DIONYSUS CHURCH OF SANTA COSTANZA (TEMPLE OF BACCHUS)

320-350 AD AKA: The Mausoleum of Saint Constantina (or, Constantia / Constantiana), the daughter of Roman Emperor Constantine I the Great (who legalized Christianity in 313 with his Edict of Milan)

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Early Christian Art: AD 200-395: From the Rise of Christianity to the Death of Theodosius, Andr Grabar, 1968, frontispiece (opposite title page):

P. 187, 3. The Art of the Fourth Century | The Santa Costanza Mosaics:

P. 323, List of Illustrations:

P. 189, 3. The Art of the Fourth Century | The Santa Costanza Mosaics | 204. Rome. Santa Costanza, Annular Vault, detail: Bust of Constantina amid Vine-Shoots:

She looks just like her old man.

P. 323, List of Illustrations:

 P. 190, 3. The Art of the Fourth Century | The Santa Costanza Mosaics | 205. Rome. Santa Costanza, Annular Vault, detail: Medallions with Cupids, Figures, Birds and Animals:

P. 323, List of Illustrations:

 P. 191, 3. The Art of the Fourth Century | The Santa Costanza Mosaics | 206. Rome. Santa Costanza, Annular Vault, detail: Birds amid Branches and Various Objects:

P. 323, List of Illustrations:

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/rome-santa-costanza.htm, Sacred Destinations, Santa Costanza, Rome:

Santa Costanza is an imperial mausoleum in Rome that was later dedicated as a church (in Italian it is known both as Mausoleo di Santa Costanza and Chiesa di Santa Costanza). This fascinating and beautiful building dates from the 4th century AD and features some of the earliest surviving Christian art

The Mausoleum of Santa Costanza is named for Constantine the Great's daughter Constantia (also known as Constantina or Costanza), who died in 354 AD.

The main highlight of Santa Costanza is the barrel vaulting of the ambulatory, which is covered in original 4thcentury mosaics. As in the original dome mosaics, these display a fascinating mix of pagan and Christian symbolism and imagery. According to the scholar G. Mackie, Santa Costanza's art reflects "the emerging iconography of the Christian faith in its first years of legitimacy in the Roman Empire." [1] The Rough Guide to Italy similarly comments that Costanza, "perhaps more than any other building inRome illustrates the transition from the pagan to Christian city in its decorative and architectural features."

Fourth-century ceiling mosaics in the ambulatory of Santa Costanza.

Fourth-century ceiling mosaics in the ambulatory of Santa Costanza.

Enlargement:

Fourth-century ceiling mosaics in the ambulatory of Santa Costanza.

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/rome-santa-costanza-pictures/eosa_082.jpg (via http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/rome-santa-costanza-pictures/slides/eosa_082.htm), Sacred Destinations, Santa Costanza, Rome:

Part rotated:

http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/00820/00820d.jpg (via http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wcapts1.html), Early Christian and Byzantine: 00820. Santa Costanza, Rome, ca. 350. AD. 00820d. Interior view detail,

annular

vault, photo 1996, Meredith Clausen, U. Washington.:

http://www.catacombsociety.org/vom/117.html , Vaults of Memory:

Vintage Scenes Mosaic 117. Doves and industrious amorini-like youths pursue their business within a heavenly bower of vine tendrils in the mid-fourth
century ambulatory of the mausoleum of Sta. Costanza.

http://www.catacombsociety.org/vom/193.html, Vaults of Memory:

Inhabited Vegetal Interlace 193. An assemblage of ritual symbolsshofar-like horn, palm tree, lemons, birds perched on a bowl, libation pitcher, plus other
familiar motifsall pertinent to the religious iconographies of the mid-fourth century. Vault mosaic, ambulatory of Sta. Costanza.

Early Christian and Byzantine Art, Beckwith, 1979, p. 27, Early Christian Art: Rome and the Legacy of the Caesars:

P. 28, illustration 11, Vintage scenes:

Gods and Myths of the Romans, Mary Barnett, 1996, pp. 104-105, Rome and Christianity:

(Unwanted pregnancies and STDs is the only thing holding it back.)

Early Christian & Byzantine Art, Lowden, 1997, pp. 41-43, Art before Iconoclasm | God and Salvation | The Formation of a Christian art:

P. 41, illustration 18, Sta. Costanza, Rome, c.350 Ambulatory vault mosaics (detail):

Christian Iconography: A Study of Its Origins, Andr Grabar, 1968, p. 34:

Illustration 76:

http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~mjoseph/CP/F06.jpg (via http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~mjoseph/CP/ICP.html), Images of Cupid and Psyche, Vault mosaic S. Costanza Rome c. 350:

http://www.svcc.edu/academics/classes/murray/hum210/timeline.htm (Sauk Valley Community College), Timeline:

Vault Mosaic based on Cupid and Psyche-- c.350CE

Who Was Who in the Roman World, Bowder, 1980, p. 66, Constantina:

http://www.margaretvisser.com/part8a.html, The Geometry of Love: The Images: Part 8: Santa Costanza:

"In the grounds of Sant'Agnese's is a small round church, one of the most beautiful in the city. It dates from the years immediately following the death of Constantine in 337, and is among the oldest Christian buildings to have survived almost complete; it is still in use as a church." (p.176) Fourth century 'Paradise' mosaic in the vault at Santa Costanza's.:

The Beginnings of Christian Art, Rice, 1957, p. 63, Early Christian Art in Rome:

The Decline of Rome, Vogt, 1967 (translated from German), p. 297, Cultural Change Reflected in Art:

A World History of Art, Pischel, 1968, p. 150, Early Christian Art | Mosaics:

Symbols of the sacrifice of the Cross? It figures that cop-outs would be the interpretation from todays Christians.

Origins of Western Art, Dr. Donald E. Strong, 1965, color plate p. 177:

http://www.mcah.columbia.edu/dbcourses/klein/large/JE-112.jpg (via http://www.mcah.columbia.edu/cgibin/dbcourses/item?skip=1100), Santa Costanza, Ambulatory Mosaic, Grape Harvest:

http://vandyck.anu.edu.au/introduction/earlychristian/L21-18b.htm (via http://vandyck.anu.edu.au/introduction/earlychristian/earlychristian.html), Early Christian Art, Santa Costanza, Rome c.338-50:

Ambulatory Vault of Santa Costanza, Harvesting of the Grapes Mosaic:

http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wcapts1.html (via http://vandyck.anu.edu.au/introduction/earlychristian/earlychristian.html), Early Christian Art, Santa Costanza, Rome c.338-50:

Santa Costanza: Mosaic Detail:

http://vandyck.anu.edu.au/introduction/earlychristian/L21-14b.htm (via http://vandyck.anu.edu.au/introduction/earlychristian/earlychristian.html), Early Christian Art, Santa Costanza, Rome c.338-50

Site Plan: Santa Costanza, Rome, c. 338-50 CE:

http://www.zabern.de/pdfs/3908_1.pdf, 4. SANTA COSTANZA, p. 61:

P. 62:

http://pro.corbis.com/, Search # CS008097, Vault Mosaic of Santa Costanza [detail], 4th century A.D., Early Christian art:

http://pro.corbis.com/, Search # CS001589, Vault Mosaic of Santa Costanza [detail], 4th century A.D., Early Christian art:

http://www.mcah.columbia.edu/dbcourses/klein/large/JL-018.jpg (via http://www.mcah.columbia.edu/cgibin/dbcourses/item?skip=1340), Rome, Sta. Costanza, Ambulatory vault mosaics, (detail), c. 350:

Art: A History of Changing Style, Cornell, 1983, p. 20, Chart 1, The Ancient World:

Art and Archaeology of Rome: From Ancient Times to the Baroque, Augenti, 2000, p. 63, Details of the mosaic decoration in the ambulatory of the Mausoleum of Constantia:

Pp. 62-63, Details of the mosaic decoration in the ambulatory of the Mausoleum of Constantia:

http://www.santagnese.org/foto/20.jpg (via http://www.santagnese.org/galleria_foto.htm), Il Mausoleo di S. Costanza (The Mausoleum of S. Costanza), Dettaglio del mosaico del deambulatorio: scena di vendemmia(Detail of the mosaic of ambulatory: Harvest scene) :

http://www.santagnese.org/foto/Scostanza17.jpg (via http://www.santagnese.org/galleria_foto.htm), Il Mausoleo di S. Costanza (The Mausoleum of S. Costanza), Interno: deambultatorio[sic] e ambiente centrale (Inside: ambulatory and environment of Central):

http://www.activitaly.it/magnify/60.htm, Mausoleo di Santa Costanza (Mausoleum of Santa Costanza):

http://www.santagnese.org/foto/volta.jpg (via http://www.santagnese.org/galleria_foto.htm), Il Mausoleo di S. Costanza (The Mausoleum of S. Costanza), Particolare della volta del deambulatorio (Detail of the vault of the ambulatory):

http://www2.siba.fi/%7Ekkoskim//rooma/pages/228_028B.HTM, S. Constanza. Mosaic. Photograph from 1999:

http://www2.siba.fi/%7Ekkoskim//rooma/pages/367_019B.HTM, S. Constanza. Interior. Photograph from 2002:

http://www2.siba.fi/%7Ekkoskim//rooma/pages/367_022B.HTM, S. Constanza. Mosaic. Photograph from 2002

http://www2.siba.fi/%7Ekkoskim//rooma/pages/367_024B.HTM, S. Constanza. Mosaic. Photograph from 2002:

http://www2.open.ac.uk/ClassicalStudies/GreekPlays/conf96/huskinson.htm (The Open University, UK), The case of Orpheus in early Christian art:

Imperial qualities of this kind are also given to Christ (as he sits, clad in imperial purple, upon the globe in mosaics at S. Costanza and S. Vitale for instance), to David in the Gaza synagogue mosaic, and to Orpheus who appears with imperial attributes in the mosaics at Tolmeita and Hanover.[27] [27] For Christ in mosaics: W.F.Volbach, Early Christian Art (London, 1961) pls. 35 and 158. For David at Gaza see n. 6 above. For Orpheus mosaics at Hanover and Tolmeita: LIMC 92, no.124, and 94 no. 141.
http://web.archive.org/web/20101227062244/http://goldenrule.name/Dionysus_Costanza/Dionysus_C ostanza_--_MORE.htm