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The Mausoleum of Santa Costanza: Affirming the Identity and Cultural Heritage of the Greco-Roman World
Colucci, Roberta
Colucci, Roberta
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Abstract
For its state of conservation, architectural uniqueness, and link with the Constantinian dynasty, the mausoleum of Santa Costanza is one of the dearest monuments to scholars of Roman Late Antique art. The mausoleum’s date of construction, patronage, and identity of its beneficiaries are still debated. The literature on this grandiose tomb tends to be stuck on the perceived conflict between paganism and Christianity which is presumed to characterize its extant mosaics and sarcophagus. This purported religious “conflict” in the imagery is also often glossed over, not directly or fully addressed. Although this thesis considers the mausoleum of Santa Costanza through a religious prism, it wishes to demonstrate that religious ambiguity has been more destabilizing to modern audiences than to those of the fourth century, especially when considering their understanding of its role in funerary commemoration. Through the analysis of both iconography and formal elements, the persistence of the pagan visual language in late antique art is here regarded as a lively expression of the cultural heritage of the Greco-Roman world and the affirmation of identity intended as cultural and social conservatism and traditionalism. This thesis also focuses on the different ways in which Dionysiac exuberance and benevolence could be comforting despite religious affiliation, but it also explores the Christian appropriation of Dionysiac imagery.
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Thesis (B.A. in Art History, Minor in Business Administration)--John Cabot University, Spring 2021.
Date
2021
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Mausoleum of Santa Costanza, Rome (Empire)
Citation
Colucci, Roberta. "The Mausoleum of Santa Costanza: Affirming the Identity and Cultural Heritage of the Greco-Roman World". BA Thesis, John Cabot University, Rome, Italy. 2021.