Books by Maria Cristina Carile
Perceptions of the Body and Sacred Space in Late Antiquity and Byzantium seeks to reveal Christia... more Perceptions of the Body and Sacred Space in Late Antiquity and Byzantium seeks to reveal Christian understanding of the body and sacred space in the medieval Mediterranean. Case studies examine encounters with the holy through the perspective of the human body and sensory dimensions of sacred space, and discuss the dynamics of perception when experiencing what was constructed, represented, and understood as sacred. The comparative analysis investigates viewers' recognitions of the sacred in specific locations or segments of space with an emphasis on the experiential and conceptual relationships between sacred spaces and human bodies. This volume thus reassesses the empowering aspects of space, time, and human agency in religious contexts. By focusing on investigations of human endeavors towards experiential and visual expressions that shape perceptions of holiness, this study ultimately aims to present a better understanding of the corporeality of sacred art and architecture. The research points to how early Christians and Byzantines teleologically viewed the divine source of the sacred in terms of its ability to bring together - but never fully dissolve - the distinctions between the human and divine realms. The revealed mechanisms of iconic perception and noetic contemplation have the potential to shape knowledge of the meanings of the sacred as well as to improve our understanding of the liminality of the profane and the sacred.
reviewed in:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1751696X.2019.1649897
«A mari usque ad mare»
Cultura visuale e materiale dall’Adriatico all’India
a cura di
Mattia Gu... more «A mari usque ad mare»
Cultura visuale e materiale dall’Adriatico all’India
a cura di
Mattia Guidetti e Sara Mondini
The ideological construct of the court of the emperor as a reflection of the heavenly court has a... more The ideological construct of the court of the emperor as a reflection of the heavenly court has a long tradition that finds its roots in Late Antiquity, having an important impact on Byzantine imagery. This book concentrates on the role of the imperial residence – the primary setting for court ceremonial – and on the ways it reflected the heavenly abode of God in the conceptualisation of imperial imagery and palatine architecture, in Late Antiquity and early Byzantium.
Through an essentially art historical approach, the monograph considers a wide range of sources, asserting that architectural, artistic, and written evidence, all converge to convey the vision of the palace, that is, how a real architectural structure, which was at once the residence of the emperor and the heart of the imperial administration, was conceived and/or meant to be perceived. The ruins of late antique palaces, ekphraseis of palaces, and images of palatine architecture are the epistemological means at the centre of this study.
The purpose of this book is to unravel how the real earthly palace became associated with, and the model for, the heavenly residence. This hermeneutics of the visual images of palaces – since literary, artistic, and architectural evidence for the palace, all bear a strong visual impact – will shed light on a complex mirror effect, that between the real imperial palace and its ideal counterpart. Ultimately, the monograph will show that the palace’s homology to the Heavenly Jerusalem relied upon – and also relayed – the sacred nature of imperial power in Late Antiquity and Byzantium.
Articles and Book Contributions by Maria Cristina Carile
Nikolas Bakirtzis and Luca Zavagno (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of the Byzantine City. From Justinian to Mehmet II (ca. 500 - ca.1500), 2024
As Melchior Lorichs’ panorama of Constantinople shows, in 1559, the former capital of the Byzanti... more As Melchior Lorichs’ panorama of Constantinople shows, in 1559, the former capital of the Byzantine Empire appeared as an enormous expanse of roofs. The only elements that stood out over the roofs were the walls surrounding the whole city, the mosques, the tall silhouettes of freestanding columns, and the remains of Valens’ aqueduct. Except for the mosques, all these were Byzantine buildings, still easily recognizable in the urban setting. In order to investigate the monumentality of the Byzantine city, the city must be considered the subject – just as it has been portrayed in Lorichs’ panorama. This chapter makes use of all the available sources but necessarily rely upon textual and visual evidence, which convey viewers’ perceptions and the cities’ reception through the time, in order to explore themes never really approached in the scholarship on Byzantium: can the modern concept of monumentality be applied to the the Byzantine city? was the Byzantine city intended to be monumental?
