DOC121/15232 - Mausoleum of Theodoric, king of the Ostragoths - Ravenna
Beginning 6th century. KAPPELMAYR, Barbara (Red.) (1995). Geïllustreerd handboek van de kunst. VG Bild-Kunst/De Hoeve, Alphen aan de Rijn. ISBN 90 6113 763 2
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The Mausoleum of Theodoric (Italian: Mausoleo di Teodorico) is an ancient monument just outside Ravenna, Italy. It was built in 520 AD by Theodoric the Great, an Ostrogoth, as his future tomb.
The current structure of the mausoleum is divided into two decagonal orders, one above the other; both are made of Istria stone. Its roof is a single 230 tonne Istrian stone, 10 meters in diameter. A niche leads down to a room that was probably a chapel for funeral liturgies; a stair leads to the upper floor. Located in the centre of the floor is a circular porphyry stone grave, in which Theodoric was buried. His remains were removed during Byzantine rule, when the mausoleum was turned into a Christian oratory. In the late 19th century, silting from a nearby rivulet that had partly submerged the mausoleum was drained and excavated.
It was inscribed with seven other "Early Christian Monuments and Mosaics of Ravenna" buildings as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1996. According to the ICOMOS evaluation, "the significance of the mausoleum lies in its Gothic style and decoration, which owe nothing to Roman or Byzantine art, although it makes use of the Roman stone construction technique of opus quadratum, which had been abandoned four centuries before" and in the fact that "it is the only surviving example of a tomb of a king of this period." (Wikipedia).
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QUADRALECTIC ARCHITECTURE – A Panoramic Review by Marten Kuilman - Falcon Press (2011) – ISBN 978-90-814420-0-8
quadralectics.wordpress.com/3-contemplation/3-7-graves-to...
The mausoleum of Theoderic is also situated in Ravenna (Italy). It was built around 530 AD to hold the remains of Emperor Theoderic the Ostrogoth (fig. 401). He was a ruler of barbarian people wandering around the Balkans, who came to hold power in Italy from 493 to 526 AD.
Fig. 401 – The mausoleum of Theoderic the Ostrogoth in Ravenna (Italy) was built around 530 AD. The building has a solid decagonal (ten-fold) base topped by a two-parted drum capped by a drome. The four division of the insight might reflect the psychological setting (in terms of division thinking) of the initiators and the builders. An illustration from the beginning of the twentieth century (in: Walter LOWRIE, 1906; fig. 53) indicates two supporting structures with stairs towards the first terrace on both sides of the door. It seems that the ground level in front of the mausoleum has been lowered since the beginning of the 1900s.
The building was renamed as Santa Maria della Rotonda after the remains of Theodoric were destroyed by the Roman general Belisarius. Theoderic was given as a hostage of peace between the Ostrogoths and the Romans when he was eight years old. He stayed at the court in Constantinople with Emperor Leo until he was eighteen years old. Then he was released and led the Goths to Italy, ending with the capture of Ravenna (in 493 AD). His reign aimed at a reconciliation of the Roman and Germanic people, with respect for national independence (MOORHEAD, 1992).
This view earned him a place in the personification of Dietrich von Bern in the legend of the Hildebrandslied (Lay of Hildebrand) and the Nibelungenlied (although some modern scholars deny such a connection). The former heroic lay dated from around 820 AD and recounts the story of Hildebrand and Dietrich’s flight for Odoacer. The Nibelungenlied was composed around 1200 and Dietrich was now living as an exile at the court of Etzel (Attila). There are further inspirational lines to the Norse Thidreks saga, which deals with Dietrich’s return home. The most familiar version of this later epic was written in the thirteenth century by an Icelandic author living in Norway. He added further material to the story derived from the Nibelungenlied and Wayland legends.
Theoderic considered himself the protector of Arianism, a line of thought in the new Christian Catholic Church. The discussion about the status of Christ within the Trinity was a religious issue, but the real source of the controversy was a ‘struggle’ for the predominant type of division thinking in human matters (although this crucial reason was, to my knowledge, never suggested by historians). The young Christian (Roman Catholic) church was born in the fourth part of the Third Quadrant (of the Roman cultural period, see fig. 88) and begun to flourish in the Fourth Quadrant (after 125 AD). The Trinity (Father – Son – Holy Ghost) was a suitable dogmatic realization of the three-division, originating from the (final part of the) Third Quadrant. The basic Christian message of peace and brotherhood, on the other hand, can be regarded as a product of Fourth Quadrant thinking.
