378 Johnson
could be ascribed to a desire to eliminate secular elements—Theoderic and
his court—rather than to eliminate any content whose doctrine may have
been objectionable to the Orthodox. For this reason many have argued that
there was no specific Arian content in the programme.77 A thorough analysis
published by Penni Iacco demonstrates that the mosaics did relate to Arian
doctrine, as expressed in two of the few Arian sources to survive: the Sermo
Arianorum and the Dispute of Maximinus with Augustine over the Trinity,
which took place in 427.78 In particular the link between scenes depicted in
the Christological scenes of the north wall, as well as to some of the Passion
scenes on the south wall, and references to those very scenes in surviving Arian
sources are very strong.79 For the most part these are episodes in which Christ
demonstrated a dependence upon the Father, prayed to the Father, or acted in
the name of the Father, which to the Arians all supported their view of Father
and Son being separate and distinct, with the Son having been created by the
Father. Although the reason behind the precise order of those scenes in the
programme is still a mystery, the choice of these particular scenes while omit-
ting other events of Christ’s ministry demonstrates that an Arian message was
intended in the programme. Therefore, one may ask why these mosaics were
not changed or eliminated in the reconciliation? The answer is simply that just
as the Arian and Orthodox reader could interpret the biblical text in differing
fashions so, too, could the Arian and Orthodox viewer see the same scenes but
understand them differently.
The Mausoleum of Theoderic
Near the end of his life Theoderic set about preparing his final resting place,
an extraordinary building that is unique in 6th-century architecture as well
as very revealing about Theoderic’s influences and his perception of his own
place in history (Figure 14.16). The site chosen for the monument was north-
east of the city walls, near a lighthouse, and in the area of a cemetery.
A bronze fence with carved stone pillars encircled the mausoleum, giving
it a measure of protection and setting it off from the rest of the cemetery. The
building has two levels: the lower one set at ground level is decagonal in plan,
with exterior niches on each of its sides, except for that on the west containing
77 Wood, “Theoderic’s Buildings”, p. 253.
78 Sermo Arianorum, in Patrologia Latina vol. 42, pp. 677–84; the Collatio Augustini cum
Maximino arianorum episcopi, in Patrologia Latina, vol. 42, pp. 709–42.
79 Penni Iacco, Arianesimo, pp. 51–62.