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Justinian Attendants

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Emperor Justinian and His Attendants

In the Byzantine Church of San Vitale, there is extensive artwork that depicts a variety of figures. One of these important artworks is the mosaic of the emperor Justinian and his attendants. This mosaic was created in 547 and depicts Justinian, who was a ruler of the Byzantine Empire from 527 to 565.
When you would walk into the Byzantine Church of San Vitale, you would see beautiful arches and dome shapes. The church is an octagonal shape with a centralized dome. The church also has an ambulatory, which allows visitors to walk around the church to admire it. The walls would be adorned with intricate mosaics made with colorful tiles. The central dome encourages people to stand in the middle of it and …show more content…

He is dressed lavishly and is wearing the colors gold and purple. In this era, gold and purple were used to signify royalty. He is holding a bowl used to carry the bread for the eucharist. To the right and left of him, are men wearing white robes. There is one man beside Justinian who is dressed in gold and is holding a gold cross. The other men on the right of Justinian are holding items that are also gold. On the immediate left of Justinian, there are men wearing white robes who are also draped in purple. On the far left of the emperor, there are a group of men wearing colorful garments. One of these men are also carrying a large shield in front of them. One could assume that the men dressed in the white robes are leaders of the church and that the men dressed in colorful clothing could be members of the military. The mosaic is surrounded by intricate and colorful tile designs and features a gold backdrop behind the central figures.
In the Byzantine empire, emperors were also leaders in religion. The mosaic is placed above the altar, where mass would take place, and it gives the idea that emperor Justinian is helping lead the eucharist by providing the bread, which symbolizes the body of Christ. The feet of the figures are outturned, which make them seem as though they are floating out of the wall and coming toward you.
This artwork is very symbolic and could be imagined to have been very important in the lives of those who attended the church. The mosaic of the emperor Justinian and his attendants showed importance to both religion and the empire itself. The artwork is very intricate and very lavish with a variety of colors and

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