A change in attitude took place in the fourth century AD when the Christian belief had to be ‘marketed’ to the world. Articles of faith became an issue. A position in a lower division environment was necessary for the Christian doctrine in order to be ‘seen’, i.e. to draw attention in a communication with other believers. The (Third Quadrant) Trinitarian dogma was a useful tool to employ in a confrontation with other religious constructions like Mithraism or the Gnostics. However, the explicit lowering in division thinking affected the basic Christian message. The Libyan preacher Arius (c. 250 – 336 AD) put his finger on the painful spot of an incompatibility between the Third and Fourth Quadrant way of thinking (in a lower-division setting!).
The following complex situation existed in the fourth century. The Roman Catholic Church was born at the eastern side of the Mediterranean in an area wedged between the ‘simple minds’ (two-fold thinkers) of Antioch (Syria) and the intellectual melting pot (including four-fold thinkers) of Alexandria (Egypt). The area was part of the Roman cultural period and Christianity became to the scene at the very moment when oppositional thinking reached a climax (in the Second Visibility Crisis; SVC; 1 AD). The Trinity and its associated three-fold thinking proved a useful operational instrument to deal with the spiritual world of both the lower (northern) and higher (southern) division thinkers.
The mental flexibility of the Trinity-as-unity could be used to disclose the ‘simple minds’ a kind of progression and provide the ‘tetradics’ with a practical, realistic tool. Arius, who questioned the unity of the Trinity, stated that God (the Father) and the Son did not exist together eternally. He challenged the dynamism of the three-fold. The ‘neutral’ three-division was broken up in a hierarchical unit, pointing to a dualistic setting. The First Council of Nicea in 325 AD tried to keep the oppositional spirit out of the orthodox views. It condemned the heterodox views of the followers of Arius, but the dispute continued.
The Arian missionary Ulfilas (c. 310 – 388) brought the message to the Germanic tribes in Europe and found a willing ear (and heart) by the Goths and Longobards. Theodoric and his mausoleum in Ravenna should be placed against this history of division thinking within Roman history. His octagonal/circular/dome type tomb summarizes the various elements of the struggle of visibility within the Roman culture at the time of his death (526 AD). The building epitomized, in its heroic presence, an architectural statement within the boundaries of the Roman Empire-as-a-whole. The political power had moved to Constantinople by the time of Theoderic’s death and Rome – and Italy – prepared themselves for a whole new role in the European cultural history. The year 750 AD was chosen to mark the First Visibility (FV) of this emerging geographical unity.
DOC121/15232 - Mausoleum of Theodoric, king of the Ostragoths - Ravenna
Beginning 6th century. KAPPELMAYR, Barbara (Red.) (1995). Geïllustreerd handboek van de kunst. VG Bild-Kunst/De Hoeve, Alphen aan de Rijn. ISBN 90 6113 763 2
---
The Mausoleum of Theodoric (Italian: Mausoleo di Teodorico) is an ancient monument just outside Ravenna, Italy. It was built in 520 AD by Theodoric the Great, an Ostrogoth, as his future tomb.
The current structure of the mausoleum is divided into two decagonal orders, one above the other; both are made of Istria stone. Its roof is a single 230 tonne Istrian stone, 10 meters in diameter. A niche leads down to a room that was probably a chapel for funeral liturgies; a stair leads to the upper floor. Located in the centre of the floor is a circular porphyry stone grave, in which Theodoric was buried. His remains were removed during Byzantine rule, when the mausoleum was turned into a Christian oratory. In the late 19th century, silting from a nearby rivulet that had partly submerged the mausoleum was drained and excavated.
It was inscribed with seven other "Early Christian Monuments and Mosaics of Ravenna" buildings as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1996. According to the ICOMOS evaluation, "the significance of the mausoleum lies in its Gothic style and decoration, which owe nothing to Roman or Byzantine art, although it makes use of the Roman stone construction technique of opus quadratum, which had been abandoned four centuries before" and in the fact that "it is the only surviving example of a tomb of a king of this period." (Wikipedia).
---
QUADRALECTIC ARCHITECTURE – A Panoramic Review by Marten Kuilman - Falcon Press (2011) – ISBN 978-90-814420-0-8
quadralectics.wordpress.com/3-contemplation/3-7-graves-to...
The mausoleum of Theoderic is also situated in Ravenna (Italy). It was built around 530 AD to hold the remains of Emperor Theoderic the Ostrogoth (fig. 401). He was a ruler of barbarian people wandering around the Balkans, who came to hold power in Italy from 493 to 526 AD.
Fig. 401 – The mausoleum of Theoderic the Ostrogoth in Ravenna (Italy) was built around 530 AD. The building has a solid decagonal (ten-fold) base topped by a two-parted drum capped by a drome. The four division of the insight might reflect the psychological setting (in terms of division thinking) of the initiators and the builders. An illustration from the beginning of the twentieth century (in: Walter LOWRIE, 1906; fig. 53) indicates two supporting structures with stairs towards the first terrace on both sides of the door. It seems that the ground level in front of the mausoleum has been lowered since the beginning of the 1900s.
