Exploring Early Christian Sarcophagi in Rome: Art and Symbolism
Sarcophagus of the Via Salaria, Rome
Pio Christian Museum, 275-300 ca. Arte Paleocristiano. The sarcophagus intended for public use symbolizes the character inside. It retakes pictures of ancient mythological figures, removing their pagan meaning and linking them to Christ. The sarcophagi recognize passages from the Old and New Testaments, featuring scenes such as the Good Shepherd and Christ.
Sarcophagus of Santa María La Antigua
Rome, 350 ca. This is an early Christian sarcophagus built around the fourth century. The iconography serves to affirm the tenets decided in the councils. It stands out for its material, a promotional piece that imperial Constantine called to be built in porphyry (red). Classically decorated with garlands, plants, and masks, it also features angels, sheep, and peacocks.
Sarcophagus of the Two Brothers
Ca. 325-350. Chronologically located in the fourth century, several years after the Edict of Milan, where Christian worship is tolerated. The Two Brothers sarcophagus is decorated in two floors. In the center is a portrait of those buried, enrolled in a scallop (shell, a classical motif), which houses the two brothers in a bassinet. A left and right window shows Abraham with his son Isaac. Downstairs, Daniel is in the den of lions. This is carved in stone, reflecting the dogma of the Church.
Iconography and Symbolism
- The idealized image of the two brothers is very similar, with well-sculpted hands.
- They are dressed in robes characteristic of that era, with clothing and hairstyles resembling those of an emperor.
- The sarcophagus represents the delivery of the Decalogue of Moses, as a premonition of redemption through Christ.
Dogmatic Sarcophagus
Rome, Museo Pio Cristiano, 325-post 350 ca. The Edict of Milan (313) paved the way for Christian worship and peace in subsequent governance. Faith had not previously been represented, mixing several passages of Genesis. This sarcophagus has two floors, with the top center representing God with Adam and Eve. Another image depicts paradise with a serpent, the tree, Adam, and Eve, showcasing early Christian art’s representation of original sin.
Additional Representations
- The Shepherd with a flock of sheep, representing labor.
- The Marriage at Canaan.
- The Virgin and the Three Kings.
- Daniel in the lions’ den.
- The miracle of the blind man of Jericho.
- The two pillars of the Church: Peter and Paul.
Adelfia Sarcophagus
Rome, Jonassen 340. The Sarcophagus of the Anastasis or Peace, Rome, June 325. This is the largest sarcophagus with Paleochristian iconography. Early Christian graves feature mixed scenes from the Old and New Testament, indicating that the New Testament is foreshadowed in the Old and the Old is fulfilled in the New.
Structure and Design
The edge of the sarcophagus lid features an inscription. The scenes are separated by columns, preventing contamination between topics. This typology is architectural. The city gate or sarcophagus has two floors:
- Upper register (left to right): Sacrifice of Isaac, the arrest of Peter, Christ between Peter and Paul, the arrest of Jesus, and Pilate’s trial.
- Lower register (left to right): Job, Adam and Eve, Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, Daniel among the lions, and imprisonment of Paul.
In the central place of the two floors is Christ represented.
Sarcophagus of Saint Ambrose of Milan
380 to 390 ca. One of the most representative sarcophagi, featuring a novel iconography. It is an honorable piece with a top two-pronged design, masks on the edges, and geometric decoration. The iconography of the triumphal gate sarcophagus is covered by monumental figures rather than different images.
Symbolic Representations
- Philosopher Christ.
- Christ as judge trying the apostle.
At the bottom, below, is a base with the mystic lamb symbolizing Christ. The apostles are distributed around the sarcophagus in the form of livestock (sheep). The perspective is that the sarcophagus fund is the city of Celestial Jerusalem. On one side appears a Crismón, an imperial iconography carved on all sides. On the opposite side, images of the Old Testament are depicted, including Adam and Eve, the serpent, and the original sin. On the pediment (top), the birth of Jesus in the manger is illustrated.
Catacomb of Priscilla, Rome
3rd century. The cubicle (the catacomb room) features a vaulted ceiling where the image of the Good Shepherd and the veiled woman appears. The oldest representation of the Virgin comes from the second half of the century and is located in the “Greek Chapel” in the Catacomb of Priscilla.
Catacombs of San Callisto
3rd century, Chapel of the Sacraments. This chapel is one of the catacomb temples with the most paintings, existing since the middle of the second century. It occupies an extension of 15 hectares, with a network of galleries about 20 km on different floors, reaching a depth of 20 meters. Dozens of martyrs, 16 popes, and many Christians were buried here. The paintings can be dated to the early 3rd century and symbolize the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist.
Symbolic Imagery
- The prophet Jonah, representing resurrection.
- Seven characters sitting around a table shaped like a gauntlet, participating in the breaking of bread.
The palette is concrete, featuring red and blue, with undecorated backgrounds.
Catacombs of the Via Latina
235 ca. Hercules in the Garden of the Hesperides combines Christianity with pagan imagery. It is one of the earliest examples of mixed Christian and pagan iconography. The anatomical details are neutral, and Hercules appears as a young, beardless, idealized character. To the left is the representation of a tree, symbolizing original sin.
Altar SIII
Way prism attic. The idea is to achieve salvation, as Samson repels the Philistines. This scene decorates a burial, with Samson’s feet positioned to escape. The beard is a symbol of dignity, and the background is a neutral red color, characteristic of late Roman frescoes.
