Church

This week for art history, we went a-walking through early Christianity. First was a church where St. Peter was said to have stayed with a Roman senator (not pictured), probably the earliest example of a Christian Basilica. Next, and more impressive, was the Santa Maria Maggiore, the first church dedicated to the virgin Mary. Early Christianity faced the problem of having many worshipers who would pray to the Virgin as an intercessor with Christ, but she did not have much significance in the Bible outside of giving birth. The first Ecumenical council established her authority, and to signify this Cardinal Colona had a church built in her honor.

It is a beautiful Christian Basilica, adopted from the former Roman-style Basilicas which were originally places of law and discussion. Ornate mosaics and painting adorn the walls, which have an upper clerestory which is the sole source of light in the church. This creates a heavenly feel, as if being in this church is experiencing the ethereal if even for just a few minutes. At the end of the nave, one large painting adorns the upper end of the apse, depicting Christ crowning the Virgin Mother, in essence giving her near equal status. Figures around them have hierarchical significance, from St. Peter to St. Paul to Cardinal Colona himself (though minimized). 

There are many more beautiful parts to the basilica, with every wall adorned with something. A couple of side chapels feature even more ornate altars and imagery. They really went all-out with the decoration, even for 500 AD. 

 

Side note: on our way to the church (you can see it on the right edge of the following photo), we ran into a group of striking hospital workers demonstrating in their own parade. Apparently this is a regular occurrence. The Santa Maria Maggiore is in a northern spot in Rome, not too terribly far from the Vittorio Emmanuelle Monument and the Colosseum, maybe twenty minutes walking.