Dominus potens in proelio». L'iconografia del Cristo guerriero nell'Alto Medioevo

In the second half of the 5th century Jesus Christ began to be represented as a warrior with armour while crushing a lion and a serpent/dragon. This particular iconography, which originates from verse 13 of Sapiential Psalm 91 («Super aspidem et basiliscum ambulabis, et conculcabis leonem et dracone...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annali della Scuola normale superiore di Pisa, Classe di lettere e filosofia Classe di lettere e filosofia, 2017-01, Vol.9 (2), p.343-627
Main Author: De Giorgio, Teodoro
Format: Article
Language:Italian
Subjects:
Studi e ricerche
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Summary:In the second half of the 5th century Jesus Christ began to be represented as a warrior with armour while crushing a lion and a serpent/dragon. This particular iconography, which originates from verse 13 of Sapiential Psalm 91 («Super aspidem et basiliscum ambulabis, et conculcabis leonem et draconem»), had great success throughout the Middle Ages. The essay analyses all surviving images of the warrior Christ and offers an in-depth study of the origin, symbolic and cultic meaning, functions and fortune of this unusual representation. In the context of sacred art, this iconography led to the birth of a declaredly military figurative current, which marked the beginning of the representations of holy warriors from the end of the 6th century.
ISSN:0392-095X