Cefalù cathedral, mosaics, apse wall, apostles, Sts. Simon, Bartholomew and Thomas
Twelve saints stand in two rows in the mosaics in the lower part of the apse in Cefalù below the larger figures of Mary and the archangels and the great Pantocrator in the semidome. Though commonly described as the twelve apostles, the group includes St. Paul and the evangelists, Luke and Mark. This arrangement is referred to as the “theological” apostles with three of the New Testament writers – crucial to the spread of Christianity – replacing three of the lesser apostles named among the twelve followers of Jesus in the Gospels. Shown here are the apostles, Simon, Bartholomew and Thomas, in the lower row on the right side of the apse. The apse mosaics were part of the decoration completed by the time of the dated mosaic inscription of 1148 – here, the end of the inscription refers specifically to the completion of the mosaics (“...hoc opus musei factum est.”/ “...this work of mosaic was accomplished”).
D'Emilio photo archive no. s19780707_1913u (13.4.20/JD)Galleries:Apostles as a group, Italy 1140s, Mosaic, Mosaics, interior, Cefalù cathedral, Mosaics on apse and choir walls, St. Bartholomew, apostle, St. Simon, apostle, St. Thomas, apostle, Tituli in mosaicsKeywords:apostles, inscriptions, scrollsPhoto Location: Cefalù, ItalyPhotographer: Dr. James D’EmilioDevice Make: NikonDevice Model: Nikon SUPER COOLSCAN 5000 EDOriginal Dimensions: 5270×3626Picture Orientation: LandscapeGPS Coordinates:Picture Number: 22645
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