Corridonia –MACERATA- Marche - Italy
San Claudio al Chienti
and the symbolism of the New Jerusalem
In other pages of this site, we pointed out that the Christian temple is symbolically considered the "gate of Heaven, that’s the house of God". ["How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven". (Genesis 28,17)].
The "house of God" actually is the Divine city, nothing but the New Jerusalem described by Saint John in his "Apocalypse" (Rev. Cap.21). It has cubic form and is surrounded by walls with twelve gates; this city will descend on the earth in the Latter Time.
We can find interesting allusions to the New Jerusalem in a few medieval churches in Marche region (Italy); they are built on central plan 1), with shape recalling the cubic form[O. Beigbeder – (Lexique de symbols) Lessico dei simboli– Milan 1988 pp.94 e ss. ].
One of these churches is San Claudio al Chienti, near Corridonia (Macerata – Marche).
This ancient building, probably belongs to the XIth. cent. 2) and shows an interesting characteristic that is quite rare in Italian temples: we mean the two towers (with circular plan) on the two sides of the facade.
Following what is suggested by O. Beigbeder and other authors, this aspect of the facade should be an allusion to the gates of the medieval town-wall, that were usually defended by two towers on two sides. From a symbolical chritian point of view, this would be an allusion to the gate of heaven of the Divine City.
This kind of symbolism is very frequent in medieval churches of central and northern Europe.
Back to San Claudio, now we can only add that its "cubic"shape clearly recalls-in symbolic terms - the shape the New Jerusalem.
We can also notice that five apses (with semi-circular plan) lean out from the quadrate plan of the church.
This characteristic should probably be related to the mystical Body of Jesus (that is another symbolical dimension of the church) and, more precisely, to its five wounds received by the nails of the Cross (and by the lance of Longinus).
In fact, the Redemption of the human kind was possible thanks to the blood flowed out the wounds of Jesus and in this way the "gate of Heaven" was open. 3)
We realise that some subjects dealt with in this outline would have probably deserved a wider examination; we hope we will be able to do that in other future writings.
The "house of God" actually is the Divine city, nothing but the New Jerusalem described by Saint John in his "Apocalypse" (Rev. Cap.21). It has cubic form and is surrounded by walls with twelve gates; this city will descend on the earth in the Latter Time.
We can find interesting allusions to the New Jerusalem in a few medieval churches in Marche region (Italy); they are built on central plan 1), with shape recalling the cubic form[O. Beigbeder – (Lexique de symbols) Lessico dei simboli– Milan 1988 pp.94 e ss. ].
One of these churches is San Claudio al Chienti, near Corridonia (Macerata – Marche).
This ancient building, probably belongs to the XIth. cent. 2) and shows an interesting characteristic that is quite rare in Italian temples: we mean the two towers (with circular plan) on the two sides of the facade.
Following what is suggested by O. Beigbeder and other authors, this aspect of the facade should be an allusion to the gates of the medieval town-wall, that were usually defended by two towers on two sides. From a symbolical chritian point of view, this would be an allusion to the gate of heaven of the Divine City.
This kind of symbolism is very frequent in medieval churches of central and northern Europe.
Back to San Claudio, now we can only add that its "cubic"shape clearly recalls-in symbolic terms - the shape the New Jerusalem.
We can also notice that five apses (with semi-circular plan) lean out from the quadrate plan of the church.
This characteristic should probably be related to the mystical Body of Jesus (that is another symbolical dimension of the church) and, more precisely, to its five wounds received by the nails of the Cross (and by the lance of Longinus).
In fact, the Redemption of the human kind was possible thanks to the blood flowed out the wounds of Jesus and in this way the "gate of Heaven" was open. 3)
We realise that some subjects dealt with in this outline would have probably deserved a wider examination; we hope we will be able to do that in other future writings.
2 commenti:
Great, fantastic!
I proud with you now.
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