You are currently browsing the monthly archive for January, 2007.
the pool at foro italico, photos & essay by antmoose.
This building, designed as the “palazzo delle Termi” or palace of the Baths by Costantino Costantini in 1937, became part of the Olympic complex in 1960.
exercise is good for you on Flickr - by antmoose
What is going on here? Men climb stairs to fling themselves off a platform, presumably to land in a sweaty pile on the men below. Meanwhile, three muscle men squat, stretch, and flex for our viewing pleasure.
divers on Flickr - by antmoose
It was almost impossible to get a photo of this wall, for some reason. So this is of mediocre quality, but the mosaics express the sheer physical joy of diving.
women? on Flickr - by antmoose
Of course, the women are fully clothed and represent goddesses and virtues. They watch in helpless awe as their menfolk disport with each other in various states of manly undress.
runners on Flickr - bn antmoose
One of the most beautiful sections of the mosaic, full of kinetic energy. The repetitious motion of the arms evokes, surely unintentionally, the Nazi swastika.
relaxing on Flickr - by antmoose
I think this is the most explicitly erotic of the pool mosaics. Here he waits, naked, confident of his muscular body, as if in a sauna. He doesn’t look too smart, but then intelligence was not a Fascist ideal. The pose evokes the ignudi on Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling.
towel peekaboo on Flickr - by antmoose
The swimmer, drying off, shows us he’s not wearing a thong, and seems on the verge of showing us what Fascist youth really worshipped.
put the towel around me too on Flickr - by antmoose
There is a world of homoerotic longing in the gaze of the towel-less bather.
oh my aching back on Flickr - by antmoose
photos & essay by antmoose.
Nice Andamento! 
Mosaic Art Source mosaic definition:
andamento - mosaic detail
andamento - movement or flow of tesserae, often accentuated by the interstices.
mosaic art source - mosaic terms glossary - mosaic definitions - mosaic resources
Who were the Mosaic Artists?
In the first postwar period, 1934-1938, the most interesting mosaic project realised by the Mosaic School of Fruili, was the wall and floor mosaic of 10,000 sqm mosaic at the Foro italico in Rome. It was created on the bozzetti by Giulio Rosso, Angelo Canevari, Achille Capizzano and Gino Severini. The School history from 1922
sabrina spilimbergo on Flickr - blackhitomi has green eyes
mosaic from the school in Spilimbergo on Flickr - deirdreon langley
Mosaic class school in Spilimbergo on Flickr - deirdreon langley
Where is Spilimbergo?
Spilimbergo (Friulian Spilimberc) is a town, with a population of 11,635, located northeast of Venice in the province of Pordenone in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, northern Italy. The town is notable as the home of the Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli (Mosaic School), which was founded in 1922.
Mosiac wall art, originally uploaded by glowingon.
Dumbarton Oaks Manor House on Flickr - john w
Dumbarton Oaks is a 19th century Federal-style mansion in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It currently houses the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, a center for scholarship in Byzantine studies, Pre-Columbian studies and the history of landscape architecture. Dumbarton Oaks - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dumberton Pool on Flickr - by elvisthefish
mosaic of the great horned god overlooks the pool - by Karon
poolhouse mosaics on Flickr - by Karon
Poolhouse mosaic deetail on Flickr - by van swearingen
Poolhouse mosaic. detail on Flickr - by van swearingen
Poolhouse mosaic at Dumbarton Oaks on Flickr - by van swearingen
Bathhouse Mosaic smalti & marble detail on Flickr - by elvisthefish
Bathhouse mosaic macro smalti detail on Flickr - elvisthefish
Basílica de Carranque 2, originally uploaded by stavlokratz.
Where is Carranque?
Carranque is a town in the Toledo province, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It is located in the Alta Sagra area of the province bordering the province of Madrid.
Carranque contains a Roman site protected as an archeological park by the Castile-La Mancha government. It is located by river Guadarrama, near a Roman road. It seems to be near the lost city of Titultiam. There are three main buildings, the ruins of a Roman mill and a modern interpretation building. The buildings date from the late 4th century and are thought to be related to the Hispania-born emperor Theodosius I.
carranque mosaico on Flickr - by themy2004
In 1983 a local peasant, Samuel López Iglesias, found a series of mosaics while plowing in the fields known as las Suertes de Abajo. These mosaics belong to the so-named Villa of Maternus. The interpretation facility exhibits objects found during the excavations. Carranque - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Océano on Flickr - by stavlokratz
In the Dining Hall a tilted floor formed a semicircular fountain with a mosaic of the god Oceanus, featuring crab antennas, claws and a wavy beard.
