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The Council of Nicaea reshapes the world

On May 20 of 325 AD, the world stopped. The Council of Nicaea had begun, in one way or another this event was going to shape the future of the entire humanity.

There’s nothing wrong with affirming that the choices made in the Council of Nicaea influenced history up to the present day. Some of its decrees and dogmas affected our lives, shaping religious beliefs and political ideologies.

Icon of Christ of the Pantocrator type (Χριστός Παντοκράτωρ)

Preservation of peace

Under the patronage of Emperor Constantine, Christianity transitioned from a marginalized cult to a strong religious one. This led to the construction of the first Christian churches, within and outside city walls.

However, in only 20 years, there was so much confusion and internal conflicts in the heart of the Church itself that the emperor had to intervene to shape its future. Thus, a council was planned in the city of Nicaea, in Bithynia, on 325 AD. Christ’s nature brought together 220 bishops who intervened on that occasion, it was such a huge important topic that it could have destroyed the Empire itself.

Spread of Christianity during the 3rd Century AD

A new world, made of dogmas and heretics.

The decisions made at the Council of Nicaea gave a new structure to a state that was increasingly influenced by too many Christian values.

The council of Nicaea strongly denied the Arian interpretation of the Holy Trinity, viewing Jesus as a subordinate to God. Furthermore, the conception of Jesus from Mother Mary through the Holy Spirit was declared a miracle. Therefore, a dogma was declared, imposing a truth that would have determined faith from then onwards. Additionally, the Church’s structure was reorganized, stating the authority of the bishops of Rome and Alexandria over others. However, according to sources, the Council of Nicaea ended up being a flash in the pan. In conclusion, heretical movements became stronger, accompanying the empire into its progressive transformation.

Ario condemned from the Nicaea Council, icon hailing from the Mégalo Metéoron monastery, Greece.

 

Translation from: Il Concilio di Nicea riscrive il mondo

News

ARCHAEOLOGY | The expression of the power of Akràgas, the Temple of Concordia

The expression of power of Akràgas, the Temple of Concordia, is the most famous Greek temple in Sicily. The inhabitants of ancient Agrigento built as many as 10 temples during the fifth century BC, in a fierce challenge to the last capital against Syracuse. The so-called Temple of Concordia, in particular, was built in 430 BC and today is located inside the famous Valley of the Temples of Agrigento. The monument owes the name Concordia to the interpretation that the historian Tommaso Fazello made of a Latin epigraph found nearby, but which, in fact, has nothing to do with the temple.

Map of the Temple of Concordia

It is a hexastyle peripterus in Doric style: a quadrilateral with six columns on the front and thirteen on the long sides (it follows the classical canon, therefore, which has the columns on the long sides being double plus one compared to those on the front). The perfectly preserved peristasis rests directly on a crepidoma composed of four steps and consists only of Doric columns: the shaft is not particularly slender and ends in a capital with a simple shape. Each column has twenty grooves and, towards two thirds of the height, presents a harmonious entasis. The peristasis supports an entablature composed of a lintel, a frieze decorated with metopes and triglyphs and an unsculpted tympanum.

Map, elevation and photo of the Temple of Concordia

The inner naos (the cell), accessible through a step, is preceded by a pronaos in antis (framed between two columns) and is followed by another vestibule. This second space, called opisthodomos, was usually used for the custody of the treasure, the donations and the archives of the temple. Of great interest is the presence, on the sides of the pronaos, of pylons with stairs leading to the roof. Likewise, on the top of the walls of the cell and in the blocks of the trabeation of the peristasis, the recesses for the wooden roof truss are clearly visible. Studies have shown that the exterior and interior of the temple were covered with polychrome stucco. The chromatic hypothesis made by the experts suggested a white stucco covering for the whole structure, with the exception of the frieze and the tympanum which, instead, had to be colored red and blue.

From Temple to Church

At the end of the sixth century AD, the Temple of Concordia was transformed into a Christian basilica by Bishop Gregory II and dedicated to Saint Peter and Paul. This metamorphosis brought about a series of changes, which contributed to the survival of the structure to the present day: the overthrow of the ancient orientation, the demolition of the wall of the opisthodomos, the closure of the intercolumni and the construction of twelve arched openings in the walls of the cell; all this allowed the three canonical naves to be built. The pits, instead, which are located inside and outside the church, refer to high-medieval burials. In 1748 the temple returned to its ancient forms, with the reopening of the colonnade, and stopped being used for worship.

With one of the symbols of the classical art of Sicily we close the first phase of life of this column with a Sicilian flavor. From 2021, in fact, the column Archaeology in Sicily will change “location” and will be published in ArcheoMe’s magazine. We certainly could not limit the history of our land to a few lines: Sicilian archaeology still has so much to tell and I will continue to be its humble spokesperson. 

See you soon!

Tradotto da: https://archeome.it/archeologia-lespressione-della-potenza-di-akragas-il-tempio-della-concordia/