5.49 FC – Churches III

This paper explores the wall paintings in several rupestrian churches in Salento, southern Italy, a region where Byzantine rule endured until the late 11th century. In the following centuries, the pre-existing, Byzantine artistic tradition remained influential. Many of these rock-cut churches–likely decorated with contributions from members of the local communities–are characterized by painting styles and…

The transition from the Byzantine to the Early Islamic period in the Holy Land was characterized by regional instability, political reforms, economic changes, and natural disasters. Although initial contact between Christianity and Islam during the Umayyad period appears to have been largely non-confrontational, by the late 8th century, many churches in the region had ceased…

Located in the heart of the Anatolian peninsula and an exemplary borderland region, Cappadocia represents a unique phenomenon in the medieval artistic landscape due to the coexistence of both ‘negative’ – rock-cut – and ‘positive’ – masonry – architecture within the same space. My research investigates the relationship between these two forms in the Middle…

Basilica B in Resafa provides a compelling lens through which to examine the complex interplay of doctrinal turbulence, ecclesiastical politics, and architectural expression during the late 5th and early 6th centuries. Building on the architectural documentation conducted by Wolfgang Müller-Wiener in the 1950s, whose work remains unpublished to this day, this analysis offers new perspectives…