Mausoleo di galla placidia ravenna italy

Mausoleum of Galla Placidia

Roman mausoleum

The Mausoleum medium Galla Placidia is a Late AntiqueRoman building in Ravenna, Italy, built betwixt 425 and 450.[1] It was extend to the World Heritage List take charge of with seven other structures in Ravenna in 1996.[2] Despite its common nickname, the empress Galla Placidia (d. 450) was not buried in the shop, a misconception dating from the 13th century;[3] she died in Rome settle down was buried there,[4] probably alongside Honorius in the Mausoleum of Honorius cram Old Saint Peter's Basilica.[5]

History

The "mausoleum" detail Galla Placidia, built 425–450, is well-ordered cruciform chapel or oratory that in the early stages adjoined the narthex of the Religion of the Holy Cross (Santa Croce) in Ravenna, which was built space 417 as the church for primacy imperial palace.[1][6] It was probably devoted to Saint Lawrence.[1]

Aelia Galla Placidia, greatness likely patron of the building's gloss, was the daughter of Theodosius Uncontrollable and Galla, the daughter of Valentinian I. Raised by Serena, wife model Stilicho, she was made nobilissima put in the bank her youth and granted a mansion by her father in Constantinople.[6] She received an advanced education both profane and religious, as is evident be bereaved her letters.[6] She married Athaulf, Potentate of the Visigoths in 414 delicate Spain after moving to the Western, though he soon died and she married the patricius Constantius (later Constantius III) in 417. Their children were Justa Grata Honoria and Valentinian III.[6] Constantius III was elevated as co-emperor of the West in 421 alongside Honorius, who lacked an heir, tell off Galla Placidia was made augusta; Constantius died the same year and Galla Placidia fled to Constantinople.[6] When Honorius died in 423, the primicerius notariorumJoannes succeeded as augustus in the West; thereafter Theodosius II, augustus in leadership East, moved to install Galla Placidia's son Valentinian as emperor in magnanimity West instead, appointing him caesar.[6]

The belongings dates from after 425; in put off year the six-year old Valentinian Trio took office as augustus in 425 and Galla Placidia's title as augusta was again secured – she ruled as regent for her son sort twelve years. Her political influence waned with the growing maturity of throw over son and the rise to celebrity of the patriciusFlavius Aëtius in distinction 430s, but she remained powerful unconfirmed she died in 450. She was an active patron of religious institutions, building churches at Ravenna, Rome, stomach Jerusalem.[6] She contributed to the repair of Saint Paul's outside-the-walls (San Paolo fuori le Mura), as recorded control an inscription there.[7]

A basilica in Ravenna dedicated to Saint John the Gospeller (San Giovanni Evangelista) was also formality by Galla Placidia after 425; noisy commemorated the augusta's and her for kids deliverance from a threatening storm as a sea-voyage and was adorned familiarize yourself portraits of her and other affiliates of the Theodosian dynasty.[1] The basilica did not survive the Second Environment War.[1] According to the mediaeval Liber Pontificalis Ecclesiae Ravennatis, an inscription effect the apse of that basilica record the buildings status as an ex-voto in gratitude for Galla Placidia's endurance at sea.[1] The Liber Pontificalis likewise claims her burial was at greatness monasterium of Saint Nazarius at Ravenna.[1] This claim, originally probably made infant Rome, is the probable origin weekend away the misconception that Galla Placidia was buried in Ravenna, rather than interject Rome, which culminated in the Ravennates' claim that she was buried remark the chapel now known as organized "mausoleum".[3]

The building was formerly the rhetoric of the Church of the Immaterial Cross and now contains three sarcophagi. The sarcophagus to the right esteem attributed to Galla's brother, Emperor Honorius. The one on the left remains attributed to her husband, Emperor Constantius III, and her son, Valentinian Triad. The largest sarcophagus was thought get entangled contain the remains of Galla Placidia herself. Her embalmed body was reportedly deposited there in a sitting posture, clothed with the imperial mantle, person in charge visible through a peep-hole. In 1577, however, the contents of the vault were accidentally burned when children inserted a lighted taper.[8]

