The Church of Santa Costanza’s characteristic features include circular rotunda, massive vault rising above altar, barrel-vaulted passageways around altar – ambulatory, and clerestory. The Church has a vertical axis from the center up through the dome, and as authors Stockstad and Cothren state, “may have functioned as a symbolic “vault of heaven.” The arcade and dome are supported by paired columns with composite capitals and entablature blocks. 

The interior of the Church of Santa Costanza reveals important features that are common in Early Christian Art and Architecture. The inside of the Church is covered with mosaics and veneers of fine marbles. The ambulatory vault is decorated with bust portrait of Constantina. She is surrounded by tangle of grapevines filled with putti. Putti are naked cherubs, that came from pagan art. While style and technique of mosaics is inspired by Roman art, there is a meaning related to Christianity. Some putti are harvesting grapes, and others are trampling the grapes to make wine. Wine has an important meaning in Christianity, referring to Eucharist. Trampling of grapes for the making of wine becomes an image of death and resurrection. 

Constantina was buried in a large porphyry sarcophagus placed in a rectangular niche on the opposite side of the ambulatory from the entrance. The sarcophagus features motifs similar to those of the putti that make wine in the mosaics of the vault of the ambulatory. The peacocks running along its base symbolize eternal life in paradise and the lone sheep, presumably representing Constantina, may be a member of Jesus’s flock.

The Church of Santa Costanza served as a model for Christian tombs, churches dedicated to martyrs or built on their tombs, and baptisteries. Its visual and formal characteristics were significant because they represented a new form of architecture that differed from traditional Roman basilicas. Constantine the Great played significant role in development of Early Christian Art and Architecture, issuing Edict of Milan in 313. The Church of Santa Costanza is a great example of transition of architecture to a new stage. 

Resources: Marilyn Stokstad and Michael W. Cothren, Art History, Fifth Edition, Pearson, 2014.
Videos: Imperial Christian Art

 

One of the most striking features of the church of Santa Sabina is its longitudinal plan. This means that the church has a long, rectangular nave flanked by simple aisles and a rounded apse at the end of the building. The nave is lit by clerestory windows, which allow light to flood the space and create a sense of awe and reverence. Circular arches on either side of the nave form an arcade supported by fluted marble columns with Corinthian capitals. As authors Stockstad and Cothren state, “Corinthian capitals were reused from a second-century pagan building. (Material reused from earlier buildings is known as spolia, Latin for “spoils.”).”  Their use in the church of Santa Sabina represents a transformation of pagan art into Christian art. The spaces between the arches is decorated with mosaics (opus sectile). These mosaics represent chalices (wine cups) and patens (bread plates), essential attributes for the Eucharist.  Above the entrance of the church of Santa Sabina there is an inscription with two female figures from both sides.

The exterior of the church of Santa Sabina is very simple and basic. The facade of the church is made of brick without any decoration. This simplicity contrasts with the ornate interior of the building and serves as a reminder that the true beauty of the church is not in its appearance, but in the spiritual experience it offers its worshippers.

 

The church of Santa Sabina is an excellent example of the transition from Roman to early Christian architecture. It is also an example of how pagan art was transformed into Christian art. Roman techniques and styles became the inspiration for new techniques, and the result was a new form of art and architecture that reflected the changing values and beliefs of the early Christian Church.

Resources: Marilyn Stokstad and Michael W. Cothren, Art History, Fifth Edition, Pearson, 2014.
Videos: Imperial Christian Art, Watch it: Students on Site: Santa Sabina

The original Ottonian church with its wooden roof was a modest structure, but it formed the basis for the present cathedral. Later, the church was rebuilt with a stone vault, which allowed for larger windows and a more spacious interior. At the same time, elaborate columns were added to mark each nave, alternating with smaller columns supporting the vaults of the spans. This rhythmic interplay of heavy and light elements was a hallmark of Ottonian wooden roof architecture and became an important design element at Speyer.

 

The use of groin vaults was a major innovation in the construction of the cathedral. The groin vaults concentrate the weight and load of the vault on the four corners of the bay, relieving the load on the side walls of the building. This allowed large windows to be placed in each nave, filling the building with light and giving a sense of spaciousness that was unprecedented at the time.

 

The exterior of the cathedral bears witnesses to its Ottonian and Carolingian heritage. Towering spires and wide transepts mark both ends of the building, with a narthex to the west and a large apse with a main altar to the east. Transept arms project on either side of the apse, and a large octagonal tower rises above the passageway. The choir is framed by two tall, slender towers that convey the sense of balance and harmony typical of the period.

 

In summary, the Imperial Cathedral of Speyer represents an outstanding achievement of Romanesque architecture. Its history and design reflect the influences of the Ottonian and Carolingian periods as well as the remarkable structural and design innovations made during its construction. Today, it is a testament to the outstanding achievements of its time and a reminder of the enduring legacy of medieval architecture.

Sources: Marilyn Stokstad and Michael W. Cothren, Art History, Fifth Edition, Pearson, 2014.

 

One of the most important features of Gothic architecture is the framework supporting ribbed vaults atop slender piers. Notre Dame Cathedral in Chartres adopted this framework, becoming an important prototype of a new architectural style that emphasized space and light. The system of exterior buttresses reinforced the slender columns and allowed for the construction of ever larger cathedrals with ever taller interiors adorned with ever larger stained glass windows.

 

The most important treasure of Chartres Cathedral was the piece of linen which, according to legend, was worn by the Virgin Mary at the birth of Jesus, making the cathedral an important pilgrimage site. The association of the cloth with important market events, especially the cloth markets held in Chartres on the feast days of the Virgin Mary, made the textile relic a center of local prestige and economy, increasing the cathedral's income not only from pilgrimage but also from tax revenues.

 

Chartres' west façade retains an early sculptural program created in the decade following the reconstruction of Saint-Denis. The royal portal, which was used only for the important ceremonial entrances of the bishop and his retinue, was decorated with quiet and comfortable sculptures that filled the architectural space. The central tympanum depicts Christ, seated majestically on a throne and returning at the end of time, surrounded by the four evangelists. The apostles, arranged in four groups of three, fill the lintel, while the 24 elders from the Apocalypse line up along the archivolts. The right portal is dedicated to the Incarnation and emphasizes Mary's role in the early life of Christ, from the Annunciation to the Presentation in the Temple. The left portal shows the Ascension, the return of the incarnate God from earth to heaven. The historic capitals, extending across all three doorways at the top of the jambs just below the lintel, depict the earthly life of Jesus in a series of small, vivid narratives. All three openings are flanked by columns with statues of kings, queens, and prophets from the Hebrew Bible, recalling Christ's royal and spiritual origins and the close ties between the church and French royalty.

 

The image of kings and queens in the Royal Portal gave it its name. The elegant, elongated proportions and linear but realistic draperies of the columns reflect the cylindrical shafts behind them. Their carefully carved, idealized heads radiate a sense of blissful peace. Both the overall design and the individual components of this portal are dominated by tranquility and order-a stark contrast to the dynamic configurations and energetic figures on the portals of Romanesque churches.

 

Overall, Notre Dame Cathedral in Chartres is a major work of Gothic architecture that reflects the transition from the experimental style of the twelfth century to the mature style of the thirteenth century. Its unique half-timbering, buttress system, and stained-glass windows allowed for the construction of ever larger cathedrals with ever taller interiors. Its connection to important market fairs and textile relics made it an important pilgrimage site, resulting in increased tax revenues. The regal portal with its quietly carved figures, historic capitals, and columned statues conveys a sense of blissful calm and serenity that contrasts with the dynamic configurations and energetic figures of Romanesque churches. The Cathedral of Notre Dame in Chartres is the perfect example of Gothic Architecture. 

Sources: Marilyn Stokstad and Michael W. Cothren, Art History, Fifth Edition, Pearson, 2014.
Videos: Chartres Exterior-1, Chartres Exterior-Sculptures, Chartres Exterior Sculpture North Transept.