Editing Christian art (section)

===Middle Ages===
{{main|Medieval art}}
[[File:Christ Pantocrator Deesis mosaic Hagia Sophia.jpg|thumb|Late 13th-century Byzantine mosaics of the [[Hagia Sophia]] showing the image of [[Christ Pantocrator]].|152x152px]]
Much of the art surviving from [[Europe]] after the [[fall of the Western Roman Empire]] is Christian art, although this is in large part because the continuity of church ownership has preserved church art better than secular works.  While the [[Western Roman Empire]]'s political structure essentially collapsed after the fall of [[Rome]], its religious hierarchy, what is today the modern-day [[Roman Catholic Church]] commissioned and funded production of religious art imagery.

While the Byzantine Empire continued to focus on the creation of Christian art, in Denmark and Norway, the [[Vikings]] would see a surge of Christianity. Christianity spread to the Vikings through [[pillaging]], [[missionaries]], political pressure, and trading with other peoples of Europe.<ref>Legel, Tracy Marie. 2006. "The Introduction of Christianity into Scandinavia, Iceland, and Finland." Order No. 1441221, University of Louisville. <nowiki>https://newman.richmond.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fdissertations-theses%2Fintroduction-christianity-into-scandinavia%2Fdocview%2F305319166%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D14731</nowiki>.</ref>  [[Runestone|Rune stones]] with Christian imagery were used as grave markings, promotion, or a demonstration of faith. King [[Harald Bluetooth|Harold Bluetooth]]'s rune stone, also known as The Great Jelling Rune Stone, is credited with marking the shift to Christianity in the Viking Era. [[Gravestone|Gravestones]] would also display prominent Christian imagery. The Rathdown Stones are the most well-known of these Viking gravestones: granite stones with tablet or cross-like designs mixed with traditional Viking styling.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=hÉailidhe |first=P. Ó |date=1957 |title=The Rathdown Slabs |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25509271 |journal=The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland |volume=87 |issue=1 |pages=75–88 |jstor=25509271 |issn=0035-9106}}</ref> Driftwood crosses have been found around other churches and graveyards.

Named for their strong foundational pillars, [[Stave church|Stave Churches]] were another popular display of Christian Viking art.<ref>Berg, Fredrik. 2018. “Wear and Tear of World Heritage: Preventive Conservation and Tourism in Norway’s Stave Churches.” ''Studies in Conservation'' 63 (January): 320–22. doi:10.1080/00393630.2018.1495459.</ref> These churches displayed engravings of Christian and Nordic beliefs, with animal-like depictions appearing on walls and entrances. The cross is also a prominent image in Christian Viking imagery. Vikings would be marked with a cross as a sign that they had been baptized abroad or during a venture. Viking Nordic myths and symbolism can be seen engraved into stone and wooden crosses. German and English influence can be found in some distinct examples of these crosses, with choices to use Doric capital ends, believed to have spread throughout Scandinavia in the 12th and 13th century.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Nyborg |first1=Ebbe |last2=Arneborg |first2=Jette |date=2020 |title=Christian Medieval Art in Norse Greenland : Crosses and Crucifixes and their European Antecedents |url=https://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2:1513281&dswid=6068 |journal=Scripta Islandica: Isländska Sällskapets Årsbok |volume=71 |pages=155–176|doi=10.33063/diva-429323 }}</ref>

The [[Orthodox Church of Constantinople]], which enjoyed greater stability within the surviving [[Eastern Empire]] was key in producing imagery there and glorifying Christianity. They commissioned many shrines to be built in [[Constantinople]]’s honor and also lots of well-decorated churches. These tended to have extravagant [[Medieval stained glass|stained glass]] and paintings covering the walls and ceilings.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Early Christian art {{!}} Iconography, Mosaics & Frescoes {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/art/Early-Christian-art |access-date=2024-04-24 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> Also, [[relief]] sculptures were made which were etched into the sides of buildings and churches. [[Hagia Sophia]], the world's largest cathedral during the 15th century, was decorated almost entirely using [[Mosaic|mosaics]] as a way to honor God. Following the fall of Constantinople, it was converted into a mosque, but it's wonderous art remained.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Thorson |first=Dr Mark |date=2020-09-01 |title=Byzantine and Medieval Art: Teaching Christianity |url=https://mlpp.pressbooks.pub/encounterswiththeartsartc150/chapter/byzantine-and-medieval-art-teaching-christianity/ |language=en}}</ref> As a stable Western European society emerged during the [[Middle Ages]], the Catholic Church led the way in terms of art, using its resources to commission [[painting]]s and [[sculpture]]s.

During the development of Christian art in the [[Byzantine Empire]] (see [[Byzantine art]]), a more abstract aesthetic replaced the naturalism previously established in [[Hellenistic Greece|Hellenistic]] art. This new style was hieratic, meaning its primary purpose was to convey religious meaning rather than accurately render objects and people.  Realistic perspective, proportions, light and colour were ignored in favour of geometric simplification of forms, reverse perspective and standardized conventions to portray individuals and events.  The controversy over the use of ''graven images'', the interpretation of the Second Commandment, and the crisis of [[Byzantine Iconoclasm]] led to a standardization of religious imagery within the [[Eastern Orthodoxy]].
[[File:Cologne_cathedral_2022.jpg|thumb|Cologne Cathedral in 2022]]
Similar to the Vikings, wood and carvings are also used in Germanic Christian art in depictions of crosses and relations to the Crucifixion utilized in different areas such as churches and cathedrals. The [[Cologne Cathedral]] is a notable church located in Cologne, Germany, resting upon ruins of buildings from the Romantic and Frankish periods. Although the structure would begin construction in 1248 under archbishop Conrad von Hostaden, the monument would not be completed until the 1880s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The cathedral of Cologne, its history, architecture...legends. A guide for visitors, compiled from historical and descriptive records... by Frz. Theod. ... |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=gri.ark:/13960/t4zh08m1m&seq=32 |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=HathiTrust |language=en}}</ref>

In the late Medieval period, the East made steps in Christian art. In the Mediterranean area, there was a shift from Islamic to Christian art. With 86 examples of [[Muqarnas|muqarnaṣ]] displayed around the Mediterranean, with the majority (78) being displayed in Christian kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula. This is explained through the increased political power associated with muqarnas, being placed in important buildings such as chapels.<ref>Marcos Cobaleda, María. 2022. "Artistic Transfers from Islamic to Christian Art: A Study with Geographic Information Systems (GIS)" ''Histories'' 2, no. 4: 439-456. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.3390/histories2040031</nowiki></ref> Recently discovered in Syria and Egypt, other examples of medieval Christian art have been explored, such as the [[Monastery of Saint Moses the Abyssinian|Mar Musa]] Monastery with different examples of medieval Christian art, like wall paintings. Because of the nature of traveling painters and artists, these paintings often had Greek lettering and script<ref>Brock, Sebastian P. “Identity Puzzles. Medieval Christian Art in Syria and Lebanon. By M. Immerzeel. (Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta, 184.) Pp. Viii+332 Incl. 19 Figs and 128 Colour Plates. Leuven: Peeters/Departement Oosterse Studies, 2009. €80. 978 90 429 2149 8.” ''The Journal of Ecclesiastical History'' 62, no. 3 (2011): 588–90. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022046910003519</nowiki>.</ref>