In the Greek and Roman world-view, Oceanus (Greek Ὠκεανός, Okeanos), was the world-ocean, which they believed to be an enormous river encircling the world. Strictly speaking, Okeanos was the ocean-stream at the Equator in which floated the habitable hemisphere (oikoumene).[1] In Greek mythology, this world-ocean was personified as a Titan, a son of Uranus and Gaia. In Hellenistic and Roman mosaics, this Titan was often depicted as having the upper body of a muscular man with a long beard and horns, and the lower torso of a serpent (cf. Typhon). On a fragmentary archaic vessel (British Museum 1971.11-1.1) of ca 580 BCE, among the gods arriving at the wedding of Peleus and the sea-nymph Thetis, is a fish-tailed Oceanus, with a fish in one hand and a serpent in the other, gifts of bounty and prophecy. In Roman mosaics he might carry a steering-oar and cradle a ship. Oceanus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Briseis and Achilles mosaic- Wikipedia
The Ulysses giving Briseis back to Achilles mosaic above was also found in the dining room & depicts the return of the slave Briseis to Achilles as narrated in the Iliad.
What Iliad?
The Iliad (Ancient Greek Ἰλιάς, Ilias) is, together with the Odyssey, one of two ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer, a supposedly blind Ionian poet. The epics are considered by most modern scholars to be the oldest literature in the Greek language (though some believe that the works of the poet Hesiod were composed earlier, a belief that was also held by some classical Greeks).
Aquiles from Ulysses giving Briseis back to Achilles on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
The first word of the Iliad is μῆνιν (mēnin), “rage” or “wrath”. This word announces the major theme of the Iliad: the wrath of Achilles.
Briseida from Ulysses giving Briseis back to Achilles on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
When Agamemnon, the commander of the Greek forces at Troy, dishonors Achilles by taking Briseis, a slave woman given to Achilles as a prize of war, Achilles becomes enraged, and withdraws from the fighting. Without Achilles’ prowess in battle, the Greeks are nearly defeated by the Trojans. Achilles re-enters the fighting when his dearest friend Patroclus is killed by the Trojan prince Hector. Achilles slaughters many Trojans, and kills Hector. In his rage he then refuses to return Hector’s body and instead defiles it. Priam, the father of Hector, ransoms his son’s body, and the Iliad ends with the funeral of Hector.
Of the many themes in the Iliad, perhaps the most important is the idea of moral choice. Achilles believes he has two options: he can either live a long, unremarkable life at home or else he can die young and gloriously as a mercenary warrior. Military adventuring (that is, pillage and plunder) was a way of life in pre-Homeric times, and the many ruins of thick-walled cities and fortresses in the region give silent testimony to the fear that must have characterized life in the ancient world.
For some men, military adventuring is a more attractive choice than staying home on the farm. Death in battle leads to honor and glory—timae and kleos—which were important values of the day — more important than even right and wrong. One of the remarkable things about the Iliad is the way that Achilles, especially in Book 9, both embraces concepts of honor and glory and also rejects them. It should be noted that, despite the fact that he is the antagonist in the story, Hector probably best displays the qualities of an ancient Mediterranean hero. Many Greek myths exist in multiple versions, so Homer had some freedom to choose among them to suit his story. Iliad - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
mosaico on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
mosaico on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Píramo y Tisbe at Villa of Maternus - Carranque, Spain on Flickr - by stavlokratz
This mosaic is found in the sleeping room of the 4th century Roman Villa of Maternus - Carranque, Spain
Mosaic Art Source Archives - more mosaics from the Villa Maternus - Carranque, Spain
The love story of Pyramus and Thisbe, not really apart of Roman mythology, is actually a sentimental romance. It is recounted by Hyginus (Fabulae 242) but is better told by Ovid(Metamorphoses 4). Pyramus and Thisbe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thisbe and Pyramus with Typo paphos, cyprus on Flickr - by Ken and Nyetta
This mosaic at Paphos, Cyprus is particularly interesting because it depicts a rare (and enormous) “typo.” This is supposed to be a mosaic of the story of Thisbe and Pyramos — the story written down by Ovid from which Shakespeare adapted Romeo and Juliet and the story that appears as a sub-plot in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
In the legend, Thisbe and Pyramos are youths in Babylon whose parents dislike each other but who fall in love by talking through a crack in the wall between their homes. This mosaic is supposed to depict their fateful meeting that results in their double-suicide.
