Dream of Constantine Piero della Francesca fresco cycle The Legend of the True Cross Bacci Chapel, Church of San Francesco, Arezzo 1454-1458 According to tradition, Constantine had a vision the night before the battle in which he saw a flaming cross in the sky and heard these words: In this sign you shall conquer. XP Chi Ro Christos The Edict of Milan 313 CE 330 CE dedication of Byzantium called Constantinople.
The Arch of Constantine victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge in 312 CE. 312-315 CE This arch was built to commemorate Emperor Constantine s
Big Ideas syncretism: artists assimilate images from other traditions, giving them new meanings iconoclasm: 726 Emperor Leo III launched a campaign of iconoclasm (image breaking), decreeing that all religious images were idols and should be destroyed icons: often were believed to have been created miraculously and all were thought to have miraculous protective and healing powers typological exegesis: Old Testament themes illuminate events in the New Testament; for example, Abraham and Isaac predicts the sacrifice of Christ, Jonah and the whale predicts the resurrection on the third day
Icons and Iconoclasm The painting of icons was primarily a spiritual rather than an artistic activity, and it was governed by strict guidelines. The particular artist is not important, what's key is motivation and methodology. The artist's principal obligation is spiritual. For a hundred and fifty years icons were not only forbidden in Orthodox churches, but actively sought out and smashed. Around the year 700, the Byzantine Empire nearly succumbed to the armies of a new faith, Islam. In striking distinction to Christianity, Islam forbad the use of religious images, yet it was clearly an alarmingly successful faith. Had Christianity taken a wrong turn? Was it breaking the Second Commandment - the one that forbids the making of graven images? Was the state Church on the wrong road, was that why the military campaigns were going so badly? Suddenly, the use of images in church seemed to raise a huge and fundamental political question. What happened in the Byzantine Empire was that it met an extraordinary trauma, which was Islam. Came from nowhere and smashed the Empire into smithereens, and naturally the Byzantines wondered, 'What's this all about? Why is God favoring these Muslims who have come from nowhere?' The one big thing that struck them about Islam was that there were no pictures of God, and that this might be the answer. That if you turn Christianity away from having pictures of God, then the Byzantine Empire might get God's favor back, and that seems to be one of the big motives in attacking images, icons, within the Byzantine Empire. So a great wave of iconoclastic violence swept the Orthodox Church in the years following 700. The theological debates went on for well over a century, and were very complex. But throughout, the people remained on the whole very firmly attached to their icons, and eventually, thanks in part to support from the women of the Imperial family, the veneration of icons was restored in 843 by the Empress, Theodora (wife of Theophilos).
An example of an icon. The oldest known icon of Christ Pantocrator, (Saint Catherine s Monastery) The two different facial expressions on either side may emphasize Christ s two natures he is both a man and God.
Big Ideas Christian Symbols (see page 294 in Stokstad) the dove the fish the lamb the symbols for the four evangelists: Matthew- a man or angel Mark- a lion Luke- an ox John an eagle Alpha/Omega (IX) chi rho
A brilliant example of syncretism! Baptism of Christ Baptistery of the Orthodox, Ravenna, Italy early 5th century
Mosaic from the Church of San Vitale, 526-547 Notice the eyes?
The Colossus of Constantine, c. 312-15 Was originally placed in the west apse of the Basilica of Maxentius c. 306-312.