Baptismal Aesthetics In-Between: Reflections on the Interplay of Text, Rite, and Image in the Sanctuaries of Ravenna

Baptism is the sacramental celebration of Christian initiation. Paul’s letter to Romans, which central understanding baptism, characterizes this event as a dying with Christ and beginning new existence. This mode existence gains an aesthetic-performative form in liturgical rites. The design spaces can then be understood “petrified rites”. imperial church basilicas baptisteries Byzantine period Ravenna bear particular witness such petrified manifestations liturgy. What took place rites found aesthetic counterpart interior rich mosaic art ancient buildings. Ravennese color-intensive wall ceiling motifs substantiate sensuous way eschatological aesthetic, opened believers through baptism. Biblical texts, architecture, rite, pictorial program thus ensemble whose elements mutually illuminate each other only gain their full depth meaning context performative dynamic. contribution analyzes interplay these different registers, based on some selected examples Ravenna’s sacred buildings, explores how baptismal conveyed them access world.