BYZANTINE AND MODERN GREEK STUDIES, 2024
Throughout Iconoclasm the imperial icon was used in iconophile writings as the major argument in ... more Throughout Iconoclasm the imperial icon was used in iconophile writings as the major argument in support of icon veneration. It included images of the emperor reproduced in various media and even panel portraits. Although the latter have not survived the centuries, they were real objects with a strong power in the Byzantine system of visual communication. This paper will show that that the role of the imperial icon in Byzantine imagery and image theory was closely connected to the perception of the emperor and of the sacred imperial power in Byzantium.
Succéder au Moyen Âge. LIIIe Congrès de la SHMESP, Paris : Éditions de la Sorbonne, 2023
Andreas Agnellus, la source la plus importante pour les biographies des évêques et les bâtiments ... more Andreas Agnellus, la source la plus importante pour les biographies des évêques et les bâtiments de l'Église de Ravenne, ne semble pas utiliser le verbe latin "succedere" que pour rois et empereurs, et d'après son "Liber Pontificalis", il semble que les évêques de Ravenne n'étaient les héritiers les uns des autres que dans quelques rares cas. Ils apparaissent plutôt comme les détenteurs d'un pouvoir épiscopal solide et d'une longue tradition. Les sources visuelles semblent relater une histoire différente dans laquelle la succession sur le trône épiscopal revêtait une certaine importance pour les évêques. eux-mêmes. Déjà au ve siècle, les églises de Ravenne semblent montrer la création d’un langage visuel qui met en valeur la personne de l’évêque en exercice comme héritier direct de la fonction liturgique et donc du rôle de ses prédécesseurs, l’évêque commémorant l’image de ses « ancêtres » dans les absides des bâtiments religieux. Toutefois, c’est peut-être dans le domaine funéraire, dans les sépultures privilégiées des évêques et les rituels accomplis autour d’eux, qu’on peut observer l’importance de la succession épiscopale à Ravenne. Dans ce qui suit, nous verrons comment cette dernière semble avoir constitué un élément fondamental dans le décor ecclésiastique et la célébration des évêques de la ville.
V. Limone, C. Moreschini (a cura di), Le immagini sacre e la Chiesa antica. Il secondo concilio di Nicea (787), 2023
Sylvain Destephen (éd. par), L'Empire post-romain 400-600 après J.-C., Paris, 2023
Sylvain Destephen (éd. par), L'Empire post-romain 400-600 après J.-C., 2023
RAVENNA STUDI E RICERCHE, 29, 2022
La casula e le chiroteche dell’arcivescovo Rinaldo da Concorezzo sono note da tempo, la prima esp... more La casula e le chiroteche dell’arcivescovo Rinaldo da Concorezzo sono note da tempo, la prima esposta al Museo Arcivescovile e le chiroteche conservate in Curia. Tuttavia, dopo il loro rinvenimento durante l’ultima ricognizione del sepolcro nel 1908, si era persa memoria delle altre vesti e dei tessuti che rivestivano il corpo del vescovo. Nel contesto di uno studio approfondito degli abiti cerimoniali degli arcivescovi che occuparono il seggio episcopale di Ravenna fra VII e XIV secolo, abbiamo potuto ricostruire il corredo di Rinaldo e in questa sede lo presentiamo per la prima volta. La metodologia della ricerca si basa sui dati materiali e sullo studio delle vesti liturgiche - di solito considerate puramente come esempi di produzione tessile - nel loro valore di abiti cerimoniali, in relazione alla documentazione di archivio e alle fonti scritte. Su queste premesse il nostro contributo mostra i risultati preliminari della ricerca sulle principali evidenze, avanzando alcune iniziali ipotesi sulla produzione e la circolazione dei tessuti serici impiegati nella confezione degli abiti cerimoniali del vescovo che, per la loro fattura e composizione, possono essere considerati rarissimi esempi di preziose vesti liturgiche medievali.
