Christian version of Victoria, Roman goddess of Victory, created by Early Christian artists as Christianity spread across the Roman Empire. Detail of 300s AD mosaic in the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta at Aquileia, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy. Victoria holds a laurel wreath and palm branch and stands beside a large Christian chalice as used in the Eucharist or Holy Communion.
Aquileia, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy: as Christianity spread through the Roman Empire in the 4th century AD, mosaic artists working in the city of Aquileia converted the pagan winged victory symbol used throughout the Classical world into an emblem relevant to the new faith. They transformed the goddess of victory, known by Greeks as Nike and by Romans as Victoria, into this Christian Victory, now preserved as part of the mosaic floor of the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, or Basilica of Aquileia. The Roman goddess holding a victor’s laurel wreath and palm branch now stands beside a large chalice, the standing goblet or cup used to hold sacramental wine for the Eucharist or Holy Communion. The Basilica’s vast mosaic pavement was revealed between 1909 and 1912. It was created after 313 AD, when Roman emperors Constantine and Licinius signed the Edict of Milan. The Edict proclaimed religious toleration throughout the empire and, for the first time, allowed Christian communities to build legal places of public worship. The original church, seat of a bishopric, stood in the heart of the Roman metropolis, which was once home to about 100,000 people and was one of the largest cities in the ancient world. Although the first church was destroyed, it was rebuilt four times over several centuries, each time re-using elements of the previous structures. From outside, the present Basilica is of medieval Romanesque-Gothic appearance, but inside, the entire pavement is taken up by the colourful 4th century mosaics. The South Hall pavement, at 750 square metres, is the largest early Christian mosaic in the western world. The mosaics can now be viewed from glass platforms fixed at the level of an 11th century tiled floor that was removed in order to expose them.
Size: 2848px × 4288px
Location: Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, Aquileia, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: 300s, 4th, ad, ancient, aquileia, architecture, art, assunta, basilica, branch, ce, century, chalice, christian, christianity, church, classical, communion, cup, , deity, di, emblem, empire, eucharist, face, faith, female, feminine, freedom, fruili, girl, giulia, goblet, goddess, greek, holy, italian, italy, kerr, laurel, maria, mosaic, nike, pagan, palm, prize, roman, sacrament, sacramental, santa, symbol, terence, transformed, venezia, vessel, victor, victoria, victory, wine, winged, wings, woman, world, worship, wreath
