Fun for believers, agnostics and atheists alike, this course will look at the vital role of art and architecture in conveying the message of the new Christian faith during its formative centuries. See how Christian art evolved from modest beginnings as symbols, catacomb paintings and home-based chapels, to the creation of imposing buildings, sumptuously decorated books, richly carved stone crosses and liturgical objects in precious materials. We’ll compare the approaches to art among the Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, Roman and Byzantine churches. Then we’ll explore how elements of these strains came together in the late 10th century to form the powerful and long-influential Romanesque style.
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| Jonah Cast Up, c. 280-290. |
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| San Vitale, Ravenna, 527-548. |
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| Anglo-Saxon Gold Cross, England, c. 650 CE. |
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| Lorsch Gospels, Germany, 778–820. |
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| Book of Kells, c. 800. | |
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| Personification of the Moon from a Crucifix, ca. 860–890. |
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| Mystic Mill Capital, Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Vézelay, 1120-32. |
