"The Promised Blessing": The Iconography of the Mosaics of S. Maria Maggiore

Abstract

Built and decorated primarily during the pontificate of Sixtus III (432–440), S. Maria Maggiore in Rome preserves the oldest program of mosaic decoration in a Christian church.1 Old Testament scenes occupy panels on the walls of the nave, and on the triumphal arch the story of Christ's advent and recognition is depicted in scenes distributed in three registers (Figs. 1, 2).2 The original apse, destroyed in the last years of the thirteenth century, once presented an image of the enthroned Virgin. The bibliography on the mosaics is lengthy but it is encumbered by three widely held misconceptions which have impeded understanding of the meaning of the mosaic program.3 The first of these concerns the role of Christian apocrypha. Whereas the nave panels are based almost exclusively on the Old Testament narrative, the triumphal arch mosaics depart from scriptural accounts.4 The interpretations of some of the scenes have been sought in the apocryphal gospels. An analysis of the popular “Aphrodosius” interpretation of one register will demonstrate its spurious foundation. The apocrypha are, in fact, an implausible source for the themes of the arch; more likely interpretations will be offered here. S. Maria Maggiore is celebrated for having the earliest image of the imperialized Mary, Maria Regina; this is the second of the misconceptions. Evidence from the fifth and sixth centuries discloses that the woman on the triumphal arch generally regarded as Mary cannot be Maria Regina and is not Mary. Mary is present on the arch in familiar but inexplicably overlooked form.

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