Mitteilungen zur Christlichen Archäologie, Band 29 (2023)

Near the village of Wardisubani, southwest of Tbilisi, Georgia, stand the ruins of a church, first uncovered in 1989, but not yet published in detail. This church deserves special attention because of its shape – “round with gallery” – and its prominent position on a terrace above the river Mashavera. It appears to be a copy of the Anastasis Rotunda, part of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, donated by Constantine the Great (constructed 326–335 AD). Twelve such copies from early Christian times are now known. The thick walls indicate that there must have been a barrel vault over the gallery and a stone dome crowning its center. There are no external indications for the dating. According to the excavator, the pottery found can be dated to between around 500 and the middle of the 7th century. It seems likely that the church must have been destroyed during an Arab invasion. The masonry is roughly hewn stone and mortar, not emplekton. The earliest example of this building technique is the Sioni Church in Bolnisi (478–493). Even small relevant churches from the 6th century around Wardisubani exhibit emplekton construction. This could indicate that this church was built around 500 AD. The exceptional location suggests that it was a pilgrimage church. Its patrocinium, however, must remain open. During the Middle Ages, copies of the Anastasis Rotunda were erected in many countries, and named examples demonstrate that the church’s form does not necessarily indicate the church’s original dedication. Such rotundas were dedicated to the Trinity, Mary and the apostles Peter and Andrew, John, Mauritius or Michael, and a few to the Holy Cross. But in case of Wardisubani, no such statement can be made. It must have been a pilgrimage church, though only of local importance and was forgotten after its destruction in the mid-7th century.

Keywords: architecture, Churches, Early Christian Architecture, medieval, copies , Georgia, Wardisubani, round church, Jerusalem, Anastasis Rotunda

The Church of St. John in Ephesus was one of the most important pilgrimage sanctuaries of the Eastern Mediterranean during Late Antiquity and into the Middle Ages. The magnificently decorated marble fragments, identified early on as templon epistyles, have been frequently cited as important archaeological evidence for the Middle Byzantine liturgical furnishing of the Church. However, a reexamination of the marble epistyles leads to the conclusion that they could not have been components of a templon. In the following, the reasons for this re-evaluation of the marble reliefs will be explained and considerations as to their possible function and placement in the churchs interior will be discussed.

Keywords: Ephesus, architectural sculpture, liturgical furnishing, Epigraphy, Byzantine

In diesem Beitrag wird die Elfenbeinpyxis mit Szenen rund um die Geburt Jesu besprochen, die im Kunsthistorischen Museum in Wien aufbewahrt wird. Die Pyxis verdient weitaus mehr Aufmerksamkeit, als ihr bisher zuteil wurde, vor allem in Anbetracht der Qualität der Schnitzerei, der Ikonografie und ihrer rätselhaften Herkunft, die verschiedene chronologische Zuschreibungen zwischen Spätantike und Frühmittelalter und Spekulationen auf verschiedene Herstellungsorte wie Gallien, Ägypten, Syrien und sogar Palästina hervorgerufen hat. Ziel ist es, die Pyxis durch eine analytische Erörterung ihrer wichtigsten stilistischen und ikonografischen Merkmale neu zu betrachten und sie mit ähnlichen Objekten zu vergleichen, um ein mögliches Herstellungsgebiet zu identifizieren und den zeitlichen Horizont einzugrenzen.

Keywords: Ivory Pyxis, Nativity, the Magi, Late Antiquity, early middle ages

Quotations from the Psalms appear on practically all types of monuments, and especially in tombs. Commonly featured in the liturgy, including the baptismal liturgy, they mostly appear in Greek. On bracelets and amulets, as well as above entrances and on sarcophagi, they have an apotropaic function. Often the message of the Psalm is related typologically to Christ. Accordingly, Psalm quotations are also found in churches, mainly on floors in the altar area as a juxtaposition of burnt and Eucharistic sacrifices, but rarely are they found on textiles. One particularly interesting example, a fragment probably from the robe of a deacon, is housed in the MAK in Vienna.

Keywords: Early Christian monuments, Psalm quotations, robe, garment

This paper deals with the movement of relics and the spread of foreign cults in Late Antiquity. Special attention is paid here to the early Christian sanctuaries in northern Italy (Italia annonaria) linked with the veneration of some relics imported from the pars Orientis of the Roman Empire. The aim of this study is to define the process of importing early relics, taking into consideration archaeological evidence and textual sources. In order to understand this religious topography it is crucial to reflect on the methods and means of diffusion, evaluating the relationship between the relics and the establishment of the cult, and, at the same time, to identify the reasons for the selection of these specific sacred remains, considering factors such as political and social aspects.

Keywords: Relics, Holy Land, Early Christian Architecture, Liturgical Installations, Christian Devotion