No. 2 (33) (2024), Forum
No. 2 (33) (2024)

Mosaics of the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem and Crusader monumental painting in the Holy Land in the 12th century

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.46748/ARTEURAS.2024.02.007
Published 2024-06-28
Olga E. Etinhof
Russian Academy of Arts; Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow, Russian Federation
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etinhof@mail.ru
Выпуск № 2 (33) 2024 журнала "Искусство Евразии"
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Keywords

mosaic, fresco, monumental painting, 12th century fine art, Crusaders, Basilica of the Nativity, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Holy Land, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem

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Etinhof, O.E. (2024) ‘Mosaics of the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem and Crusader monumental painting in the Holy Land in the 12th century’, The Art of Eurasia, (2), pp. 96–111. doi:10.46748/ARTEURAS.2024.02.007.
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Abstract

The article is dedicated to the examination of the mosaics in the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Built in the 4th century during the era of Emperor Constantine the Great, the church remains one of the most important sanctuaries in the Christian world. A unique ensemble of mosaics created in the 12th century during the rule of the Latin Kingdom in Jerusalem has been preserved on its walls and in the crypt. In the period between 2015 and 2019, Italian specialists undertook a large-scale restoration of the basilica's decoration. The mosaics on the walls of the church and the paintings on the columns were cleared for the first time in almost a thousand years. This opens up new possibilities for an analysis of such an outstanding monument. The article uses various methods: stylistic, iconographic and historical-cultural. G. Künel has convincingly shown that the mosaics were created during a short period, probably from the mid-1150s. until 1169. Based on the surviving inscriptions, one can believe that two masters participated in the mosaic decoration of the basilica: monk Ephraim, presumably a Greek, and deacon Vasily, a Syrian. The third inscription, now lost, mentioned the name Zan, which may have belonged to a Venetian artist. The style of the mosaics is generally oriented towards Byzantine art of the third quarter of the 12th century. Dissimilarities in figurative and aniconic iconography, as well as in the style of different areas of decoration, are evident in the ensemble. It showed elements of Syro-Palestinian and Western European art. The very fact of mentioning the names of artists in inscriptions is not typical for Byzantium. A detailed stylistic analysis of the monument is yet to be carried out. It is clear that a composite team of several artists of different origins and different training took part in the decoration. Moreover, all masters predominantly used Byzantine models. It is also fruitful to consider the Bethlehem mosaics in the context of monumental painting of the Holy Land and Sicily of the 12th century.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.46748/ARTEURAS.2024.02.007

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