M. Uboldi, S.G. Lerma, M. Vandini (a cura di), La multidisciplinarietà nella ricerca sul vetro. Atti delle XX Giornate Nazionali di Studio (Ravenna, 18-19 maggio 2019), 2022
This paper addresses the meaning of colors in late antique art and particularly in the 6th centur... more This paper addresses the meaning of colors in late antique art and particularly in the 6th century, approaching the subject through a case study: the apse mosaics of San Vitale in Ravenna. Ravenna offers an extraordinary observatory, not only because of its great late antique heritage, but mainly as here is the mosaic that conveys the colors, a mosaic mostly made of glass tesserae. As the monumental mosaics of Ravenna have been extensively studied using archaeometric and scientific methodologies, an art historical approach can benefit of information otherwise unavailable. Therefore, this paper investigates the use of colors at San Vitale from a material perspective to understand the way in which they acted within a precise communication code and were used to create meanings.
STUDI ROMAGNOLI, 73, 2022
With its Late Antique and Medieval monuments, Ravenna is still an everlasting source of inspirati... more With its Late Antique and Medieval monuments, Ravenna is still an everlasting source of inspiration for scholarly research. This paper observes it from a different point of view, considering its mosaics, architecture, and liturgical space with an approach of visual culture. After a short introduction that explains the methodology and scope of this article, three case studies are explored in a broad perspective, analyzing visual strategies and untangling the communication codes utilized in three churches. It will appear that, if examined with an approach of visual culture, the liturgical space was created to convey messages from the part of the patrons, messages that are otherwise difficult to understand. In other words, the apses of Ravenna Late-Antique churches hold subtle and unique significances related to the prestige of the local Church and the bishop’s role in the Christian community of the Empire, something that is possible to appreciate only with a visual approach to the liturgical space.
Religions, 12, 98, 2021
Between Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages, lay and cleric alike felt the need to be rememb... more Between Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages, lay and cleric alike felt the need to be remembered in the monuments they sponsored. Accordingly, specific elements of the décor were designed as means capable of bearing the patron’s memory. The late antique churches of Ravenna offer an extraordinary field to understand how patrons left their mark on decorative programs of ancient buildings. There, portraits, inscriptions, and monograms emerge as the primary instruments used in a complex strategy of visual communication. However, each had its own communicative power and peculiar use. Either separately or in connection, they were able to convey strong messages of patronship to the viewer. By focusing on each of these elements in its context and on the ways they all interacted with the surrounding architecture and church decoration, this paper will highlight their value as visual objects capable to immortalize the piety, power, or presence of the patron. Indeed, the silent dialogue enacted into the architectural space with the beholder will allow us to reconstruct the hidden messages that individuals or groups meant to communicate to posterity.
ADAMANTIUS, 2020
This contribution is part of the proceedings of the international conference "Vedere e guardare a... more This contribution is part of the proceedings of the international conference "Vedere e guardare attraverso le parole: contributi per una storia della cultura visuale del cristianesimo antico e tardoantico (Torino, 9-11 ottobre 2019)" edited by A. Monaci and A. Nicolotti and published in Adamantius 26 (2020).
Ravenna and the Traditions of Late Antique and Early Byzantine Craftsmanship. Labour, Culture, and the Economy, ed. by S. Cosentino, 2020
How Ravenna could effectively produce ivory carving and export it? In lack of firm archaeological... more How Ravenna could effectively produce ivory carving and export it? In lack of firm archaeological evidence, this paper explores the potential of Ravenna in the production and trade of ivory carving in late antiquity.
Le stoffe di San Giuliano dal ritrovamento alla valorizzazione, a cura di E. Fiori, Ravenna, Longo Editore, 2019, pp. 45 - 65
This paper observes the silk textiles found in the church of San Giuliano at Rimini in the conte... more This paper observes the silk textiles found in the church of San Giuliano at Rimini in the context of the Mediterranean between Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages.
