Virgin Mary In The Byzantineia

On the lower half is an organization of geometric forms. However, the most important mosaic is the representation of Emperor Justinian and Emprise Theodora. Justinian is presented holding a bowl of Eucharistic bread as Theodora carries a chalice or vessel of Eucharistic wine. Due to the orientation of these figures and the ones that surrounds them, it could be suggested that they represent bringing Eucharistic elements into the church. Perhaps even as an offering to christ which is reinforced by the three magi bearing gifts on Theodora's rob.

The important thing about the Byzantine Empire is that it prospered for another 1000 years after the fall of Rome. The Roman Empire was split into the Byzantine Empire(East Roman Empire) by Diocletian to make it easier to rule the huge territory. The Emperor Constantine moved the capital to Constantinople, a city where many trade routes pass through. As a result, Constantinople was a rich and prosperous city and so was the empire. Emperor Justinian made a set of laws for all in the empire to follow called the Justinian Code. It covered almost every topic such as robberies, marriage, wills, and etcetera. Later in 1054, the Great Schism occurred splitting Christianity into the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church which was used in the Byzantine Empire. But the important thing about the Byzantine Empire is that it prospered for another 1000 years after the fall of Rome.

Theodora and the essential role that she played in the development of the Byzantine Empire

As early as the beginning of the Christian Church women had some important but very defined roles within the church. There were roles women could not play, of course, but that does not mean they did not have value to the Christian movement. Unfortunately, there have also been a lot of things overlooked that have been done by women, especially in the New Testament. There have also been arguments that the Christian Church is a "man's church" because men wrote the books of the bible and women did not have much say, apparently, in what happened during that time and how it was recorded. Even though not everyone was certain of the way women were treated in Christianity and whether they were accepted and applauded the way they should have and could have been, there were still many mentions of women doing great things. Scholars have begun to look into what women did during Old Testament and New Testament times, in an effort to have a better understanding of Christianity and the role women played in it in the past.

Shortly after Rome made the transition from pagan practices to embracing Christianity as their formal faith, Christ's depiction in art went through various restorations. Some of the most widely popular illustrations were that of Christ sacrificed on the cross to his ultimate ascension into the Kingdom of Heaven after overcoming death. Since the image portrays Christ in luxurious attire resembling the Roman toga, the viewer can perceive that the mosaic was meant to present Christ in an imperialistic fashion. This is perhaps directed in part to the Byzantine emperors preferring to worship Christ in a way traditional and symbolic of their historical and early customs rather than how he really looked.

1. The Christ as the Good Shepherd mosaic located on the entrance wall of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna, Italy was made circa 425 AD. A mausoleum is a monumental tomb, usually meant for entombing the dead above ground. The mosaic is displayed in a lunette-a semi-circular wall of a vaulted room. Even though the image of Christ as the Good Shepherd was a common one in catacombs in previous centuries, the way that Christ was shown in art had changed since Christianity had been adopted as Rome's official religion and the image of Christ in the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia was no different. Previously Christ had been shown as a simple carpenter, but in the Christ as the Good Shepherd mosaic he is shown in a fine Roman wear. At the time, Greeks thought that they could create order within their environments and thus create statues that were "perfect." This is what they believed they were doing with the way Christ was shown in the mosaic at the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia; creating a more worldly, powerful image of Christ. Christ is shown with a large golden nimbus (halo), a royal purple mangle over a golden tunic and holding a tall cross. Also depicted in the mosaic at the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia is a set of three sheep on each side of Christ, with him touching one on the nose.

In the nineteenth century, the legal rights of women and men were highly affected by gender and race, both positively and negatively. In the book, “Kingdom of Matthias,” by Paul Johnson and Simon Wilentz, they describe the life of two females, Isabella Van Wagenen and Isabella Matthews Laisdell which whom were affected by slavery and high influences of higher power from men. In the nineteenth century it was believed that males were to support the family by working and earning a wage as a husband was to provide for his wife and a father to provide for his children (Fahs 1/5). Also, during the nineteenth century women were seen to be working in homes and supporting their husbands by cleaning the home, raising the children, and cooking meals

On the lower north wall to the left and below the apse mosaic, Justinian, Bishop Maximianus, and others are shown in a mosaic rich in color. There are three groupings in this mosaic, the emperor and his staff, the clergy, and the imperial guard. Justinian is in the center garbed in his purple robe and depicted with a halo representing the god-given powers of the emperor. To his left are Bishop Maximianus and two clergymen. The bishop was given a level of importance by the inscription of his name above his head. The emperor appears slightly behind the bishop when looking at their feet but his shoulder is depicted in front of the bishop’s. To Justinian’s right is the imperial guard holding a shield with the monogram of Christ. The artist depicts importance by showing the feet of the leader of each group overlapping the others while depicting the powers of the church and the emperor on an equal level (Kleiner and Mamiya 332-336).

