Theodoric the Great's Palace Church of Christ the Redeemer at Ravenna, the later Sant' Apollinare Nuovo Daria Glana Tomasztczuk Art History and Communications Studies McGill University, Montreal August 2005 A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree ofMaster of Arts AlI rights reserved. No part of this thesis may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval systems without the written permission of the author. 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While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires in the document page count, aient inclus dans la pagination, their removal does not represent il n'y aura aucun contenu manquant. any loss of content from the thesis. ••• Canada TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ENGLISH FRENCH ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS THESIS INTRODUCTION THEODORIC'S PALACE CHURCH HISTORY CONSTANTINIAN BUILDING PLANS IMPERIAL IMAGERY MOSAICS LITURGICAL USE CONCLUSION LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ILLUSTRATIONS NOTES BIBLIOGRAPHY ABSTRACT This thesis is an overview of the historical context in which the church of Christ the Redeemer (Sant' Apollinare Nuovo) in Ravenna, Italy, was erected. It explores the forces responsible for shaping the church at the time of its construction and decoration in the sixth century. The basilica had gained popularity of usage as a model for the Christian Church in the West by this time. This thesis further explores the conclusions put forth by scholars that the basilica was the forum in which the transition of architectural imperial symbolism from the pagan empire to the new Christian Church took place, that the Church adopted the court ceremony of the emperor for its liturgy, and that the symbolism previously associated with the emperor was transferred to Christ resulting in the identification of the basilica as the throne hall of Christ. A study of the mosaics adoming the nave walls describes the significance of their origins and meaning. RESUME Cette thèse présente un survol du contexte historique dans lequel l'église de Christ le Redempteur (Sant' Apollinare Nuovo) à Ravenna en Italie a été construite. Elle explore les forces qui ont influencé sa construction et ses ornementations au sixième siècle. La forme de la basilique a servi de modèle architectural pour l'Église Chrétienne de l'Ouest de l'époque. Cette thèse explore d'abord les conclusions de certains scientifiques que la basilique fut le forum où se produisit le passage du symbolisme impérial de l'architecture de l'empire païen vers la nouvelle Église chrétienne, puis que l'Église a adopté la cérémonie de l'empereur pour sa liturgie, et que le symbolisme qui était auparavant associé à l'empereur a été transféré vers Christ, ce qui a résulté en identification de la basilique comme la salle de trône du Christ. L'étude des mosaïques qui ornent les murs de la nef décrit l'importance de leurs origines et signification. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 1 wish to express my gratitude to Professor Hans Boker, academic supervisor for this thesis, for his invaluable advice, patience, and learned guidance in the field of Early Christian architecture. A further debt of gratitude is owed to Inessa Babina for translating the Abstract, as well as to Orest Humenny for his editorial advice and proofreading. Daria DIana Tomasztczuk Introduction Conceived of as the Ostrogoth Theodoric the Great's (reigned 493 - 526) palace chapel, the church of Christ the Redeemer in Ravenna, Italy, was a stage upon which the religious and political dramas of the Roman Empire were played out in the sixth century. With its port of Classe on the Adriatic Sea, Ravenna was a strategically important city ever sinee Emperor Honorius (reigned 395-423) chose it in 404 to be the western capital of the Roman Empire. For the next two centuries, during which there was increasing theological and political polarization between East and West, possession of Ravenna represented control over the western half of the Roman Empire, the most significant region being Rome, which was the seat of the Pope. The churcR of Christ the Redeemer is a significant architectural marker" in both the history of the Late Roman Empire and of the Early Christian Church. Drawing on the rich heritage of imperial Roman symbolism, Christ the Redeemer's architecture and decoration demonstrate Theodoric's act of self-Iegitimization as mler of the Western Roman Empire and serve to illustrate the Arian beliefs of the Ostrogothic people, highlighting both the similarities and the differences between Arian, Western and Byzantine religious convictions of that period. Built as part of Theodoric' s palace complex, great attention and expense was lavished on the church's crowning glory, its mosaic decoration, first under Gothic, and subsequently, under Byzantine patronage. Suffused with layers of theological and liturgical meaning, the mosaics continue to inspire the beholder in a personal manner. 2 Theodoric's Palace Church The exact date of construction of the church of Christ the Redeemer is unknown~ but is often cited as having occurred in the fifth century. Given that Theodoric came to the throne in 493, it follows that construction must have begun at sorne point between then and the year 500. In the ninth century the chronicler AgneUus made note of a dedicatory epigraph located over the windows in the apse which read "King Theodoric erected this church from its foundations in the name of Our Lord Jesus ChriSt."l Guiseppe Bovini therefore concludes that the construction of Christ the Redeemer must have been mostly complete before Theodoric's death in 526, otherwise the name of his successor would have been included in the epigraph. 2 After the faU of Ravenna to Constantinople the church was re-dedicated to St.Martin of Tours, a renowned "Gallic warrior against heresy." 3 In the mid-ninth century it was renamed once again, this time to Sant' ApolHnare Nuovo, because it became the home of the relies of St.ApoUinaris, removed from the basilica of Sant' Apollinare in Classe in order to protect them from pirates which, due to the church's proximity to the port of Classe, was susceptible to being sacked.4 A crypt was created under the presbytery of Sant' Apollinare Nuovo which consisted of a central corridor and an ambulatory conforming to the circular shape of the apse above. Archeological data suggests that the church was enclosed by Theodoric's palace on three sides: north, east, and south. Historical documents indicate that the western façade was attached to a porticoed courtyard, an arrangement to be found at St. 3 Peter' s Basilica in Rome, as well as in pre-Constantinian secular imperial basilicas and palace courtyards. As was the case at the Great Palace in Constantinople, the façade of Christ the Redeemer (Fig. 1), and its courtyard, were located to the side of the palace's main entrance called the "Chalke," whicb was what the Iuain entrance to the Great Palace complex in Constantinople was also called. Theodoric' s Palace was sacked by the forces of the great Byzantine general Belisarius in 539 and became the Palace of the Exarchs, falling into the hands of the Lombards not long afterward. The campanile still standing to the right of the church façade was built in approximately the year 1000. The last standing tower of the palace was destroyed in 1295. The building presently located adjacent to the right of Sant' Apollinare Nuovo is of a much later date. The two-storey, sixty-foot long brick structure further along the right, however, is believed to be a remnant wall from Theodoric's Palace. According to Johnson, this is probably a portion of the Chalke.5 Local historians and inscriptions closer to Theodoric's time have described his palace as "surrounded with porticoes, adomed with the most precious mosaics, divided into several triclinia, surmounted by a tower which was considered one of the most magnificent of the king's buildings, and - surrounded with pleasant and fruitful gardens." 6 Located in front of the church and the Chalke was a large public square cal1ed the Platea Maior and "in its location and function the square at Ravenna recalls the Augustaion, a square in front of the Great Palace." 7 It is unknown what materials clad the church exterior, although if one is to assume it was compatible with the palace walls, then it must have been decorated in a likewise 4 manner.