Studi sulla circolazione del mosaico in area nord-adriatica, a cura di V. Cantone, Roma, Viella, 2019
Built at the turn of the fifth century and embellished with a new decoration under bishop Neon (c... more Built at the turn of the fifth century and embellished with a new decoration under bishop Neon (c. 450-468), the Baptistery of the Cathedral is one of the most studied buildings of late antique Ravenna. Nevertheless, its lower mosaic frieze has been often overlooked in scholarly literature. This is perhaps due to the fact that the lower zone of the building shows a dominant aniconic decoration. This paper will centre precisely on the so-called aniconic decoration and on non-figurative images included in the mosaic programme. Through an analysis of forms and motifs that have often been considered only mere fillers for empty spaces, this paper will clarify the cultural environment in which the decoration of the baptistery originated. Even details apparently with a purely ornamental function and without meaning will reveal to be instrumental clues for determining the dialectic of power and faith visually expressed in the mosaic programme. These are in fact linked to the cultural tradition of the Mediterranean and are evidence of the interaction of the learned patron of the baptistery, bishop Neon, with the élites of the empire.
Economia e Territorio. L’Adriatico centrale tra tarda Antichità e alto Medioevo, a cura di Enrico Cirelli, Enrico Giorgi, Giuseppe Lepore, Oxford, BAR Publishing, 2019
This paper presents new arguments about the portals of some famous 5th- and 6th-century buildings... more This paper presents new arguments about the portals of some famous 5th- and 6th-century buildings of Ravenna. Neglected by art historians and archaeologists as simple elements decorated with mouldings and crosses, portals are in fact fundamental for understanding the aesthetics and architecture of late antique church buildings. This contribution examines these doorframes - either reused elements or new portals made on purpose - first for their style and, secondly, as architectural elements that show a certain consistency with the overall design and concept of the structures in which they are inserted. It appears that the choice of marbles and design reflected certain principles and produced light and colour effects, which were never observed before. The aim of this paper is to shed light on a forgotten aspect of late antique architecture and put forward some new hypotheses with regard to 5th- and 6th- century aesthetics.
Dialoghi con Bisanzio. Spazi di discussione, percorsi di ricerca. Atti dell'VIII Congresso dell'Associazione Italiana di Studi Bizantini (Ravenna, 22-25 settembre 2015), ed. by S. Cosentino, M. E. Pomero, G. Vespignani, Spoleto, CISAM, 2019
This paper explores the role of dress - and particularly of embroideries and garments in images o... more This paper explores the role of dress - and particularly of embroideries and garments in images of dignitaries - as a sign of hierarchy in late antiquity and early Byzantium.
Le Prince chrétien de Constantin aux royautés barbares (IVe-VIIIe siècle), Travaux et Mémoires 22/2, éd. par Sylvain Destephen, Bruno Dumézil et Hervé Inglebert, Paris, 2018 (ISBN: 978-2-916716-66-4), pp. 197-226, 2018
While previous studies investigated the representational and ceremonial character of imperial arc... more While previous studies investigated the representational and ceremonial character of imperial architecture and cities, this paper explores the meaning of the space where the emperor manifested himself in Late Antiquity and Byzantium. Here the issue is addressed thorough the prism of the emperor’s ceremonial attire: depending on the costume chosen for an occasion and the meaning of the location of the event, the ceremony could change or have different interpretations. That space was not merely a background for the emperor’s public appearances, but had strong conceptual implications that allowed it to be represented in artworks. As the image of the emperor, in person or as a portrait, had a strong iconic power, so had the space that hosted his image, regardless whether it was a real or representative architecture, an existing or symbolic place.
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Books by Maria Cristina Carile
reviewed in:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1751696X.2019.1649897
Cultura visuale e materiale dall’Adriatico all’India
a cura di
Mattia Guidetti e Sara Mondini
Through an essentially art historical approach, the monograph considers a wide range of sources, asserting that architectural, artistic, and written evidence, all converge to convey the vision of the palace, that is, how a real architectural structure, which was at once the residence of the emperor and the heart of the imperial administration, was conceived and/or meant to be perceived. The ruins of late antique palaces, ekphraseis of palaces, and images of palatine architecture are the epistemological means at the centre of this study.