The building was renamed as Santa Maria della Rotonda after the remains of Theodoric were destroyed by the Roman general Belisarius. Theoderic was given as a hostage of peace between the Ostrogoths and the Romans when he was eight years old. He stayed at the court in Constantinople with Emperor Leo until he was eighteen years old. Then he was released and led the Goths to Italy, ending with the capture of Ravenna (in 493 AD). His reign aimed at a reconciliation of the Roman and Germanic people, with respect for national independence (MOORHEAD, 1992).
This view earned him a place in the personification of Dietrich von Bern in the legend of the Hildebrandslied (Lay of Hildebrand) and the Nibelungenlied (although some modern scholars deny such a connection). The former heroic lay dated from around 820 AD and recounts the story of Hildebrand and Dietrich’s flight for Odoacer. The Nibelungenlied was composed around 1200 and Dietrich was now living as an exile at the court of Etzel (Attila). There are further inspirational lines to the Norse Thidreks saga, which deals with Dietrich’s return home. The most familiar version of this later epic was written in the thirteenth century by an Icelandic author living in Norway. He added further material to the story derived from the Nibelungenlied and Wayland legends.
Theoderic considered himself the protector of Arianism, a line of thought in the new Christian Catholic Church. The discussion about the status of Christ within the Trinity was a religious issue, but the real source of the controversy was a ‘struggle’ for the predominant type of division thinking in human matters (although this crucial reason was, to my knowledge, never suggested by historians). The young Christian (Roman Catholic) church was born in the fourth part of the Third Quadrant (of the Roman cultural period, see fig. 88) and begun to flourish in the Fourth Quadrant (after 125 AD). The Trinity (Father – Son – Holy Ghost) was a suitable dogmatic realization of the three-division, originating from the (final part of the) Third Quadrant. The basic Christian message of peace and brotherhood, on the other hand, can be regarded as a product of Fourth Quadrant thinking.
A change in attitude took place in the fourth century AD when the Christian belief had to be ‘marketed’ to the world. Articles of faith became an issue. A position in a lower division environment was necessary for the Christian doctrine in order to be ‘seen’, i.e. to draw attention in a communication with other believers. The (Third Quadrant) Trinitarian dogma was a useful tool to employ in a confrontation with other religious constructions like Mithraism or the Gnostics. However, the explicit lowering in division thinking affected the basic Christian message. The Libyan preacher Arius (c. 250 – 336 AD) put his finger on the painful spot of an incompatibility between the Third and Fourth Quadrant way of thinking (in a lower-division setting!).
The following complex situation existed in the fourth century. The Roman Catholic Church was born at the eastern side of the Mediterranean in an area wedged between the ‘simple minds’ (two-fold thinkers) of Antioch (Syria) and the intellectual melting pot (including four-fold thinkers) of Alexandria (Egypt). The area was part of the Roman cultural period and Christianity became to the scene at the very moment when oppositional thinking reached a climax (in the Second Visibility Crisis; SVC; 1 AD). The Trinity and its associated three-fold thinking proved a useful operational instrument to deal with the spiritual world of both the lower (northern) and higher (southern) division thinkers.
The mental flexibility of the Trinity-as-unity could be used to disclose the ‘simple minds’ a kind of progression and provide the ‘tetradics’ with a practical, realistic tool. Arius, who questioned the unity of the Trinity, stated that God (the Father) and the Son did not exist together eternally. He challenged the dynamism of the three-fold. The ‘neutral’ three-division was broken up in a hierarchical unit, pointing to a dualistic setting. The First Council of Nicea in 325 AD tried to keep the oppositional spirit out of the orthodox views. It condemned the heterodox views of the followers of Arius, but the dispute continued.
The Arian missionary Ulfilas (c. 310 – 388) brought the message to the Germanic tribes in Europe and found a willing ear (and heart) by the Goths and Longobards. Theodoric and his mausoleum in Ravenna should be placed against this history of division thinking within Roman history. His octagonal/circular/dome type tomb summarizes the various elements of the struggle of visibility within the Roman culture at the time of his death (526 AD). The building epitomized, in its heroic presence, an architectural statement within the boundaries of the Roman Empire-as-a-whole. The political power had moved to Constantinople by the time of Theoderic’s death and Rome – and Italy – prepared themselves for a whole new role in the European cultural history. The year 750 AD was chosen to mark the First Visibility (FV) of this emerging geographical unity.