In an article yesterday we looked at some of the historical arrangements of medieval Roman altars from prior to the mid-twentieth century. In the course of preparing that article, it got me to thinking about some of the medieval depictions that we can find within both the Christian East and Latin West that show not only the presence of this feature, but also the universality of it. This, of course, is a very longstanding arrangement and at one time it was near universal to both East and West, showing forth the common roots of these two lungs of the Church. However, as was discussed in our four part series on "The History and Forms of the Christian Altar" gradually divergences would begin to appear in the second millenium as other forms began to take hold.
Be that as it may, the presence of this architectural-liturgical feature in both East and West is something worth pondering, both as a unitive consideration and as a general liturgical one. With that in mind, here are just a few depictions from the around the turn of millennium. (And while you are looking at these altars, it is worth also looking at the other liturgical elements found therein as well.)
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| "Mass of St. Basil," Church of St. Sophia, Ohrid, Macdeonia, 11th cent. |
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| St. Francis. Tivoli, Chiesa S. Silvestro, unknown. |
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| Mass of St. Clement, San Clemente, Rome, 9th cent. |
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| S. Clemente, Rome, 11th cent. |
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| Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna. |
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| Benediction of St. Aethelwold, A.D. 980 |
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| San Clemente, Rome, 9th cent. |
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| Communion of the Apostles, St. Sophia, Kiev, 9th cent. |
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| Communion of the Apostles, Church of Hagia Sophia, Ohrid, A.D. 1037-1056 |
For those who are interested in learning more about the altar and its ciborium, please see The History and Forms of the Christian Altar: The Paleochristian and Early Medieval Forms.
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