The purpose of this book is to unravel how the real earthly palace became associated with, and the model for, the heavenly residence. This hermeneutics of the visual images of palaces – since literary, artistic, and architectural evidence for the palace, all bear a strong visual impact – will shed light on a complex mirror effect, that between the real imperial palace and its ideal counterpart. Ultimately, the monograph will show that the palace’s homology to the Heavenly Jerusalem relied upon – and also relayed – the sacred nature of imperial power in Late Antiquity and Byzantium.
Articles and Book Contributions by Maria Cristina Carile
reviewed in:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1751696X.2019.1649897
Cultura visuale e materiale dall’Adriatico all’India
a cura di
Mattia Guidetti e Sara Mondini
Through an essentially art historical approach, the monograph considers a wide range of sources, asserting that architectural, artistic, and written evidence, all converge to convey the vision of the palace, that is, how a real architectural structure, which was at once the residence of the emperor and the heart of the imperial administration, was conceived and/or meant to be perceived. The ruins of late antique palaces, ekphraseis of palaces, and images of palatine architecture are the epistemological means at the centre of this study.
The purpose of this book is to unravel how the real earthly palace became associated with, and the model for, the heavenly residence. This hermeneutics of the visual images of palaces – since literary, artistic, and architectural evidence for the palace, all bear a strong visual impact – will shed light on a complex mirror effect, that between the real imperial palace and its ideal counterpart. Ultimately, the monograph will show that the palace’s homology to the Heavenly Jerusalem relied upon – and also relayed – the sacred nature of imperial power in Late Antiquity and Byzantium.
La storia del manoscritto è avvolta nel mistero finché nel XVI secolo non fu scoperto nel monastero di Werden. Poi se ne persero nuovamente le tracce e ricomparve a Praga nel 1648, quando le truppe svedesi presero la città. Attraversò il nord l’Europa e infine giunse all’Università di Uppsala nel 1669, prezioso dono del cancelliere Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie all’università più importante del regno.
Questo libro ricostruisce la storia del Codex Argenteus, oggetto misterioso e affascinante che, da lussuoso codice purpureo, nei secoli diventò di volta in volta santa reliquia, volume dimenticato, bottino di guerra, brama di ladri o collezionisti e molto altro ancora.
Byzantine 'iconoclasm' is famous and has influenced iconoclast movements from the English Reformation and French Revolution to Taliban and IS, but it has also been woefully misunderstood: this book shows how and why the debate about images was more complicated, and more interesting, than it has been presented in the past. It explores how icons came to be so important, who opposed them, and how the debate about images played itself out over the years between c. 680 and 850. Many widely accepted assumptions about 'iconoclasm' - that it was an imperial initiative that resulted in widespread destruction of images, that the major promoters of icon veneration were monks, and that the era was one of cultural stagnation - are shown to be incorrect. Instead, the years of the image debates saw technological advances and intellectual shifts that, coupled with a growing economy, concluded with the emergence of medieval Byzantium as a strong and stable empire.
Jelena Bogdanović and Marina Mihaljević, conveners
Conferenza di Luca Zavagno (Department of History, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey) a cura di Maria Cristina Carile e Salvatore Cosentino nell'ambito degli insegnamenti di Storia e Critica dell'Arte Bizantina e di Civiltà Bizantina (Ravenna, Dipartimento di Beni Culturali, venerdì 28 aprile 2017, ore 11)
Sarà presente l’Autrice, Professor of Byzantine Art - Director of the Centre for Byzantine, Ottoman and Modern Greek Studies, University of Birmingham, UK
Interverrà Manuela De Giorgi, docente di Storia dell’arte medievale, Università del Salento, Lecce
In collaborazione con "Biblioteca Classense"