Misplaced Pages

Tomb of the Julii

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by LilHelpa (talk | contribs) at 20:06, 1 May 2018 (top: typo and general fixes, replaced: broke though → broke through using AWB). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Revision as of 20:06, 1 May 2018 by LilHelpa (talk | contribs) (top: typo and general fixes, replaced: broke though → broke through using AWB)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)

41°54′8″N 12°27′12″E / 41.90222°N 12.45333°E / 41.90222; 12.45333

Detail of the mosaic

The popularly named "Tomb of the Julii" (Mausoleum "M") survives in the Vatican Necropolis beneath St. Peter's Basilica. The serendipitous discovery near the crypt has a vaulted ceiling bearing a mosaic depicting Helios (Roman Sol Invictus) with an aureole riding in his chariot, within a framing of rinceaux of vine leaves, which are not given their usual pagan Dionysiac reading in this context but are related to the True Vine imagery of Gospel of John 15.1. The mosaic is dated to the late 3rd century to early 4th century. Other mosaics in this tomb depicting Jonah and the whale, the good shepherd carrying a lamb (the kriophoros motif), and fishermen have encouraged its interpretation as a Christian tomb.

This tomb was first discovered in 1574 AD when workmen accidentally broke through the ceiling while conducting some floor alterations in the basilica. The inside was briefly explored and documented before the opening was sealed over once more.

See also

References

  • Beckwith, John 1979. Early Christian and Byzantine Art (Yale University Press): 19
  • Perler, Othmar 1953, Die Mosaiken der Juliergruft im Vatikan (Universitätsverlag): 34-36
  • Walsh, John Evangelist. The Bones of Saint Peter (The Chaucer Press): 15
Specific
  1. The Bones of Saint Peter, John Evangelist Walsh 1982

Further reading


Stub icon

This Vatican City–related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

Stub icon

This decorative art–related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

Stub icon

This Catholic Church–related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

Categories: