The Mosaic Apse of Sant’Apollinaire in Classe, Ravenna

THE MOSAIC APSE OF SANT’APOLLINARE IN CLASSE, RAVENNA:  A Miracle of Design Aidan Hart There is some iconography that can only be described as miraculous. Such is the sixth century apse mosaic at the basilica of Saint Apollinare in Classe, five miles from Ravenna, Italy. Such works seem to flash forth, and are never –…

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Holy Tables with Reliquaries, a Short History

In this overview and the one that will follow I have combined the history of altars (also called holy tables), ciboria and tabernacles because their respective developments are somewhat related. In this first section I will deal with Holy Tables and will focus on ciboria and tabernacles in the second installment.   My interest in…

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New Mosaic of Christ Pantocrator in Cardiff, Wales

Having studied mosaics all over the world for many years I was delighted to receive a commission last year to create a mosaic for a church in Wales. I completed the illustrated mosaic of Christ Pantocrator in March this year. It is sited on the exterior wall of St Martin’s Church of Wales in Roath,…

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Opus Sectile Icons

There is a relatively famous image of St. Eudocia from the 10th or 11th century from Constantinople that has recently caught my attention.  It is done in a technique called Opus Sectile.  Unlike Mosaic which is the assembly of similarly shaped squares forming a pattern, Opus Sectile is when stone is cut in different shapes…

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