Publication details
Santa Susanna’s Decorations in the Light of Eighth- and Ninth-Centuries Liturgical Sources
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2019 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | The medieval church of Santa Susanna in Rome is today unfortunately almost completely lost. At the end of the eighth century, however, it was at the center of popes’ attention. Hadrian I (772–795) firstly only restored the roof of the old basilica (LP, XCVII, 70) but his successor, Leo III (795–816), completely rebuilt it for relics of Santa Felicitas and Santa Susanna. “A wonderfully lofty church, with an apse filled with mosaic” was created (LP, XCVIII, 8). Although the mosaic was destroyed in 1595, it has been partially documented, as Cäcilia Davis-Weyer pointed out, thanks to Pompeo Ugoni’s description (d. 1614) and drawings by Alphonsus Ciacconius (1530–1599), Claude-François Ménestrier, and Pierre-Antoine Rascas de Bagarris. Leo’s nine-figures apsidal composition can be traced back. The appearance of the apsidal arch can also be hypothesized. This paper proposes to analyze the mosaic decoration in the light of liturgical texts read in Santa Susanna during the stational liturgy on the third Saturday of Lent. It focuses on a possible connection between words of the papal mass and Santa Susanna’s decoration. It also attempts to understand the role of this female-saint in the eighth and ninth-centuries Roman thinking. |
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