The problem with this mosaic is that rather than showing the Pyramos who committed suicide when he thought Thisbe had been eaten by a great cat (a leopard in this mosaic), the artist put in the river god Pyramos with his seaweed hair and horn of plenty. The mosaic artist probably did not know the story and was just working from a book of standard themes — and chose the wrong Pyramos to draw!
For a bit of fun check this out - Pyramus and Thisbe performed by The Beatles
Worchester College Oxford - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Worcester College
Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Its predecessor was an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century, even though the current college was founded only in the eighteenth century.
Worcester College, Oxford - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saints from the mosaic floor of Worcester College’s chapel c.1791
St Augustine on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
St Augustine (or Austin) is here shown writing one of his famous texts, possibly the ‘Confessions’.
St Jerome on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
St Jerome translated the Bible in Latin. His work is called the Vulgate. He is shown here in cardinal’s robes and in the work of translation, or perhaps writing one of his Scripture commentaries.
St Ambrose on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
St. Ambrose was believed to have composed the ‘Te Deum laudamus’, an earlyChristian hymn of praise, hence he is shown here in the act of writingit.
St Gregory the Great on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
St. Gregory - This Pope was responsible for the codification of plainsong, hence the name ‘Gregorian chant’. The Holy Spirit in the form of a dove sits on his shoulder, dictating the sacred song to him.
Christ the Divine Sower, originally uploaded by Lawrence OP.
Mosaic floor from Worcester College’s chapel. This comes from the footpace in front of the Altar. The floor is entirely covered in mosaic with charming depictions of the saints.
The mosaic art 2006 yearbook is a collective portfolio of contemporary mosaic art created in 2006 by 413 artists throughout the world. 747 original mosaics in all mosaic materials and styles on CD-ROM. Cover Mosaic by Canadian Mosaicist Margo Anton.
Mosaic Art Source - Mosaic Art Focus January Newsletter
The Little Canadian Mermaid, originally uploaded by DrGaz.
This Mermaid is not mosaicked but is one of my favorite sculptures here in Vancouver, BC Canada. The mermaid mosaics below are on nearby Vancouver Island.
james bay victoria bc on Flickr - by trivia queen
victoria bc mosaic mermaid2 on Flickr - by triviaqueen
Mosaic mermaid above by Victoria Mosaic Artist - Sandra Millott. Thanks for the artists info triviaqueen 
Sooke Harbor House Entrance mosaic mermaidon Flickr - by feserc
Mermaid mosaic, originally uploaded by Jester’s Closet.
Mosaic at Maleny, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
Yemaya mosaic artist Lori Greene on Flickr - by morninglori281956
Artist Kelly Davidson Mosaic Mermaid on Flickr!
April Whitt at Miss La Tina’s mermaid mosaic unveiling on Flickr!
Miss Beaufort’s Beautiful Tail Mermaid Mosaic detail on Flickr!
Miss Beaufort’s Tail Mermaid Mosaic detail on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
The mermaid mosaic sculptures above are part of The Big Swim: Mermaids by the Arts Council of Beaufort County, SC
the lighthouse, fish, bottles mosaic detail, originally uploaded by gisarah.
lighthouse interior mosaic detail on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
portland lighthouse on madison mosaic floor detail Flickr - by gisarah
truman likes the mermaid’s belly button on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
mosaic mermaid bullseye on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
here’s the middle, mama on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
This cob sculpture is in front of a home on 21st and SE Madison, in Portland, Oregon, and is called “The Lighthouse”. It was designed and built by a team of cob builders in Portland. According to their site, the mosaic artist is Natalia Palito, and (i think) the mermaid is modeled after a woman who lives in the house. She’s not, as some of my friends thought, modeled after me
Thank you so much for sharing your photos & the added info Sarah. I agree with your friends she does look a lot like you & just have to say your children are adorable!
Mosaic Fountain in the Turtle Bay Gardens on Flickr - by kempdog
What is the Turtle Bay Exploration Park?
The Turtle Bay Exploration Park is a sprawling 300-acre campus filled with educational and entertaining activities all focused on the interpretation of the relationship between humans and nature. Spanning the Sacramento River and linked by the Sundial Bridge, the Park tells the story of the region and its people.
