Michael Mendillo

Christ and the Celestial Sphere: A Unique Mosaic in St. Isaac’s Cathedral?

Abstract

While celestial imagery appears in many religious paintings, Christ holding a celestial sphere is not commonly seen in Church decorations. St. Isaac’s cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia, was built between 1818-1858, with the decorative phase involving Karl Bryullov (1799-1852), the Imperial Academy of Arts and personal interests of the Tsars. Within a Russian Orthodox Church, special attention is given to the wall (called the iconostasis) that separates the sanctuary from the public portion of the building. In St. Isaac’s, the icon to the right of the entry into the sanctuary is a huge mosaic of Christ holding a large glass sphere containing stars and constellations.

The image of a ruler holding a sphere dates to pre-Christian times. Later, when a crucifix was added atop the sphere, the object became known as a Globus Cruciger. From the Middle Ages onward, when Jesus held the Globus Cruciger the motif was called Salvator Mundi.

Renaissance versions of Salvator Mundi range from da Vinci’s to the one in the Hermitage by Titian. The designers of the mosaic in St. Isaac’s did not copy these in detail, but surely in concept. The Russian artists Timothy A. Neff (1804-1876), Fedor P. Bryullov (1795-1869) and Fedor Bruni (1799-1875) provided the main guidance to the mosaicists, and yet astronomical motifs were not prominent in their prior accomplishments. In this paper, we explore the possible origins of the design used in St. Isaac’s that added stars and constellations—most prominently Orion—to the glass sphere held by Christ.

Biography

Michael Mendillo is Professor of Astronomy at Boston University with research programs in Space Physics, Planetary Astronomy and the History of Astronomy.