Sant' Aquilino, Milan
Date:
Fifth century
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Italy
Description:
This octagonal chapel preceded by a vestibule is attached to the fourth-century tetraconch church of San Lorenzo in Milan. When it was built in the late fourth century, the chapel may have been an imperial-family mausoleum (the Roman capital moved to Ravenna in 402). Its original dedication is unknown; St. Aquilinus was an eleventh-century priest and martyr.
The upper parts of both the vestibule and the chapel were adorned with mosaics in the early fifth century. The vestibule featured two rows of life-size apostles and saints standing above leaders of the twelve Hebrew tribes, of which Simon, Zebulon, and Judah are preserved. In the corner of the Judah image is a narrative vignette: Tamar with her twin sons, of whom one will be an ancestor of King David (Gen. 38). In the apsed ends of the vestibule were images of martyrs, but only the inscription for Pelagia survives. The walls were decorated with colorful opus sectile, spolia from ancient buildings, held in place by metal clamps.
A reused first-century marble portal opens from the vestibule into the domed chapel, in which round niches alternate with square ones. The segmented brick vault—like a pumpkin dome—was lightened along its joints by the insertion of terra-cotta tubes, a system also used in fifth- and sixth-century buildings in Ravenna. In the conches of the southeast and southwest niches, the original mosaics are still preserved. One shows a youthful Christ with his disciples, including Peter and Paul, who flank him. A container of scrolls at Christ's feet underscores that he is teaching, but the gold background makes the setting seem unearthly. The other conch depicts a landscape with animals and shepherds. Mostly lost at the center, but identifiable thanks to extant traces and visible sinopia, is a horse-drawn chariot, most likely for Christ in the guise of the Roman Sol invictus, the Unconquered Sun.
The upper parts of both the vestibule and the chapel were adorned with mosaics in the early fifth century. The vestibule featured two rows of life-size apostles and saints standing above leaders of the twelve Hebrew tribes, of which Simon, Zebulon, and Judah are preserved. In the corner of the Judah image is a narrative vignette: Tamar with her twin sons, of whom one will be an ancestor of King David (Gen. 38). In the apsed ends of the vestibule were images of martyrs, but only the inscription for Pelagia survives. The walls were decorated with colorful opus sectile, spolia from ancient buildings, held in place by metal clamps.
A reused first-century marble portal opens from the vestibule into the domed chapel, in which round niches alternate with square ones. The segmented brick vault—like a pumpkin dome—was lightened along its joints by the insertion of terra-cotta tubes, a system also used in fifth- and sixth-century buildings in Ravenna. In the conches of the southeast and southwest niches, the original mosaics are still preserved. One shows a youthful Christ with his disciples, including Peter and Paul, who flank him. A container of scrolls at Christ's feet underscores that he is teaching, but the gold background makes the setting seem unearthly. The other conch depicts a landscape with animals and shepherds. Mostly lost at the center, but identifiable thanks to extant traces and visible sinopia, is a horse-drawn chariot, most likely for Christ in the guise of the Roman Sol invictus, the Unconquered Sun.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
2
Image Credits:
Linda Safran