Turtle Bay Exploration Park - About Turtle Bay
Turtle Bay Exploration Park Mosaic on Flickr - by Quizacal Cat
Turtle Bay Exploration Park Mosaic on Flickr - by Quizacal Cat
Turtle Bay Exploration Park Mosaic on Flickr - by Quizacal Cat
Turtle Bay Mosaic on Flickr - Quizical Cat
What is The McConnel Arboretum?
Opened on May 30, 2005, the McConnell Arboretum & Gardens is the newest addition to Turtle Bay Exploration Park. The new Gardens comprise 20 acres of mediterranean climate display gardens, a children’s garden, a medicinal garden, and two beautiful and unique water features. The Arboretum extends over 200 acres with direct links to the award-winning Sacramento River Trail. The Gardens carry Turtle Bay’s sustainability message to another level and express a very positive ethic about a harmonious fit between natural systems and human activity.
Mosaic Fountain, originally uploaded by PattyGill.
Mosaic Fountain Detail on Flickr - by Quizical Cat
Turtle Bay Exploration Park Mosaic detail on Flickr - by Quizacal Cat
A Most Beautiful Mosaic Turtle on Flickr - by Quizacal Cat
Where is this Mosaic Garden?
In the Children’s Garden is the ‘Mosaic Oasis’, a whimsical and fun water feature that includes a drinking fountain, ornamental fountain, and play structure designed by local mixed media artist Colleen Barry. The Children’s Garden and Picnic Grove areas are full of fun and interesting plants from around the world.
Watching the Washlands on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Watching the Washlands on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Watching the Washlands
Hattie Coppard
1993
Andressey Bridge, Burton on Trent
Steel, concrete, ceramic tiles, mirror mosaic
The National Record says:” The sculptures are intended to resemble Indian wayside icons, colourful figures which traditionally guard the boundaries of villages from evil. The two sculptures are placed a few feet apart; one is a rounded edged cuboid shape with two bulging eyes, the other is much larger and has a concave face which bears some similarity to Cubist imagery.
“These sculptures form part of the Washlands Sculpture Trail which was set up by the Borough of East Staffordshire’s Leisure Services with support from the Burton and District Arts Council, Burton Civic Society, Burton-upon-Trent College and West Midlands Arts. Financial aid and materials were supplied by the sponsors and local businesses. The sculptures are intended to, “offer innovative interpretations of the natural, social and historical heritage of this unique area and its relevance to the people of Burton today”. The projects deliberately involved local people, especially schools and various community groups.”
Ceramic tile mosaic detail on Flickr - by annpar
Mosaic Art Source mosaic definition:
tesserae - small, usually square pieces of glass or other material used to make a mosaic. Their size generally ranges from a few millimetres to two centimetres long and five to ten millimetres thick. The term derives from the Greek word meaning “four-sided”. m.a.s. mosaic glossary
Vitreous Tile Mosaic detail - by pauldub
Mosaic Art Source mosaic definition:
vitreous tile
vitreous tile - square glass mosaic tiles most commonly 3/4″ x 3/4″ made in molds from glass paste. They have a smooth top but the bottom is keyed with ridges for better adhesion. m.a.s.mosaic glossary
Smalti mosaic detail on Flickr - Jef Poskanzer
Mosaic Art Source mosaic definition:
smalti
smalto (pl. smalti) - smalti is characterized by its dazzling range of brilliant opaque colors. Smalti is prepared by adding crystalline material (corpo) and coloured material (anima) to the colourless or coloured fused glass. Smalti is literally available in thousands of colors, is a very stable glass, easy to cut and very durable. m.a.s. mosaic glossary
Vasarely mosaic, total view on Flickr - by erich289
Vasarely mosaic, detail on Flickr - by erich289
Vasarely-Monaco on Flickr - by toog
The large-scale complex of the Congress Center (called Les Spélugues)
was opened in 1978. The boulevard Louis II runs under the massive
building which has been constructed of elements on a hexagonal plan and
includes the 636-room Hotel “Loews” and 100 apartments. On the highest
roof-level, of which there is an excellent view from the terrace. There
is a striking mosaic composed of colored tiles, which was designed in
1979 by Victor Vasarély and has the title “Hexagrace - Le Ciel, la Mer,
la Terre”. The Fondation Vasarély in Aix-en-Provence was responsible
for its execution. planetware.com
Victor Vasarely, Masterworks Fine Art
Who was Victor Vasarely?
