Towards the Paradise : Crossing the River in the Apsidal Decorations of Carolingian Rome
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| Year of publication | 2018 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | The River Jordan is an essential iconographical element found in the various compositions of apsidal decorations. In the apsis of Santi Cosma e Damiano, it separates saints and pope Felix IV (526-530) from the depicted Christ. On the other hand, in Santa Prassede, church commissioned by Paschal I (817–824) which is supposed to be a copy of the previously mentioned decoration, the figures surrounding Christ in the apsis are depicted already beyond the waters. This alternation was never investigated, even if, in such a precise reception of the older model, it cannot be regarded as an accidental choice. The present paper attempted to clarify the role of the pope and his court or the Greek monks living in the Santa Prassede in this decision. The scrutiny of the dialogue between the stational liturgy of the city and Santa Prassede’s decoration led to uncovering the layer of meaning hidden in this conception. In other words, the stational liturgy was used as a bridge between the ritual space its decoration and meaning of the river in the Carolingian Rome. |
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