition against image making.

Before the legalization of Christianity, early Christians met in private homes or
catacombs to celebrate the Eucharist. The domus ecclesiae at Dura-Europos is
representative of this type of meeting place.

After his triumph over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge in 312 CE, Constantine
passed the Edict of Milan in which he granted freedom from persecution to all
religions. After the legalization of Christianity, Christians were able to worship in
public, basing their first church, Old St. Peter′s, on the Roman basilica. This type of
church, known as a basilica-plan church, was modeled on the basilica with the
addition of a transept. The orientation of the early Christian church was also critical,
with the apse pointing to the east, in the direction of Jerusalem.
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
Central-plan churches are based on the martyrium and are often dedicated to martyrs.
One of the earliest central-plan churches is Santa Constanza, dedicated to
Constantine′s daughter Constantia who was buried there. The central-plan church
does not have a transept, but instead has an ambulatory which surrounds the central
rotunda.

Early Christian wall mosaics were an important part of Early Christian decoration,
and like the frescoes, were highly symbolic.

Illustrated manuscripts played an important role in disseminating Early Christian
imagery.

From the mid-fourth to the early sixth century, classicizing tendencies recurred in
Early Christian sculpture.
Byzantine Art
Key Images
Early Byzantine Art
Exterior, San Vitale, Ravenna, p. 254, 8.23
Interior (view from the apse), San Vitale, Ravenna, p. 254, 8.24
Emperor Justinian and His Attendants, San Vitale, Ravenna, p. 255, 8.25
Empress Theodora and Her Attendants, San Vitale, Ravenna, p. 255, 8.26
Exterior, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, p. 256, 8.28
Interior, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, p. 257, 8.29
Arcade and capitals, Hagia Sophia, p. 259, 8.31
Interior (view from south aisle facing northwest), Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, p. 260, 8.32
Justinian as Conqueror, p. 260, 8.33
The Archangel Michael, p. 261, 8.34
Jacob Wrestling the Angel, from the Vienna Genesis, p. 262, 8.35
Christ, Monastery of St. Catherine, Mt. Sinai, p. 263, 8.36
Virgin and Child Enthroned Between Saints and Angels, p. 264, 8.37
The Crucifixion and Iconoclasts, from the Khludov Psalter, p. 265, 8.38
Middle Byzantine Art
Page with Joshua and the Emissaries from Gibeon, from the Joshua Roll, p. 267, 8.39
David Composing the Psalms, from the Paris Psalter, p. 267, 8.40
The Harbaville Triptych, p. 268, 8.41
Christ Crowning Romanos and Eudokia, (″Romanos Ivory″), p. 269, 8.42
Interior (facing west), Church of the Dormition, Daphni, Greece, p. 269, 8.44
Dome mosaics, Church of the Dormition, Daphni, Greece, p. 270, 8.45
The Crucifixion, Church of the Dormition, Daphni, Greece, p. 270, 8.46
St. Mark’s (aerial view), Venice, Italy, p. 271, 8.47
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Interior, St. Mark′s, Venice, p. 271, 8.48
Interior, Cathedral, Monreale, Italy, p. 272, 8.49
Late Byzantine Art
Madonna Enthroned, p. 272, 8.50
Anastasis, Kariye Camii (Church of the Savior in the Chora Monastery), Istanbul, p. 274,
8.51

While there is no clear chronological line between Early Christian and Byzantine art,
most scholars date the beginning of the Byzantine style to the reign of Justinian (527–
565 CE). Justinian’s patronage of art displayed a unity of style which set the
foundation for the future development of Byzantine Art.

San Vitale is the most important building of this period, begun in 526 under
Ostrogothic rule.

In Constantinople, the great surviving monument from Justinian’s reign is Hagia
Sophia, which is a unique combination of basilica and central-plan features.

The development of Byzantine Art was disrupted by the Iconoclastic Controversy
which dates from 726–843 CE. The conflict began with an edict from the Byzantine
emperor Leo III in 726 CE prohibiting religious images. This conflict continued for
over a century with the Iconoclasts (image destroyers) insisting on a literal
interpretation of the biblical ban against graven images and their opponents, the
Iconophiles, led by monks who argued for a Neo-Platonic interpretation in which
Christ and the image were inseparable. The controversy caused an irreparable split
between Catholicism and the Orthodox faith, although the two churches remained
united until 1054 when the Eastern patriarch was excommunicated by the pope for
heresy. The Iconophiles were victorious in 843, and the making of Byzantine art
resumed. The Khludov Psalter was produced soon after this, and the illustrators in an
inscription likened the Iconoclasts to the crucifiers of Christ.

During the early tenth century, a classical revival occurred in Byzantine Art. This
was followed by an emphasis on the emotional content of biblical narratives.

Late Byzantine pictorial art utilized illusionistic techniques familiar in Roman wall
painting.
Key Terms/Places/Names
catacombs
lunettes
orants
sarcophagi
prefiguration
typology
domus ecclesiae
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basilica-plan church
baldacchino
martyrium
atrium
narthex
transept
central-plan church
ambulatory
Edict of Milan
gallery
Greek cross
parchment
vellum
codex
manuscript illumination
Justinian
Theodora
chi-rho
arcades
pendentives
continuous narration
icon
Iconoclastic Controversy
Iconoclasts
Iconophiles
deësis
mandorla
Discussion Questions
1.
How did the Biblical prohibition against image making affect the development of
early Christian art?
2.
What was the Iconoclastic Controversy and how did it affect secular and religious
art?
3.
In what ways does the basilica-plan church differ from the central-plan church?
4.
Using the mosaics of Justinian and Theodora from San Vitale as examples, discuss
the characteristics of Byzantine art.
5.
How does Middle Byzantine art differ from Late Byzantine art?
6.
What role does iconography play in Early Christian art?
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7.
Discuss the impact of the Edict of Milan on Christian art and architecture.
Resources
Books
Boyd, Susan A. Byzantine Art. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1979.
Carr, Annemarie Weyl. Byzantine Illumination, 1150–1250: The Study of a Provincial
Tradition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987.
Christe, Yves. Art of the Christian World, A.D. 200-1500: A Handbook of Styles and
Forms. New York: Rizzoli, 1982.
Ferguson, George Wells. Signs and Symbols in Christian Art. New York: Oxford
University Press, 1967.
Gregory, Timothy. A History of Byzantium. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2005.
Grough, Michael. Origins of Christian Art. London: Thames and Hudson, 1973.
Milburn, R. L. P. Early Christian Art and Architecture. Berkeley: University of
California Press, 1988.
DVDs
Empires: Peter and Paul and the Christian Revolution. (2002). PBS Paramount. 120 min.
www
History of the catacombs http://www.catacombe.roma.it/en/storia.html