Victor Vasarely (Vásárhelyi Győző) (9 April 1906, Pécs - 15 March 1997, Paris) was a French Hungarian-born artist often acclaimed as the father of Op-art. He was a very talented artist.
Working as a graphic artist in the 1930s he created what is considered the first Op-art piece — Zebra, consisting of curving black and white stripes, indicating the direction his work would take. Over the next two decades, Vasarely developed his style of geometric abstract art. His work won his international renown and he received 4 prestigious prizes. He died in Paris in 1997.
mosaic sculpture, originally uploaded by ciglieggia.
La Mosaïque Sculpture (Fountain)
Date: 1981
Artiste: Michel Deverne
Art integrated into Architecture, is the creed of Michel Deverne, born in 1927.
He conceived for La Defense the “Reliefs of the room of exchanges of the RER” with the sculptural decoration of the ventilation chimneys, designed by Andre-Prothin. The mosaic which accompanies the buildings by the Mirrors (1981) is also a beautiful illustration of the mixture between art and town planning: a surface of 3000 m2, creating an aesthetic effect of four cylindrical volumes intended to mask the flues ventilating, the exits of elevators and carparks becoming a sculptural work of art.
Where is La Défense?
La Défense is a major business district for the city of Paris (French:”Ville de Paris”), bordering Neuilly-sur-Seine, west of the city proper. It is centred on an ovular loop of roadway straddling the Hauts-de-Seine département municipalities of Nanterre, Courbevoie and Puteaux. The district is at the westernmost extremity of Paris’ Historical Axis, which commences at the Louvre in the centre of Paris and crosses the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe.
Around its Grande Arche and esplanade (”le Parvis”) centre, this district holds many of the Paris urban area’s tallest high-rises: with its 3.5 million m² of office space, La Défense is the largest business district in Europe.
La Défense - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
sculpture mosaic detail, originally uploaded by ciglieggia.
vitreous & ceramic tile mosaic detail, originally uploaded by ciglieggia.
vitreous & ceramic tile mosaic detail, originally uploaded by ciglieggia.
Who is Michel Deverne?
DEVERNE Michel
Born in 1927, Deverne is a contemporary sculptor whose many achievements in Paris,France reveal his drive to weave a close link between architecture and the visual arts. His sculptures of steel, brass, aluminium as well as enamelled metal & tile decorations illustrate the diversity of his approach, the breadth of his ideas and the meticulousness of his work.
Bar Code, originally uploaded by domar.
Milky Way Mosaic on Flickr - by domar
Milk Gun Mosaic on Flickr - by domar
Sun Mosaic on Flickr - by domar
Funny Dog Mosaic on Flickr - by domar
Squares Mosaic on Flickr - by domar
Pretty Girl Mosaic on Flickr - by domar
These mosaic murals are on walls around a dairy here in Milan, Italy. Artists are various and once a year the schools of Milan can participate in a public concourse. The best mosaics manufactured by the school children are then exhibited for one year aside these permanent mosaics.
Thanks again for sharing your photos & for the added info Marcello
Glimpse of Petra Treasury on Flickr - by charlietyack
Where is Petra?
Petra is a spectacular ancient Nabataean city in western Jordan. With massive façades that have been carved entirely out of the existing red sandstone, Petra’s magnificent temples and tombs are like no other religious buildings in the world, and the surrounding rugged landscape dotted with historical sites are a hiker’s paradise.
Petra has been a city of great religious significance both in ancient times and today. First, it has a number of connections with the Old Testament: the nearby Ain Mousa (Spring of Moses) is believed to be where Moses struck a rock with his staff to extract water and Aaron is said to have died in the Petra area and been buried on what is today the sacred site atop Jabal Haroun (Mount Aaron). Later, the city built by the Nabataeans was packed with tombs, temples, sanctuaries and altars to their gods. And in its last years, Petra was the home of several Byzantine churches.
Petra, Jordan - Sacred Destinations Travel Guide
Petra church mosaic floor on Flickr - by fee6ee
Amidst Petra’s ancient temples is a Byzantine church dating from the 5th and 6th centuries. Still being excavated, Petra Church contains some extraordinary mosaics.
