Ancient Mosaics in the Churches of Rome [pp. 137-144]

A7.]VCIENVT MOSAICS IN THE CHURCHES OF ROME.
covered the ancient one. The mosaic of
the tribune is among the oldest in Rome,
and dates from the fifth century. Mr.
Hemans, the archaeologist, thinks it more
interesting than any others, and certainly
it has more grace of style, skill in coloring, and truth to Scripture, than any
others. It represents Christ seated upon
a golden throne, wearing a gold dress
and crown, and a narrow blue scarf.
The right hand is raised in benediction,
and the left holds an open hook. The
other figures, apostles, saints, and the
Madonna, are standing or seated in various and graceful attitudes, while their
faces, instead of wearing the usual
frightful expression of ancient mosaics,
are natural and beautiful. There are the
usual emblems of the four evangelists,
the cross, and the two cities of Christ's
birth and death, Bethlehem and Jerusalem. This mosaic presented a very beautifull effect the morning that I visited it,
with the sunlight streaming through the
windowvs of the arch above upon the
picttire, and illuminating the gold and
blue stories.
Parts of the plain white mosaic pavement of the ancient church still remain,
and form a striking contrast to the rare
marble pavement of the Gaetano chapel
at the left. There is an old and singular
inscription in the church, which says:
"In this, the most ancient church of
Rome, once the house of St. Pudens,
Senator, and father of the holy virgins
Prassede and Pudentia, was the first
lodging of the holy apostles Peter and
Paul. Here they baptized those who
became Christians, and this was the place
of meeting to hear mass and receive the
holy commiunion. The bodies of three
thousand martyrs are buried here, together with a great quantity of their
blood. Those who visit this church
every day will have anl indulgence of
three thousand years and remission of a
third part of their sins."
Saint Prassede, the sister of Pudentia,
did not have a church built in her memory until the ninth century; but it yet
exists, and is situated near St. Pudentiana.
The mosaics are very elaborate; but, as
the period was later, they are far less
artistic, and less Scriptural. There is the
usual figure of Christ standing in the
clouds, which are here of blue and dark
red, saints and apostles, twelve sheep,
the two cities, and palm-trees. The
vision of the Apocalypse is also represented: the twenty-four elders, four angels, four beasts, and seven candlesticks.
There is in this church a small chlapel,
where women can enter only on Sundays
in Lent, which contains a marble column
said to be that to which the Savior was
tied during his flagellation. Outside the
door of this chapel there are mosaic
busts of the Savior and the twelve
apostles, and beneath this another semicircle of saints and virgins, with the
Madonna in the center. Although the
period is late, her picture is unexpectedly
Scriptural, as she wears only a darkcolored cowl on the head, while the only
halo surrounds the head of the Savior.
Another very ancient church is that of
Saints Cosmo and Damiano, near the
Roman Fortim. The vestibule, which is
circular, is said to be an ancient temple
of Romulus. It certainly is very ancient,
as the marble columns without the door
are more than half buried in the earth.
The church itself is said to be of the
sixth century, and the mosaic is of the
same date. It is exceedingly rough, and
the figures, although their formis are majestic, have a fearfull expression of cointenance. Christ stands upon the red and
blue clouds, which look like serpents'
tongues on the dark blue ground of the
miosaic. There are six saints, all without
crowns, while the Savior wears one.
This contrast betwveen the more ancient mosaics and those of later times is
striking. As the corruption of doctrine
increased, the subjects of the pictures
changed. Instead of referrinig to the life,
death, and resurrection of the Savior,
they are selected fromn the lives of the
Virgin or of the saints and apostles.
The Holy City is no longer Jerusalem,
but Rome; the holy rivers are the Tiber
and the Aniene; the Madonna no longer
I876.]
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