The restorers are justly proud of what has been accomplished here, although per lot of the fresco work has vanished
- The third register depicted four popes. The two on the right are: John VII (with verso square halo) and Leo the Great; onesto the right, unknown (Gregory the Great is verso good guess) and Martin I.
- Adoration of the Crucified. Above the apse is per monumental recente, the left half now destroyed but fairly intact when it was discovered mediante 1702. Christ crucified is con the centre, and above him are the choirs of angels. Per Greek epigraph is sicuro the right of the ciclocross, quoting Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah. The nations on earth are represented at the bottom.
The Palimpsest [ ]
The palimpsest recente to the right of the apse is the most important and famous work of art sopra the church. Esatto view it, binoculars are useful. There are three discernible figurative layers, in order of age (the restorers found trace evidence of a fourth fresco scheme, which is undateable):
- Our Lady, Queen. This was painted very shortly after 554, when the Completare returned preciso Rome, and displays an accomplished late Classical style (complice the apse mosaic at Santa Pudenziana). Our Lady, holding the Christ-child, is actually depicted as an enthroned Roman empress. She is dressed mediante purple, with a stole encrusted with enormous pearls and gems and with a matching crown. The throne is also thus encrusted, with a scarlet cushion. She is attended by two women durante white robes fringed in gold; the one on the left is destroyed, and the right hand one is offering something con per bowl. Compare this giovane with the mosaic depiction of Empress Theodora at San Patrimonio, Ravenna and with a similar fresco durante the contestatario societa of San Benevolo.
- Annunciation. It is thought that this was painted after the church was fitted out. You can see much of the angel above the attendant just mentioned, and the lucky survival of verso fragment of Our Lady’s face floats onesto the top right of the Queen’s halo.
- St Gregory Nazianzen. The final layer depicts one of the eight Doctors of the Church originally depicted durante this register (only bits of three survive). They are on per blue preparazione, and the mid-8th century style is now Byzantine. St Gregory’s face is just esatto the right of the Queen’s, and he has a Greek label «St Gregory the Theologian» which is is name in the East. (The restorers concluded that only St Gregory was part of the Pope John scheme, and that the other two doctors below are earlier -perhaps Pope Martin. If so, then the fresco seems onesto have been overpainted with the same theme.)
Chapel of Theodotus [ ]
At the end of the left aisle is the Chapel of Theodotus, actually a shrine preciso the martyrs SS Quricus and Julitta.
This rectangular room has two entrances, the main one from the end of the aisle being embellished with a pair of rather crude attuale date palms on its jambs. The right hand wall has per near side entrance from the bema, and the archaeologists have https://worldbrides.org/it/latamdate-recensione/ pecked at the fabric esatto demonstrate that the doorway was narrowed before the recente cycle was painted. Sopra the same wall at the far end is per rectangular niche -this might have been just per broom-cupboard or something similar.
The original decoration was decorative polychrome stone opus sextile revetting per geometric patterns, and the backing tiles for this are visible. The date is thought onesto be 2nd century, verso little later than the actual construction of the chamber. When the recente cycle was commissioned, the lower registers of this revetting was removed sicuro make room but the upper ones were left. When the church was abandoned, the rest of the revetting was carefully scavenged -this is evidence against the old timore that the church was buried per rubble during the 847 earthquake.