Detail of the Petra church mosaics on Flickr - by fee6ee
The Petra Church seems to have first been built over Nabataean and Roman remains around 450 AD. It may have been a major 5th- and 6th-century cathedral, which is intriguing given the other evidence of Petra’s decline after a 363 AD earthquake.
Petra church mosaic detail on Flickr - by anilegna
Petra church mosaic detail on Flickr - by anilegna
mosaic floor detail on Flickr - by anilegna
How old are the mosaics of Petra?
When first constructed around 450, the church had only one apse and an entrance porch. The Mosaic of the Seasons in the southern aisle is from this period. In 500-50 AD, the church was remodeled. Two side apses were installed and the two-story atrium built. The nave was paved and the chancel screens, a pulpit, and wall mosaics were installed, as were the mosaics of the northern aisle and the eastern end of the southern aisle.
petra_church_deer_mosaic on Flickr - by taijibasset
Each of the side aisles of Petra Church is paved with 70 square meters of remarkably preserved mosaics, depicting native as well as exotic or mythological animals, as well as personifications of the Seasons, Ocean, Earth and Wisdom. Also surviving are significant remains of the nave’s paving in marble and stone in geometric designs.
Mosaic Interpretation on Flickr - Photo Sharing!, by www.h4ppy.com.
La Pompeya del Este, Jerash, Jordan on Flickr - by kissss
Where is Jerash?
Located some 48 km (30 miles) north of the capital Amman, Jerash is known for the ruins of the Greco-Roman city of Gerasa, also referred to as Antioch on the Golden River. It is sometimes misleadingly referred to as the “Pompeii of the Middle East”, referring to its size, extent of excavation and level of preservation (though Jerash was never buried by a volcano).
Jerash became an urban center during the 3rd century BC and a member of the federation of Greek cities known as the Decapolis (”ten cities” in Greek). Jerash prospered during the 1st century BC as a result of its position on the incense and spice trade route from the Arabian Peninsula to Syria and the Mediterranean region. Jerash was a favorite city of the Roman emporer, Hadrian, and reached its zenith in AD 130, flourishing economically and socially. The city began to decline in the 3rd century, later becoming a Christian city under the rule of the Byzantine empire. The Muslims took over in AD 635, but the final blow to the city was dealt by Baldwin II of Jerusalem in AD 1112 during the Crusades.
Modern Jerash sprawls to the east of the ruins, sharing the same city wall but little else. Thankfully, the ruins have been carefully preserved and spared from encroachment.
Jerash travel guide - Wikitravel
Liz photographs the mosaics in Jerash on Flickr - by charlietyack
How old are the Mosaics of Jerash?
From AD 350, a large Christian community lived in Jerash, and between AD 400-600, more than thirteen churches were built, many with superb mosaic floors. A cathedral was built in the fourth century A.D. An ancient synagogue with detailed mosaics, including the story of Noah, was found beneath a church.
Jerash - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jerash Mosaic Ruins on Flickr - Liz Bartlett
Mosaic in Jerash on Flickr - by charlietyack
Ayasofya / Sainte Sophie / Haghia Sophia on Flickr - by pictalogue
What is the Hagia Sophia?
Hagia Sophia, (the Church of) Holy Wisdom, now known as the Ayasofya Museum, is a former Eastern Orthodox church converted to a mosque in 1453 by the Turks, and converted into a museum in 1935. It is located in Istanbul, Turkey. It is traditionally considered one of the great buildings in history. Its conquest by the Ottomans at the fall of Constantinople is considered one of the great tragedies of Christianity by the Greek Orthodox faithful.
The name comes from the Greek name Ἁγία Σοφία, a contraction of Ναός τῆς Ἁγίας τοῦ Θεοῦ Σοφίας, meaning “Church of the Holy Wisdom of God”. It is also known as Sancta Sophia in Latin and Ayasofya in Turkish. Although it is sometimes called “Saint Sophia” in English, it is not named after a saint named Sophia — the Greek word sofia means “wisdom.”
Hagia Sophia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
curving, swirling Hagia Sophia Architecture - shapeshift
Hagia Sophia is covered by a central dome with a diameter of 31 meters (102 feet) and 56 meters high, slightly smaller than the Pantheon’s. The dome seems rendered weightless by the unbroken arcade of arched windows under it, which help flood the colorful interior with light.
The dome is carried on pendentives — four concave triangular sections of masonry which solve the problem of setting the circular base of a dome on a rectangular base. At Hagia Sophia the weight of the dome passes through the pendentives to four massive piers at the corners. Between them the dome seems to float upon four great arches.
