Marian Iconography: the Apses of Churches from the 5th Century.

When the image of the Virgin Mother with the Child in her arms or turned towards the Word Incarnate, placed in a central position under a theophany of the glorious Lord, began to occupy the apse of churches, it was because it perfectly corresponded to the content and, consequently, the form requirements of the apse compositions.Now, from the beginning, the peculiar content of the apse iconography signifies, through the sense of sight, the presence, believed through faith and celebrated in worship, of the Risen Lord, Priest of the unique eternal liturgy, to which all are united in the earthly liturgies.In the tuman experience, sight and presence are inextricably linked. Christian faith is based on the testimony of those who saw and touched the Word of God.> “Beginning from John’s baptism to the day when he was taken up into heaven” (Acts 1:22).We are faced with a testimony of the theophany in the flesh.However, there are three categories of testimonies in the Church:– Eye-witness testimonies, historical ones, among which the Virgin Mary occupies a privileged and unique place. – Those who, through the gift of life until the shedding of blood, are equated to eye-witnesses (the martyrs). – And a third category, largely ignored, consisting of Christians who celebrate/worship and thus become, in the present meta-testimonial of the liturgy, the sacramental testimonies of the Incarnation.The sensory vision, mediated by the concrete image of the Reality that is believed and celebrated, therefore, does not leave the audience with neutral or amorphous concerns, but goes to meet the inner vision, endowed with a testimonial character, of those related to details that are credible. The quality of this encounter can then also become an indication of the quality of the image.The last statement may seem a little bold or provocative, but it is based on an objective fact contained in the teaching that comes to us from the Christian art of the first millennium.> Who were the madmen who needed to be taken into account?On one hand, the dogmatic-liturgical purpose re-established in the iconography of the apse aims to express the presence of the Living Lord in His Church. On the other hand, in the human experience, presence is inextricably linked to vision: therefore, apse compositions must attempt the characteristics of vision. To do this, Christian figurative expression adopts the expressive laws of vision rediscovered by Late Antiquity in traditional cultures, rooted in anthropology, and corresponding to universal expressive laws, including, of course, the chromatic aspect: a symmetrical and strongly centered composition, absence of depth, frontalness, immobility of the main figures, serenity of their expressions.Everything here that is omitted when presenting the unfolding of an action or the manifestation of strong feelings – such as tenderness, pain – would, in a more general sense, weaken the localization in vision, diverting the viewer’s attention from the substance of the encounter, emotionally involving them or distracting them from the center.This is the backdrop against which the insertion of the Virgin Mother Mary into apse iconographic programs is delineated: here her testimonial figure refers not only, first and foremost, to the precise historical event of the Incarnation (epitáphos), but also to her extensive sacramental – which is the Eucharist – in the linear temporal duration. However, the figure of the Virgin Mother always speaks of the Epiphany that ventures into time and is sacramentally present in the Church. As we will see, figurative language allowed the double temporal reference inherent to the Mother-Son duo.Expressive nuances, for example, through the suggestion of the concreteness of the Incarnation (the act of lactation) or by indicating the interchangeability between Mary’s figure and that of the Church, and still, in the case of compositions with two registers, by directly referring to the quality of Mary as an ocular witness to Christ’s divinity.The attentive celebrant/viewer will have already grasped the basic consonance between the characteristics of Marian iconography in the first period and the specific needs of apse iconography: a semantic consonance that facilitated, as much as possible, the entry of the Virgin Mother into Christian apses, not only from the point of view of content – dogmatic and celebratory – but also from the point of view of form.CategoriesApse compositions with a Marian theme can be divided into three main categories:List of Marian Iconographic Types:1. Those that, with various variants, have as a *core* the Mother-Son group, by far the most numerous.2. Those in which the *Virgin is depicted face-on with her arms extended symmetrically and raised towards heaven* (the *Prayerful* Virgin).3. Those in which *Mary is portrayed in profile, with her arm extended* or both, in a significant pose (the *Advocating Virgin* or *Intercessor* Virgin).The Iconography of “The Virgin Mother with the Child”:In the apses, the Virgin Mother and the Child are always depicted full-length. Possible variants include:– Composition: The Mother-Son group can be represented on its own or in relation to a topical-salvational theophany. – Autonomous Representation: The Mother-Son group appears alone or accompanied by other figures (angels, apostles, martyrs, and/or saints). – Combined Representation: The Mother-Son group is depicted together or below (in the case of scenes with two registers). – An Ancient Testament Theophany: Often, it is a vision of the chariot and the four living creatures from Ezekiel 1:4-28. – A New Testament Theophany: Adoration of the Magi, Transfiguration, Ascension. – An Intemporal Theophany of Christ.Postures of the Two Figures:– The Mother: Always face-on, she can be seated or standing. – The Child: In relation to the Mother, He can be positioned axially or to the side. If to the side, the Mother’s left or right arm may be extended. – Both figures can be depicted in a vertical position. – The Child may draw His face close to that of His Mother (the *face-to-face* pose).The particular actions performed by the Mother in relation to the Child:– When the Child is not on her knee, the Mother keeps her free hand raised towards Him in a gesture signifying indication and intercession. – She can nurse the baby. – She can hold a clasp (medalta/circle) within which the Child is depicted.We now begin the presentation of the different Marian iconographic types found in the apses. The analysis of each will be followed by some examples constituted by works that can usefully complement their illustration and understanding, even if not all are present in the apses.Virgin Mother with the Childon thrones

Mother Virgin with the Child, enthroned, apse, S. Maria Capua Vetere, Basilica of the Sulci, 5th century reconstruction.

Mother Virgin with the Child, enthroned between two angels, four saints, and donors, apse of the Basilica of Saint Eufrasius, 6th century.

Mother Virgin with the Child, enthroned between two angels, apse, Panagia Kanakaria, Cyprus, 6th-7th century, reconstruction

Mother Virgin with the Child, enthroned between angels, Peter and Paul, apse, S. Maria Antiqua, Rome, early 8th century, reconstruction

Mother Virgin with the Child, enthroned among angels and bestowing grace, apse, S. Maria in Domênica, Rome. 9th century.

Mother Virgin with the Child on the throne, apse of Saint Sophia, Thessaloniki, 9th century.

Mother Virgin with the Child on the throne, apse of St. Sophia in Constantinople, 9th century

Concluding…

From the description of Coricius of Gaza (d. 530), we learn that the content of the mosaic in the entirely gold and silver apse of Saint Sergius Church in Gaza depicted the Virgin Mother with the Child between the saints Sergius and Stephen. In particular, the martyr Sergius made the patronal gesture (hand resting on the shoulder) towards the basileus, the benefactor/restorer of the church, while beside him was the bishop holding a model of the church.

To deepen reflection on Marian iconography in church apses and its liturgical meaning, consult the Apostolic Exhortation Marialis Cultus by Paul VI, which situates artistic expressions of Mary within the context of worship and the liturgy of the Church.

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