of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then
shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four
winds, from the uttermost part of Heaven” (Mark 13:26–27).
Images and symbols covering the entire sanctuary express the
single idea of Christ’s redemption of humanity and the reenactment
of it in the Eucharist. Below the apse mosaic (at the right in FIG. 12-8),
for example, the lunette mosaic over the two columns of the choir de-
picts the story of Abraham and the three angels. Sarah, Abraham’s
wife, was 90 years old and childless when three angels visited Abra-
ham. They announced that Sarah would bear a son, and she later
miraculously gave birth to Isaac. Christians believe the Old Testa-
ment angels symbolized the Holy Trinity. Immediately to the right in
the lunette is the sacrifice of Isaac, a prefiguration of Christ’s Cruci-
fixion (see “Jewish Subjects in Christian Art,” Chapter 11, page 293).
JUSTINIAN AND THEODORAOn the choir wall to the left of
the apse mosaic appears Justinian (FIG. 12-10) and on the right wall is
his empress, Theodora (FIG. 12-11). Justinian stands on the Savior’s
right side (FIG. 12-9). The two are united visually and symbolically by
the imperial purple they wear and by their halos. A dozen attendants
accompany Justinian, paralleling Christ’s 12 apostles. Thus, the mosaic
program underscores the dual political and religious roles of the
Byzantine emperor. The laws of the Eastern Church and the laws of the
state, united in the laws of God, were manifest in the person of the em-
peror, whose right to rule was God-given.
The positions of the figures are all-important. They express the
formulas of precedence and rank. Justinian is at the center, distin-
guished from the other dignitaries by his purple robe and halo. At his
left (at right in the mosaic) is Bishop Maximianus, the man responsi-
ble for San Vitale’s completion. The mosaicist stressed the bishop’s
importance by labeling his figure with the only identifying inscrip-
tion in the composition. Some scholars have identified the figure be-
hind and between Justinian and Maximianus as Julianus Argentarius,
the church’s benefactor. The artist divided the figures into three
groups: the emperor and his staff; the clergy; and the imperial guard,
bearing a shield with the chi-rho-iota ( ) monogram of Christ.
Each group has a leader whose feet precede (by one foot overlap-
ping) the feet of those who follow. The positions of Justinian and
Maximianus are curiously ambiguous. Although the emperor appears
to be slightly behind the bishop, the golden paten (large shallow bowl
or plate for the Eucharist bread) he carries overlaps the bishop’s arm.
Thus, symbolized by place and gesture, the imperial and churchly
powers are in balance. Justinian’s paten, Maximianus’s cross, and the
attendant clerics’ book and censer produce a slow forward movement
that strikingly modifies the scene’s rigid formality. No background is
indicated. The artist wished the observer to understand the processionX
Early Byzantine Art 31712-8Interior of San Vitale (looking from the apse into the choir), Ravenna, Italy, 526–547.
Light filtered through alabaster-paned windows plays over the glittering mosaics and glowing marbles that cover San Vitale’s complex wall and vault
shapes, producing a sumptuous effect.