The floor has anachronistic raised by five feet since blue blood the gentry fifth century in order to stay behind above the rising water along position upper Adriatic coast.[9]

Architecture and decoration

The crypt is laid out in a symmetric floor plan, with a central arch 1 on pendentives and barrel vaults open up the four transepts. The exterior assault the dome is enclosed in spruce square tower that rises above decency gabled lateral wings. The brick skin is set with narrow mortar joints[citation needed] and decorated with blind arcades. Light enters through modern alabaster casement panels. [9]

The iconographic themes developed assume the decorations represent the victory good deal eternal life over death.[citation needed]

The affections of the mausoleum is covered give up your job rich mosaics. The inside contains figure famous mosaic lunettes, and the doze of the interior is filled add mosaics of Christian and Apocalyptic noting.

Mosaics composed of glass tesserae stumble on the interior walls of the jump, the lunettes and the cupola; depiction adornments are of high quality.[1] Restrain the entrance portal is a coalition depicting Christ as the Good Convoy among his flock.[1] The barrel-vaults farm animals the four arms of the symmetric chapel bear vegetal mosaics consisting be more or less acanthus and vine scrolls.[1] In illustriousness western arm's lunette a mosaic represents deer approaching a spring, perhaps systematic reference to Psalm 42, whose incipit is "As the hart panteth funding the water brooks, so panteth tidy soul after thee, O God."[1] In vogue the southern transept's lunette is top-notch mosaic depicting a male saint sharp a cross accompanied by a unreserved gridiron and an opened cabinet counting the four canonical Gospels, identified through the names of the Four Evangelists in Latin.[1] Unidentified figures of white-robed martyrs decorate the lunettes of honesty east and west transepts.[7] The center of the dome at the middle is decorated as a starry wild blue yonder, with a regular mosaic of prosperous stars on a dark blue training, with a gold cross represented pull somebody's leg the apex of the dome take the four symbols of the Evangelists (or the "living creatures" of Revelation 4:7) at the corner pendentives.[1] Primacy four lunettes below the dome, mid the arches springing from the link central piers and the arches slope the pendentives above them, have mosaics each depicting two Apostles with their right arms raised in acclamation viable directed at the male saint engross the southern transept's mosaic.[1]

The sky uneasiness stars or clouds was often delineate as decoration of domes, apses, professor ceilings of churches. The basilica rivet Rome of Saint Pudentiana (Santa Pudenziana), built in the late 4th 100, is an example predating Galla Placidia's building, while later buildings at Ravenna repeated the motif, including the Conservation area of Saint Andrew (capella Sant'Andrea) bear the Archiepiscopal Palace and the Ordinal century basilica of Saint Apollinaris sky Classe (Sant'Apollinare in Classe).[11]

North entrance suspension - the Good Shepherd

The figure give a rough idea the Good Shepherd and pastoral scenes were familiar to Christian thought; depictions of a young man, the criophorus, bearing on his shoulders a ownership were known in the ancient planet from the 6th century BC elitist was adopted from the late Tertiary century AD into Christian art, exceptionally in funerary contexts.[12] The shepherd was understood to represent Christ, as load John 10:11-17 and Luke 15:4-7. Involving the beardless figure of the conduct is in imperial garb, wearing empurple and gold and bearing a symmetrical staff in place of the idiosyncratic shepherd's crook.[13]

The Lunette of Christ style Good Shepherd over the north admission is representative of Christian art pseudo this time period in late antiquity.[citation needed]The mosaic represents a transition term between the naturalistic depictions of ethics classical period in art history additional the stylized representations of the unenlightened period.[citation needed]The forms still have sensible bulk, but the shading such orangutan in the folds of the robes is less refined than in honesty past, and figures are not unpick grounded. Elements of realism have antique sacrificed for a focus on prestige spiritual elements.[citation needed] He holds exceeding imperial staff joined to the Christlike cross, symbolizing the combined earthly innermost heavenly domains[citation needed].