Imagine being trap into a small, limited bubble for your whole life. That was what it was like for women in the Byzantine empire until a fine woman spoke up for them. Her name was Empress Theodora and she was one of the greatest people who helped establish rights for women and children. She lived in a low, poor class as the daughter of a bear keeper. Throughout her lifetime, she influenced the belief that women should have equal rights as men. Theodora’s intelligence and passion made her a trusty consultant for Justinian I. She was thought to be the most powerful woman in the history of the Byzantine Empire. Empress Theodora was a strong leader and role model for women and children.

Once stood in a Byzantine church, this ciborium was founded in the Middle East Area dated about 500 to 600 AD. It is a significant piece because it is the only ciborium last from early Byzantine. (ROM) Byzantine was best known because of being a religious state. Whether in today’s world or in the history, religion has been playing an important role in every country now or city-states in the past. The reason is that religion, in other words- a stable belief system, is a proof of existence of a stable government that have bonded people together in one place. The ciborium is an architectural piece that can reflect on the society back in early Byzantine about how did they build up their belief system, and how did the belief system influence

The lower level and the second level are divided by the cornis in the ratio of a square root of 2 to 1. Exterior walls are divided into two zones by the cornis but no correspondence with the height of the interior cornis. The hemispherical dome has the skylight oculus of 8.9m in diameter. The second level is the re-design in 1747, which consists of a row of blind windows alternating with square designs. The real columns and pilasters of lower level are repeated again on the upper walls as graphic images. This kind of design technique, the repeat and the superimpose are frequently used in high Renaissance, Mannerism, Baroque and of course in modern age. Hagia Sophia Hagia Sophia was built by Emperor Constantius, son of Emperor Constantinos I, and was opened for services in 360 AD. Although very little is known about this church, it is assumed that it was a basilica-type structure with a rectangular floor plan, circular apse and timbered roof. It was similar to St. Studios, a basilica in Istanbul, the ruins of which still exist. Ancient sources emphasize that the eastern wall was circular. Constantius donated gold and silver as well as religious objects to his church, but these were vandalized by Arians during the Council of 381 AD. Hagia Sophia was first named "Megale Ekklesia" (The Great Church) as it was the largest church in Constantinople. The historian Socrates indicated that the church was named Sophia during the reign of Emperor

Justinian Mosaic is a Byzantine mosaic located in the apse of San Vitale, Ravenna in 540 AD. It was made from gold and glass mosaic tesserae. The artists painted or covered the glass with gold first and then pressed into the plaster background. The artists manipulated the space which was to utilize the illumination of the candles in the church to cause the sparkle of the glass. The overall looking of this piece is luxurious and magnificence. In this piece, Justinian is surrounded by his priests and his military. He is placed in the center of the whole piece, wearing jewelry-crown, jewelry-accessory and gold cloths with a halo behind his head. He offers a gift called Pater which contains the bread used for the Eucharist would be held. The main

One of the greatest remaining example of Byzantine Architecture, is the Hagia Sophia, also known as the Temple of the Holy Wisdom of God located in Istanbul. This temple exemplifies work of extraordinary religious architecture. Hagia Sophia was built in Ad 537 as requested by Justinian I, the Byzantine Emperor and was the largest Cathedral of its time in the world. The interior of the building contains markings of both Christian and Islamic influences. When Hagia Sophia was first built it served as a place for Christian worship. It was filled with an abundant amount of various icons such as Mosaics. Paintings of Jesus Christ and Mary were present with Hagia Sophia. However, when the Ottoman Empire was conquered by Constantinople in 1453, Hagia

Both mosaics are located in the San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy. The two images are located on the apse walls mirroring one another. They also are adjacent to the apse mosaic representing Christ in Majesty. Looking towards the apse, the left wall has a mosaic of Justinian, adorned in royal purple and a golden halo, and his court. The mosaic shows representation of the church, the emperor, and the military. The right wall shows the mosaic of Empress Theodora, wife of Justinian, also adorned in royal purple with the Three Magi embroidered onto her robe and a golden halo. She is similarly with her imperial court. Our books says that, “He [Justinian] stands on the Savior’s right side. Uniting the two visually and symbolically are the imperial purple

Religion affected how the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic Caliphate was run. Christianity greatly influenced the Byzantine Empire while Islam influenced the Islamic Caliphate. Political leaders in both empires were the head of the state and the church. Islamic caliphs began by being related Muhammed. The Islamic Caliphate treated everyone more equally, because of the faith in Umma, but started to fade as the Caliphate went on. The Byzantine Empire believed that others who weren't Christians were lesser. In both empires, women were seen as inferior to men, however, in Islam women were seen as spiritually similar. Both the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic Caliphate disliked icons but icons cause influenced trouble in the Byzantine Empire.