Rome, Italy: Basilica of Saint Praxedes: Chapel of San Zeno: Ceiling Mosaic 2

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Sheppard, Beth M.

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19-May-17

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Italy , Rome , Basilica di Santa Prassede all Esquilino , Basilica of Saint Praxedes , Chapels , Chapel of Saint Zeno , Cappella di San Zenone , Byzantine Art , Mosaics , Jesus Christ in Art , Angels in Art

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The Basilica of Saint Praxedes (in Italian: Basilica di Santa Prassede, commonly known as Santa Prassede) is a Catholic basilica located in the Rione Esquilino (or district of Esquiline). Esquiline is the name of a Roman hill, one of seven on which the ancient city was built. The church was rebuilt by Pope Pasquale I in 822 CE and was restored multiple times since then. It was built principally as a resting place for the relics of Roman martyrs and was dedicated to the second-century Saint Praxedes, who was the daughter of a Roman senator. Along with her sister, Praxedes provided comfort and care to Christians persecuted in the Roman Empire. The sisters were murdered for burying early Christian martyrs, which defied Roman law. The church is known for being the most important example of early Christian Byzantine art in Rome because of the mosaics decorating its apse and side chapels. The photograph shows the mosaic ceiling of the right lateral Chapel of Saint Zeno (Cappella di San Zenone) within the Basilica. Pope Paschal built the funerary chapel for his mother, Theodora. The cross vaulted ceiling is decorated with a central medallion of the haloed Christ Pantocrator, artistically supported on the upraised hands of four angels. This photograph shows how the light coming through a window just below the ceiling helps to illuminate the mosaic tiles, especially making the gold tiles glow.

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CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

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