John Cabot University ScholarShip

Recent Submissions

  • Item
    The Mosaic Decoration of S. Marco, Rome: St. Mark the Evangelist as the Embodiment of the Papal Perspective in the Second Iconoclastic Controversy (814–842)
    (2021) Racz, Bernat; Salvadori, Sharon; Yawn, Lila
    This thesis examines the mosaics of Pope Gregory IV (827–844) in the Basilica of S. Marco in Rome. Before Gregory IV’s reign, during Pope Paschal I’s pontificate (817–824), apse mosaics represented a space for messages about the orthodoxy of the veneration of religious images. Paschal I did not only represent the papal perspective on images in apse mosaics, but he also wrote to the Byzantine Emperor Leo V (813–820) about the validity of religious images soon after the start of the second iconoclasm (814–842). The letter, Paschal’s references to eastern theory, and the arrival of Greek iconophile refugees indicate that the controversy remained relevant in Rome even in 830 when Gregory IV’s mosaics were created. This thesis argues that the ideas of Paschal and those of Byzantine iconophile theologians were considered when the mosaics of San Marco were designed. Moreover, the enigmatic appearance of St. Mark the Evangelist as the titular saint in the apse mosaic of the basilica formerly dedicated to Pope Mark is part of this iconophile message. Mark the Evangelist’s representation is deployed to claim his relics in Venice, however, his figure also emphasizes the relationship and role of words and images in the context of a common iconophile argument about the Incarnation of Christ. This process of associations is aided by the composition. The mosaic emphasizes the connection between the saints of the apse which allows them to indicate messages about the primacy of the bishop of Rome and his orthodoxy in the defense of images.
  • Item
    The Matthew (2011 Apr)
    (2011)
  • Item
    The Matthew (2009 Feb 24)
    (2009)
  • Item
    The Matthew (2017 Nov)
    (2017)
  • Item
    The Matthew (2016 Nov)
    (2016)

Communities in JCU ScholarShip

Select a community to browse its collections.

Now showing 1 - 5 of 8