Unit Reflection

Thousands of years ago, a mighty empire ruled the Meditterean Sea. A bustling trade center, briming with culture, Constantinople was the capitol city of the Byzantine Empire. While most of Europe lived in improvished farms, the Byzantine Empire was a becon of civilization. Even though it fell over 500 years ago, we are continually affected by the great achivements of the Byzantiums.

The Eastern Orthodox church was founded in Constantinople. Today, it has roughly 228 million followers.  Eastern Orthodox churches are famous for their intricately beautiful mosaics rather than paintings. The tradition of mosaics on the walls, cealings, and floors of mosaics was started in Constantinnople (modern Istanbul). Haigh Sophia, one of the most famous chruches of all time, is adorned with lavish mosaics.  Emperor Justinian ordered the construction of the Haiga Sophia to be a monument to god. The architecture (domes, arches, etc.) was copied in the Vatican and countless other chruches. Even after it was converted to a Mosc then a muesem tourists still marvel at the beauty. St. Petka's, an Eastern Orthodox chruch in Serbia may be modern but the mosaics are done in the classic style dating thousands of years ago to Constantinople.

Laws are the fundamentle tools for ruling a country. Without them, our world would be in chaos. Justininan and Teadora, empeor and empress of Constantinople devised the Justinian Law Code which Western countries continue to follow today. Divided into six parts, the law code outlined Justinina's own laws, laws of the past, and judicial ruling. Judicial ruling meant judges can create new laws on a case by case system. Laws of the past were created before the Byzantine Empire; they could not be changed. The Justinian Law Codes made laws easy access. There were no longer debates over forgotten laws or changed ones.

The Byzantine Empire continually affects today, though we may not notice it. Laws and religion are two examples of the influences.

Christian Symbol Mosaic

My Christian symbol mosaic is the Vatican Keys. They symbolize the power and supremacy of the Vatican Church. According to the Bible, the Keys to Heaven were given to St.Peter by Jesus. Popes are considered the descendants of St.Peter. One key was gold to symbolize the spiritual supremacy; one was silver to represent worldly power.  The  Every pope has their own, unique crest but each has with the keys. The keys are positioned like St. Andrew's Cross. 

St. Petka Chapel Mosaic

Today, our humanities class visited the St. Petka Chapel at Kalemegdan Fortress. Stunning, East Orthodox mosaics covered every inch of the walls. They depicted Biblical scenes from the life of Christ. Brilliant colors and patterns made this dark little chapel come to life. Of the many mosaics , I chose to sketch the one opposite the door. I decided that because you see it as soon as you enter it must be important. Three angles were huddled around a table. (They had golden halos and wings so they must be holy.)  A cup of wine and bread rest on the table. They represent the blood and body of Christ. The tallest angel (in purple) was carrying a staff with a cross. I believe this is what priests or popes carry. His eyes were brown unlike that of the surrounding angels. The angel to the left was clothed in green. Both his hands were raised in symbolic gesture. The right angel in blue had in his hand to his heart. Beside the table to the left was basin on a marble pedestal. It was full to the brim with water, suggesting that it was  Baptismal. On the right was a bowl of fruit, maybe apricots. There was a dagger beside the bowl. I believe this represents the triumphs of Jesus's life along with his brutal end. White buildings loom in the background.

This mosaic follows many of the Metropolitan Museum of Art rules. There is a focus on human figures, the angels. While they are not in frontal view, they are turned in meaningful gesture towards each other. One does not see the feet as they are sitting down around a table. All of the items on and around the table are symbolic to the life of Christ. The tallest angel is overlapped by the other two but I believe it is the most important. There are three angels so they may represent the trinity. The tall purple angel is the Father because he is the tallest and carries a staff. Purple is the color of royalty. Overlapping the purple angel is a green angel. He is the Son. I think this because in icons I have seen of Jesus he has the same hand gestures. The blue angel is the Holy Spirit. His hand is at his heart signifying that God comes from within.

The mosaic is a balanced composition. There are three angels with two on either side of a taller one.  Two pedestals rest on each side of the table. The art itself is linear not done by shading but with strips of color. You can see this especially in the folds of the robe. However, there is a natural setting, Instead of plain background color there are buildings and a curtain. Strong brilliant colors characterize this mosaic but there are no patterns. There is no real action in the mosaic. It seems like the angels are just having a conversation.

While this mosaic does not have all of the typical characteristics of Byzantine art it is a very good example. It is symbolic and the message is quite clear. Overlapping and size importance is visible. Overall, I really enjoyed this experience.