| The Religious Sphere
To create an
atmosphere of splendor comparable to the glory of heaven, emperors and
clergy commissioned religious art that glittered with gold and rich colors.
Interior church walls and domed ceilings were covered with mosaics and
frescoes and the floors were inlaid with colored stone. Elaborate stone
carvings decorated capitals of columns and the transenna panels (later
to develop into the iconostasis--a wall that closed off the sanctuary).
The Role of the Icon...
Many images throughout
the church were icons, that is, sacred images
of God, the Virgin, and saints. Icons can
be large or small and are made of many different materials--mosaic, enamel,
ivory, gold, and wood--as well as being panel paintings. What is important
is that the icon shares the likeness and therefore the sanctity of the
sacred person portrayed. It is believed that through veneration an icon
image becomes a window through which the worshiper gains access to the
sacred figure portrayed, strengthening the connection between them.
Other Liturgical Objects...
To emphasize their
important functions, liturgical objects were made of gold, silver, enamels,
gemstones, ivory, and pearls. The most essential were the processional
cross, the chalice for the wine symbolizing the blood of Christ, the
paten for the holy bread, the pyxis to contain
the bread, the Bible and other religious books enclosed within beautifully
adorned covers, and censors, which were swung on chains. Bones and objects
associated with very holy personages were preserved, protected, and venerated
in reliquaries or hollow pendants (enkolpia)
worn on the chest.
Objects for personal devotion such as pendants with icon
images, pectoral crosses, illustrated religious books, and small devotional
icons, often created as triptychs were commissioned by both the clergy
and members of the court.
More Themes
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The Attarouthi Treasure
Processional Cross 
Icon with Saint Demetrios 
Double-Faced Enkolpion |