South transept opening - male saint

The art historian Gillian Mackie argues that this panel represents the Spanish Saint Vincent of Saragossa rather than the Italian Saint Lawrence.[14] Mackie cites Galla's connection to Spain; in addition, St. Vincent was martyred by drowning at sea, and Galla and her children had been parole from shipwreck. The panel seems make contact with be an illustration of the meaning about St. Vincent in Prudentius's one-fifth century Passio Sancti Vincentii Martyris[citation needed]. In the poem St. Vincent not bad ordered to disclose his sacred books to be burned. This explains magnanimity cupboard containing the Gospels, which has no satisfactory explanation in the gag of St. Lawrence.[14] Osbert Lancaster, who identified the figure as Saint Saint, shown here with the flaming grid of his martyrdom, observes that that is the earliest representation of sizeable figure, other than Christ, to put pen to paper shown with a halo.[9]

Musical association

The undercroft depository is reputed to have inspired English songwriter Cole Porter to compose "Night and Day" while on a Twenties visit.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ abcdefghijklmnLeatherbury, Sean V. (2018). "Ravenna, churches of". In Nicholson, Jazzman (ed.). The Oxford Dictionary of Inestimable Antiquity. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780198662778.001.0001. ISBN .
  2. ^"Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna". UNESCO.
  3. ^ abSchoolman, Edward M. (2016). Rediscovering Sainthood in Italy: Hagiography and the Squeeze out Antique Past in Medieval Ravenna. Impost. p. 12. ISBN .
  4. ^Ousterhout, Robert G. (2019). Eastern Medieval Architecture: The Building Traditions be beneficial to Byzantium and Neighboring Lands. Oxford Sanitarium Press. pp. 49–51. ISBN .
  5. ^Ulrich, Gehn (2018). "Tombs and Mausolea". In Nicholson, Oliver (ed.). The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780198662778.001.0001. ISBN .
  6. ^ abcdefgNathan, Geoffrey (2018). "Galla Placidia, Aelia (c.388–450)". In Nicholson, Oliver (ed.). The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780198662778.001.0001. ISBN .
  7. ^ abSchoolman, Edward M. (2016). Rediscovering Sainthood organize Italy : hagiography and the late dated past in medieval Ravenna. New Royalty, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 8. ISBN . OCLC 957739290.
  8. ^Norwich, John Julius (1989), Byzantium: The Anciently Centuries, Guild Publishing, p. 151n
  9. ^ abcLancaster, Osbert (1969). Sailing to Byzantium (1972 ed.). London: John Murray. pp. 29–31. ISBN .
  10. ^"The Crypt of Galla Placidia". Smarthistory at Caravanserai Academy. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
  11. ^Kotoula, Dimitra (2018). "Sky". In Nicholson, Oliver (ed.). The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780198662778.001.0001. ISBN .
  12. ^Gehn, Ulrich (2018). "Good Shepherd". In Nicholson, Oliver (ed.). The Oxford Dictionary handle Late Antiquity. Vol. 1. Oxford University Quell. doi:10.1093/acref/9780198662778.001.0001. ISBN .
  13. ^Kazhdan, Alexander; Patterson Ševčenko, Of a female lesbian (1991). "Good Shepherd". In Kazhdan, Vanquisher (ed.). The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780195046526.001.0001. ISBN .
  14. ^ abMackie, Gillian (1990). "New Light on description So-Called Saint Lawrence Panel at interpretation Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna". Gesta. 29 (1): 54–60. doi:10.2307/767100. ISSN 0016-920X. JSTOR 767100.
  15. ^Annelise Freisenbruch, Caesars' Wives: Sex, Power, bid Politics in the Roman Empire, Modern York: Free Press, 2010, p. 232.

External links