At the western (entrance) and eastern (liturgical) ends, the arched openings are extended by half domes carried on smaller semidomed exedras. Thus a hierarchy of dome-headed elements builds up to create a vast oblong interior crowned by the main dome, a sequence unexampled in antiquity. All interior surfaces are sheathed with polychrome marbles, green and white with purple porphyry and gold mosaics, encrusted upon the brick. On the exterior, simple stuccoed walls reveal the clarity of massed vaults and domes.
Hagia Sophia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sunlight dapples the Hagia Sofia on Flickr - by Al ajanabi
Nothing remains of the first church that was built on the same site during the 4th century. Following the destruction of the first church, a second was built by Constantius II, the son of Constantine I, but was burned down during the Nika riots of 532. The building was rebuilt under the personal supervision of Emperor Justinian I and rededicated on December 27, 537. After the great earthquake in 989, which ruined the dome of St Sophia, the Byzantine government sent for the Armenian architect Tirdat, creator of the great churches of Ani and Agine, to repair the dome.[1] Justinian chose Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles, a physicist and a mathematician, as architects; Anthemius, however, died within the first year. The construction is described in Procopius’ On Buildings (De Aedificiis). The Byzantine poet Paulus the Silentiary composed an extant poetic ekphrasis, probably for the rededication of 563, which followed the collapse of the main dome.
Hagia Sophia is one of the greatest surviving examples of Byzantine architecture. Of great artistic value was its decorated interior with mosaics and marble pillars and coverings. The temple itself was so richly and artistically decorated that Justinian proclaimed “Solomon, I have surpassed thee!” (Νενίκηκά σε Σολομών). Justinian himself had overseen the completion of the greatest cathedral ever built up to that time, and it was to remain the largest cathedral for 1,000 years up until the completion of the cathedral in Seville.
Hagia Sophia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Inside Hagia Sofia on Flickr - Libby and Danny Santella
Ayasofya / Hagia Sofia on Flickr - by sixth land
I think this is an accurate image of the interior of Hagia Sofia. It captures the gloomy darkness of the enormous space. This is an interior view from the gallery, which is really wide (huge) and goes all the way round the building. You reach it by an enormous stone ramp made of large uneven boulders, rather than steps. This astonishing Byzantine building blows my mind. It is genuinely one of the wonders of the world. Following the destruction of the two previous churches on the site, the building that you see now was rebuilt under the personal supervision of emperor Justinian I and rededicated on December 27, 537ad. That makes it 1500 years old! It was the largest cathedral ever built for over 1,000 years and today is still the fourth largest cathedral in the world.
Inside Aya Sofya on Flickr - by krensucht
Why were Hagia Sophia’s mosaics covered?
Because Islam tends away from representational imagery, many mosaics were destroyed and others were covered with plaster.
Hagia Sophia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
047 - Hagia Sofia uncovered mosaic on Flickr - by Metatron
plaster & mosaic detail on Flickr - by kenzilicious
049 - Hagia Sofia uncovered mosaic on Flickr - by Metatron
Why aren’t all the mosaics uncovered?
Restoration work in the 20th century was begun in 1932 by the American Byzantine Institute, during which most of the figures were uncovered. Due to its long history as both a church and a mosque, a particular challenge arises in the restoration process.
plaster detail on Flickr - by howtorowacat
The Christian iconographic mosaics are being gradually uncovered. However, in order to do so, important, historic Islamic art would have to be destroyed. Restorers have attempted to maintain a balance between both Christian and Islamic cultures.
Mosaic column detail on Flickr - by SUE&XU
Is there a Mosaic under the Dome’s Calligraphy?
In particular, much controversy rests upon whether the Islamic calligraphy on the dome of the cathedral should be removed, in order to permit the underlying Pantocrator mosaic of Christ as Master of the World, to be exhibited (assuming the mosaic still exists).
Hagia Sophia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Is the Pantocrator Mosaic of Christ under there? - by guranf
Mosaic detail on Flickr - by Mistress B
mosaic detail on Flickr - by feuillu
Mosaic detail on Flickr - by Mistress B
Mosaics and Calligraphy in Aya Sofya, originally uploaded by Sofia S.
This is the right side of the aspe that housed the Christian altar. The top of the Islamic mimbar is at the bottom right. It is offset from the center of the