Pair of peacocks drinking symbolises resurrection and faith in achieving eternal life through the Eucharist. Sculpted on a capital in the presbytery of the 6th century AD Byzantine Basilica di San Vitale at Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy: pairs of peacocks, drinking from fluted vessels on sculpted capitals in the presbytery of the 6th century AD Byzantine Basilica di San Vitale, symbolise resurrection and Christian faith in achieving eternal life through the celebration of the Eucharist. Early Christians believed that peacock flesh - like peacock feathers - did not decay after death and they therefore saw the birds as symbols of the Resurrection and of immortality. Peacocks and peacock feathers were painted on walls in Christian catacombs and peacocks often featured in early paintings of the Annunciation and Nativity of Christ. Pairs of peacocks were sometimes also depicted as guardians of the gates of Heaven. The basilica’s unique Byzantine capitals are of trapezoid shape and feature a band of wavy decoration beneath depictions of drinking peacocks or pairs of lambs. Below the band, strands of foliage intermingle to form five central medallions laid out in the shape of a cross. The Basilica di San Vitale, consecrated in 547 AD, is dedicated to Saint Vitalis, said to have been tortured and buried alive by the Romans on this site. Ravenna, on Italy’s northern Adriatic coast, was once the capital of the Western Roman Empire. It was captured by Constantinople from the Ostrogoths in 540 AD and the church, founded under Ostrogoth rule, was decorated with vivid mosaics over the next few years. Ravenna is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, renowned as Western Europe’s greatest centre for the study of Byzantine art and architecture.
Size: 2848px × 4288px
Location: Basilica di San Vitale, Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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