Hades as the ruler of the Damned in the mosaic complex on the west wall of Basilica Santa Maria Assunta in Torcello, Italy
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Date
2015
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Publisher
ELTE Eötvös József Collegium, Budapest
Abstract
The aim of this article is to show the figure of the ancient god Hades as an important part of Byzantine symbolic representations of the Last Judgement, using the example of the mosaic from the west wall of Basilica Santa Maria Assunta in Torcello, Italy. The article is divided into three main parts. The first part briefly introduces the mosaic complex from Torcello, providing a description of the place, the Basilica, and the mosaic. In the second part, the author focuses on the fragment of the mosaic presenting the figure of Hades in hell. In an effort to show the iconographical and cultural continuity between ancient and early medieval representations, the author compares this figure to its ancient prototype. The last part of the article portrays the development of the motif of the Last Judgment by looking at other chosen representations. In conclusion, the author proposes a possible meaning of the presence of Hades in the mosaic of Torcello.
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Citation
Sapiens ubique Civis. Proceedings of International Conference on Classical Studies (Szeged, Hungary, 2013), red. J. Nagyillés, A. Hajdú, G. Gellérfi, A. Horn Baroody, S. Baroody, Budapest 2015, s. 379-395
ISBN
978-615-5371-40-0