www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News 4th century icons of Peter and Paul found in Rome

Glory to Jesus Christ!

The earliest known icons of the Apostles Peter and Paul have been discovered in a catacomb under an eight-story modern office building in a working-class neighborhood of Rome, Vatican officials said Tuesday.

The images, which date from the second half of the 4th century, were discovered on the ceiling of a tomb that also includes the earliest known images of the apostles John and Andrew. They were uncovered using a new laser technique that allowed restorers to burn off centuries of thick white calcium carbonate deposits without damaging the dark colors of the original paintings underneath.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100622/ap_on_re_eu/eu_vatican_archaeology

Deacon El

Glory Forever!
Deacon El,
Thanks for sending this! May more churches be adorned with this sort of beautiful iconography. It's another strong assurance that we are connected to a deep Tradition. May it grow deeper in our private and corporate lives.

Jonathan

The icon of St. Peter bears a strong resemblance to the early 6th century encaustic icon in St. Katherine's in Sinai, which shows that some archetypes emerged early and demonstrated remarkable continuity. On the other hand, the Christ as Good Shepherd archetype was rapidly superseded by the image of Christ Pantocrator found in the famous St. Katherine's icon, which in turn seems to have been based on the famous Epitaphion of Edessa. The young, beardless Christ based on Greco-Roman images of Apollo thereafter tended to be used for the pre-incarnational Logos, or, in a very literal manner, for the youthful Jesus.