Early Christian Art: From Catacombs to Basilicas
Early Christian Art
Historical Context
Roman territorial expansion led to the spread throughout the empire of certain oriental cults widespread in their places of origin. In the same context and circumstances fits the spread of Christianity. After the crisis of the century, the Roman Empire began to collapse economically and politically. The bad times and insecurity pushed large groups of people to seek refuge and comfort in these new eastern cults, which offered a spirituality and hope that lacked in the official religion.
Christianity, for its message of equality and salvation, was well received, but its refusal to worship the emperor and its rejection of the institutions led to the hiding of these early Christians, who were victims during the first three centuries of their existence and some persecution.
However, in the fourth century, the situation of Christianity underwent a radical change; it went from the underground and persecution to legality and imperial protection. The immediate causes were three imperial edicts:
- Edict of Tolerance: Allowed all religious cults, including Christianity.
- Edict of Milan: Ordered restitution to the Christians of the property that had been confiscated.
- Edict of Thessalonica: Established Christianity as the official religion of the empire.
The Periodization of Early Christian Art
The beginnings of Christianity are limited to the Roman imperial stage, from the time of Christ until the fall of the Western Empire. Christian artistic expression before the third century is very limited for several reasons: the small number of Christians throughout the empire, the marginality in which they moved, and even their initial rejection of images under the influence of Jewish tradition.
It can be argued that early Christian art was contemporary art of the Lower Empire, which lived in a mutual exchange of influences. But there are two periods separated by the Edicts of Toleration of 311 and 313:
- Underground period: Essentially the third century.
- Period of freedom of worship: Subsequent rise of Christianity to the official religion.
General Features of Early Christian Art
The transition from underground to the law brought about profound changes in early Christian art, which rose from poverty and austerity to luxury and extravagance.
Not to mention that fact, you can identify the following characteristics:
- Adopted patterns, techniques, and style of late Roman art.
- Lacked a distinctive architecture during the period of hiding, and after legalization, adopted their own needs for worship.
- In the figurative arts, was more interested in the clear identification and understanding of the issues.
- Frequently used the repertoire of the classical pagan world but gave it a Christian character.
Artists and Clients
In the period before the edicts of toleration, the Christian population was urban, poor, and poorly educated. The art was restricted to mural painting in particular places of worship or burial, and presumably, many of its authors did not even have proper artistic education.
Following the legalization of Christianity and after its proclamation as the official religion of the empire, the church experienced rapid economic enrichment and a profound cultural transformation. New clients of art were the emperors and aristocratic families of Roman society, from which also came from the higher clergy.
ARCHITECTURE
Hiding Places
During the period prior to the edicts of tolerance, Christians did not have their own architecture for worship and gathered in private homes or cemeteries where they buried their coreligionists.
It is called domus ecclesiae to the houses where communities of believers gathered together to celebrate their liturgies. These domus ecclesiae should have sufficient breadth and be safe to accommodate Christian groups and not to arouse suspicion, for what used to belong to a wealthy member of the community.
Given the importance that Christianity gave the afterlife, cemeteries were also very important in this era, especially the underground and catacombs. Christians came to these places gathered to worship the dead and sometimes to celebrate various religious events, like the Eucharist.
It seems unreasonable to think that the catacombs were used as a refuge from persecution, a widespread idea, especially from the film. The situation of the cemetery was known by all, and the burial might have been safe places to hide.
The Basilica
After the edicts of 311 and 313, everything changed, and Christians got out into the light and practiced their religion without hindrance or harassment, decided to create their own architecture adapted to the characteristics and needs of their worship. It required a type of building with sufficient capacity to accommodate a large community of believers, the assembly or church, and a prominent place of worship for the officiant.
The result was a Christian basilica; the model might be the Basilica of the Roman Forum. In any event, it was inspired by the Roman buildings for meetings and hearings.
Constantine, the emperor who issued the Edict of Milan of 313, also sent up the first Christian basilicas. The oldest was that of St. John Lateran in Rome, which followed shortly after that of San Pedro del Vaticano. Outside Rome, it was decided to highlight two of the most significant of the life of Jesus Christ with the construction of the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem and the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
Some elements of the early Christian basilicas vary according to geographic area or importance, but generally, they have a relative homogeneity that suggests a previously agreed structure:
- The plan is rectangular and is divided into three or five longitudinal aisles.