Catacomb of Saints Peter and Marcelino
3rd century, Rome. The figure of Orpheus appears dressed in the traditional military style, with a quote. Adam and Eve (340-350) depict the image of original sin, also called “the fall.” They are naked, covered with leaves, and the anatomy is imperfect due to their embarrassment. The representation of paradise is minimal.
Death of Noah
The dove appears with an olive branch returning to the ark, symbolizing victory. Noah’s hands are in prayer and praise to God, with the background poorly decorated.
Christ Between Peter and Paul
Located in the lowered roof, Christ is in the middle between Peter and Paul, sitting on a throne, with a beard and leaf on his head, dressed in a toga of a different color than the characters in the painting. The distribution is symmetrical. At the bottom, the mystic lamb is represented, limbo around the head, and four disciples are present. The background features distinct vegetal elements.
History of Santa Susanna
Old Testament image. Susanna is depicted as a virtuous person with virtues, hands in the form of creation, calling for prayer.
Resurrection of Lazarus
This is represented on one of the interior walls of the Catacombs of Saints Peter and Marcelino. The painting is very schematic, reduced in size, depicting Lazarus in a tomb with Christ pointing a stick. The architecture evokes a background with decorated cornices, with Saint Peter appearing above along with three other characters involved in a Clypeus: Christ, the Virgin, and St. John.
Monasterio Apolo San
550-600, Egypt Christian. Framed within a circular border, with precious stones, his feet resting on a support called a stool. Tetramorph symbols appear (the four evangelists transfigured): San Lucas, the bull; San Marcos, the lion; San Juan, the eagle; San Mateo, the angel. The image from the climb features the ecclesiastical field, surrounded by angels. Below appears the Virgin with her blade and the child in her arms (Virgin Theotokos), surrounded by the twelve apostles.
Christ in Majesty
Characters inscribed on a send and sustained by two angels. Christ features Egyptian characteristics, with a very sharp nose and brown skin.
Mausoleum of Constantine
Rome, 3rd century. Constantine’s mausoleum has a mosaic decoration that mixes pagan and Christian themes. This mausoleum is dated to the fourth century, known from a watercolor of the sixteenth century. The mosaics that remain in this mausoleum are located in two zones.
Opening the Vault of the Ambulatory
This area mixes pagan and Christian themes. The chapels or apses arranged on the sides of the chapel are vaulted, featuring religious themes. Christ delivers the law to Saints Peter and Paul, located in the vault of the apse. On the Half Dome (orange room), Christ is depicted in classic attire, giving the Saints an inscription filaterial (double-fold parchment roll) with a Chi Rho in the right corner. Christ appears with a lovely young face, set against a landscape of sheep, clouds, and birds, framed in a fretwork of leaves and fruits (such as pomegranate, symbolic).
Church of St. Prudence
401-417, Rome, Innocent I. Located in the vault of the altar, quarter sphere dome. The iconography is very comprehensive and complex, divided into two scenes:
- In the top: a blue background with a golden cross on a hill, under which is Christ.
- At the sides of the cross, tetramorph images appear.
At the bottom, simulating the terrestrial and celestial space, we find the figure of Christ above, with a building featuring a two-pronged tissue evoking temples behind the Heavenly Jerusalem. Alternate architectures and lattices flank Christ, who is enthroned, along with a group of apostles and women facing St. Peter and the universal Paul, symbolizing Christianity after the Council of Jerusalem.
Church of Santa Maria La Mayor
Rome, Sixtus I, 432-440. The mosaics in this building are located in the frieze of the nave. The figures are refurbished but retain their cycles. Each scene needs to be contextualized with the previous and next.
Crossing the Red Sea
This mosaic is located in the nave of the building of St. Mary Major. The background is yellow, red, and blue. Moses is located in the lower left, surrounded by characters with their heads placed symmetrically. In the sea, shields, warriors with lances, and horses emerge, clearly manifesting the seizure of the time. It is a very monumental scene.
St. Peter, St. Paul, and the Evangelists Tetramorph
This mosaic is located in the central arch, topped with a relief. It represents a golden throne with Peter and Tetramorphs.
The Annunciation
The Adoration of the Magi depicts Christ as a child appearing as a Roman emperor. The Killing of the Innocents features ideal architecture evoking the Heavenly Jerusalem, inscribed with a flock of sheep.
The Life of Christ
Images from the life of Christ, with gold backgrounds, featuring representations of herds of lambs.
Mausoleum of Galla Placidia
Church of Santa Cruz, Ravenna. The mosaics of the mausoleum have symbolic meaning. In one of the semicircular eardrums, one arm of the mausoleum represents San Lorenzo burned on the grill. There is also a library, a cabinet with doors open to the book of truth. In the eardrums of the mausoleum, pairs of apostles are depicted, with a fountain symbolizing the purification of the soul, featuring two pigeons that come to drink (an allegory of redemption). The vaults of the building are decorated with gold stars and blue colors, evoking the Golden Cross of Heaven. The dome of the mausoleum features gold stars on a blue background, with a cross at the center, and a figure of the Good Shepherd in tetramorph. This scene is depicted in one arm of the building, where Christ is feeding the lambs, adorned with gilded clothing and leaves.