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Shifting Focus |
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written
by daw84 / 10.24.2005 |
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Assignment |
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Santa Prassede and St. Peter’s Basilica relive an ancient Bible story which pre-dates even Rome itself. Following the Great Flood, Noah and his family easily began to obey God’s mandate to, “Be fruitful and multiply.” However, they neglected the final part of His command, “…and fill the earth.” Noah’s descendents all lived in one enormous city, had one language, and were wholly unified; however, their focus drifted from God to the pursuit of personal glory. To show their greatness, they began to build an enormous tower in hopes of reaching the heavens and becoming god themselves. God struck down the people’s efforts, confusing their languages and driving them into disarray and chaos. The same shift of focus and ensuing chaos can be seen in Santa Prassede and St. Peter’s Basilica.
The central message of Santa Prassede is also its central image. Portrayals of Jesus dominate the central line of the apse mosaic. At the bottom, He is depicted as the head sheep of the flock, clearly set apart by a golden halo. Dominating the church décor is the enormous image of Jesus as he invites Prassede and Prudenziana into His kingdom. Capping the apse mosaic is Jesus as the sacrificial lamb, His blood poured out over the altar with the true site of His ultimate sacrifice looming in the background. Even the side room’s incredible golden mosaic depicts Jesus at the very center. Each picture of Christ places the focus entirely on Him as the Savior of all mankind. He is the center and the goal of the church is to give glory to Him.
The Christ-centered Santa Prassede is sharply contrasted by St. Peter’s Basilica. Larger-than-life statues of deceased popes coat every square inch of interior wall space. Mammoth figures dominate the scene, each hoping to exceed the rest and give continuing glory to its decaying patron below. Completely absent is the central focus on Jesus Christ. He is often depicted in frescoes, mosaics, and paintings off to the side of the phenomenal central nave, but He never demands the attention of the viewer as in Santa Prassede. Only once is He significantly portrayed in sculpted form. Michelangelo’s Pieta, lying immediately to the right of the entrance, a location very distant from the place of glory at the head of the church, captures the moment of the Virgin Mary’s agony over her crucified son and Lord. The glory of this piece does not rest on Jesus, but rather on Mary, who seems to possess all of the power in the scene caressing her beloved with tender strength. The focus of the statue is absolutely not on the glorified, powerful Christ, and even the masterpiece which contains the founder of Christianity serves to glorify the Church and those who ruled it, not Jesus Christ Himself.
The central focus is on the power of the Church and its head, the Pontifus Maximus. Jesus’ words to Peter, “…and on this Rock I will build my church,” seem to have eliminated Him entirely as the Head of the church, effectively stripping Him of His power and handing it directly over to the Peter as Jesus handed him the keys to heaven. Since that moment, the pope has been considered the head of the Church. As the direct mediator between man and God, popes assume the role of Jesus and deserve all His glory. Therefore, they shamelessly claim it for their own inside the basilica. The crowning decoration of the church, and that which shows just how dramatically their focus shifted from Christ to the Church, is the empty throne raised high in glory at the very tip of the church. The throne is not occupied forever by Jesus. Instead, it is reserved for the one true head of the powerful Catholic Church, the pope.
Just as the shift of focus off of God caused Noah’s descendents to disperse in disarray, taking the focus off of Jesus has caused great schisms in the church. The Church has suffered many divisions because of their shift of focus to themselves, mere mortal men, rather than Jesus. Even today, the church continues to rapidly split into smaller and smaller pieces. Ironically, Jesus foresaw these separations long before they occurred and emphasized the importance of unity among Christians as He prayed hours before his crucifixion, “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you…may they be brought to complete unity.” Jesus knew the incomprehensible power of a unified church and desired it above all else for his future followers. The only way to become unified as a church, however, is to return the focus to Jesus Christ, the unifying figure and founder of all Christianity.
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