- The central nave is higher and wider, with a gable roof.
- At the head, the nave extends in a semicircular apse vaulted oven, reserved for the bishop and the senior clergy.
This basic structure is often incorporated in the basilicas of the West some additional spaces:
- A transept or transept before the header.
- An arcaded atrium, preceding access to the basilica, with a fountain in the center and a narthex at the entrance, reserved for the catechumens.
The interior space is built from a directional axis leading from the entrance to the altar and the apse, the main visual centers of interest. The course is a symbolic way of salvation, reinforced by the direction in which the basilica from the fifth century: Entering them in the west and moving toward the altar of the header.
The exterior just concerned, since it is intended only to isolate the sacred precinct by a blank wall. In this sense, the Christian basilica goes even further than the Roman architecture, highlighting even part of the facade.
Baptistery, Mausoleum, and Martyria
In addition to basilicas, the first Christians also built baptisteries, mausoleums, and martyria, which have some features in common:
- All of them adopt centralized plants.
- They are usually covered by a dome, which reinforces the symbolism of the plant.
- In the circular buildings and some of the octagonal, the central space is surrounded by an ambulatory.
Baptisteries are octagonal, with the meaning of number eight in Christian symbolism: God created the universe in seven days. Therefore, the eight symbolizes Christ’s resurrection and baptism.
The mausoleums and martyria nature and characteristics were similar. The mausoleums were erected in memory of someone important, whose tomb is housed inside. The martyria were dedicated to a martyr or a saint and contained his remains or stood in the place of martyrdom.
The martyria were typical of the East, where they used to form a partnership with a basilica, as is the case of the Nativity in Bethlehem or the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
The Figurative Arts
The almost total absence of Christian painting and sculpture until the end of the second century was due to the Bible condemning anthropomorphic representations of the deity and the worship of sacred images. Moreover, early Christian art is primarily a symbolic art, and the formal status of the work is subject to the message to be transmitted.
Iconography
During the underground period, it was important for Christians to express their beliefs without giving themselves away. Thus, among the oldest themes of pagan origin predominate but reinterpreted in the light of the new faith. In this sense, representations of Jesus under the appearance of some gods, heroes, or classic types were normal.
Various reasons were also used in the real world, which gave a specifically Christian meaning: the fish is an acronym for Jesus Christ Son of God Savior, the anchor symbolizes hope, and its shape resembles the cross, and the stem and vine symbolize the Eucharist.
One reason for the different nature of Christ was the logo or monogram of Christ, which has taken various forms since the third century. Its most common are the first two letters of the word Christ in Greek.
More explicit biblical themes were both the Old and New Testament, which spread mostly from the legalization of Christianity. Among them, mention two that are often represented together by sharing the same message of divine mercy.
Paint and Mosaic
In early Christian art, both in painting and in mosaic, mural devoted to the representation of religious subjects in places of assembly and worship.
The mural painting was developed from the late second century until the early fourth century, mainly in the catacombs, and the style presents in most cases the roughness characteristic of low-skilled artists. Since Constantine’s edict of tolerance, lay tile to replace the paint in the decoration of basilicas, baptisteries, mausoleums, and martyria. Its greatest technical complexity and cost, as well as its brilliance and color, match the new stage of aristocratization of the Church, which was reflected in the quality of works in the treatment of the figures. However, in both procedures, a didactic purpose is pursued primarily, which gives priority to the clarity of the message about formal correctness. In this sense, painting and mosaic had several features in common:
- Hieratic and stiffness of human figures.
- The schematic of the composition.
- Simplification of the scenes, with the minimization of child elements, particularly the landscape or space.
Sculpture
The sculpture was extremely rare in early Christian art, as it was feared that its similarity with the model conducive to the worship of images, condemned by the biblical texts. To prevent idolatry, the image should have only a symbolic and abstract.
Consequently, figurative sculpture fell almost exclusively to relief and sarcophagus fronts. Their formal characteristics are similar to the ones for painting and mosaics, and as to the issues, there are many landscapes of the Old and New Testament, especially those related to salvation and resurrection.
In general, conform to two main types:
- The sarcophagus was inspired by pagan models are scenes or characters that occupy the entire front, on continuous development, and separated by a column in an architectural framework.
- The proper Christian sarcophagus with scenes and characters minimum within a rectangle or central medallion flanked on both sides strigils series.