Page 284 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Rome

282  ROME AREA B Y AREA

A Three-Hour Tour of Rome’s Best Mosaics

In imitation of the audience chambers of
Imperial palaces, Rome’s early Christian
churches were decorated with colorful
mosaics. These were pieced together from
cubes of marble, colored stone, and fragments of
glass. To create a golden background, gold leaf
was placed between pieces of glass. These were then
heated so that they fused. The glorious colors and
subjects portrayed gave the faithful a glimpse of 3 Apse mosaic in the DEPRETIS V. CAVOUR
VIA A.
Chapel of Santa Rufina
the heavenly court of the King of Kings. This walk
concentrates on a few of the churches decorated y t
in this wonderful medium. r
Jacopo de Camerino (right). VIA S. MARIA MAGGIORE V. LIBERIANA P.ZA DI
S. MARIA
MAGGIORE
Leave by the exit on the right
near the splendid 16th-century VIA URBANA V I A C A V O U R
organ and head for the e
VIA DI S.
octagonal Baptistery of San MARTINO AI MONTI
Giovanni 3, where the Chapel
of Santa Rufina has a beautiful VIA G. LANZA MARTINO
P. SAN
apse mosaic, dating from the Cavour V I A I N S E L C I AI MONTI w V I A M E R U L A N A
5th century. In the neigh-
boring Chapel of San
Venanzio, there are golden
7th-century mosaics, V I A L E D E L M O N T E O P PIO DI TRAIAN O
showing the strong q VIA MECENATE
V IA D . TERME
influence of the Eastern
Church at this time.
PARCO DEL VIA A. POLIZIANO
COLLE V. C. BOTTA
Santo Stefano Rotondo Colosseo COPPIO 0 9
to San Clemente
Leave the piazza by the VIALE DOMUS AUREA V. RUGGERO BONGHI
2 Domed baptistery and papal altar narrow road that leads to PIAZZA DEL
COLOSSEO
VIA P. VILLARI
inside San Giovanni in Laterno the round church of Santo V I A L A B I C A N A
Stefano Rotondo 4 (see 8
VIA CELIMONTANA
San Giovanni p187). One of its chapels VIA CAPO D'AFRICA V. DEI QUERCETI
Start from Piazza di Porta San contains a 7th-century VIA DI S. GIOVANN I I N L AT ERAN O V I A M E R U L A N A
Giovanni, where you can visit Byzantine mosaic honoring V I A DE I SS. Q UAT T R O C O R O N AT I
7
the heavily restored mosaic two martyrs buried here.
VIA MARCO AURELIO
of the Triclinio Leoniano 1 Farther on, in Piazza della VIA ANNIA
PIAZZA
CELIMON-
(see p181). Originally in the Navicella, is the church of V I A C L A U D I A TANA PIAZZA DI 1
S. GIOVANNI
banqueting hall of Pope Santa Maria in Domnica 5 IN LATERANO
Leo III (795–816), it shows Christ (see p195). It houses the VIA D I S. STE FAN O ROTONDO PIAZZA DI
PORTA
among the Apostles. On the superb mosaics 3 2 S. GIOVANNI
left are Pope Sylvester and commissioned by Pope Paschal
the Emperor Constantine, I, who gave new impetus to 6 V. DI VILLA FONSECA Giovanni
San
on the right, Pope Leo and Rome’s mosaic production in 5 4
Charlemagne just before he the 9th century. He is V I A D E L L ' A M B A A R A D A M
was crowned Emperor of the represented kneeling beside
Romans in AD 800. Inside the the Virgin. On leaving V. D. NAVICELLA
basilica of San Giovanni in the church, notice V. DI S. ERASMO
VIA DEI LATERANI
Laterano 2 (see pp182–3), the facade of San
the 13th-century apse mosaic Tommaso in
shows Christ as he appeared Formis 6, which
miraculously during the has a charming
consecration of the church. mosaic of Christ
In the panels by the windows, flanked by two
look for the small figures of two freed slaves, one black
Franciscan friars; these are the and one white,
artists Jacopo Torriti (left) and dating from the 3 Ceiling mosaic, Baptistery of San Giovanni
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