Slika raja na ranohrišćanskim mozaicima na Balkanu

Abstract

U nastojanju da se istraži vizuelna artikulacija hrišćanske dogme o spasenju kroz predstavljanje slike raja u sakralnom prostoru crkve, posebna pažnja ova teze je usmerena na podne mozaike nastale na Balkanu u ranohrišćanskom periodu, od ranog 4. do početka 7. veka. Obrada teme zahteva složen interdisciplinarni pristup koji se oslanja na metode nekoliko humanističkih i društvenih nauka u istorijskom, društvenom i duhovnom kontekstu stvaranja i percipiranja vizuelnog. Formiranje likovno i materijalno prepoznatljive slike raja na podnim mozaicima, koja nastaje iz apstraktne, mentalne slike, postiže se upotrebom alegorija, personifikacija, anikoničnih i figuralnih motiva. Oslanjajući se na nekoliko ikonografskih shema grčko-rimske i helenističke tradicije, najčešće alegorijske prirode, koje se zasnivaju na tekstualnim predlošcima biblijskih i nebiblijskih narativa o spasenju, ranohrišćanski podni mozaici na Balkanu dovedeni su u vezu sa srodnim, sličnim korpusima podnih mozaika nastalih na širokom području Rimskog carstva. Bogatstvo ikonografskih varijanti, otvorilo je potom pitanje specifičnosti crkvene organizacije na Balkanu, njene liturgije, ili pak delovanja egzegeta i crkvenih otaca na ovim prostorima. Preko analize nosećih primera sačuvanih podnih mozaika sakralnih prostora velikih Balkanskih centara poput Herakleje Linkestis, Caričinog grada, Ulpijane, Butrinta, Stobija, Ohrida, Filipa, Amfipolisa, Filipopolisa i njihovim poređenjem sa materijalom sačuvanim u drugim velikim pomenutim centrima s područja Rimskog carstva ostvaren je uvid u bogatstvo varijanti, specifičnost i raznolikost ikonografskih rešenja i domete vizuelnog likovnog ostvarenja u predstavljanju slike raja na korpusu Balkanskih ranohrišćanskih podnih mozaika. U vizuelnom prenošenju slike raja istaknuto mesto ima Drvo života. Identifikovanje, ikonografska i ikonološka analiza različitih formula kojima se u navedenom periodu vizuelizuje slika raja na podnim mozaicima s ovog područja, istaknut je doprinos koji ovaj materijal određuje kao izuzetno važan za razumevanje šireg fenomena vizuelnog artikulisanja dogme o spasenju, koja leži u osnovi smisla predstavljanja slike raja u crkvi kao „prostoru društva“ u ranohrišćanskom razdoblju.

In the effort to explore the visual articulation of the salvation dogma by representing the image of paradise in the sacred space of a church, special attention of this thesis is directed to the floor mosaics in the Balkans in early Christian period, from the early 4th to the beginning of the 7th century. Analysis of this topic requires interdisciplinary approach which relies upon methods of several humanistic and social sciences in historical, social and spiritual context of creating and perceiving the visual. Prominent place is given to iconographical and iconological analyses which are aimed at investigating the relationship between the text and image. The formation of visually and materially recognizable image of paradise on floor mosaics, which is made out of the abstract, mental image is obtained through allegory, personifications, aniconic and figural motifs. Relying on several iconographical schemes of Graeco-Roman and Hellenistic tradition, mostly allegorical in nature, which are based on textual templates of biblical and non-biblical narratives on salvation, early Christian floor mosaics in the Balkans have been associated with similar groups of floor mosaics on the territory of the Roman Empire. The variety of iconographical schemes than asks the question of church organization, its liturgy or works of exegetes and church fathers. Through the analysis of the prominent examples of floor mosaics in the sacred spaces of large centers in the Balkans such as Herakleia Lynkestis, Caričin Grad, Ulpiana, Butrint, Stobi, Ohrid, Philippi, Amphipolis,Philippopolis and comparison with the material found in other centers of the Roman Empire we can have an insight in the diversity of iconographical solutions and achievements of visual artworks in presenting the image of paradise in the corpus of floor mosaics in the Balkans. In the visual transmission of the image of paradise the Tree of Life has a prominent place. Identification, iconographical and iconological analysis of different formulas through which, in the abovementioned period, the image of paradise is visualized on the floor mosaics is what makes this material important in understanding a broader meaning of this phenomenon of the visual articulation of the salvation dogma, that lies in the basis of representing the image of paradise in the church as a “social space” in the early Christian period.