introduction
The Virgin and the Apse An Examination of the Iconography of the Virgin in Coptic Apsidal Tradition
george makary
The Iconography of the Virgin Mary predates the first-century spread of Christianity, and thus finds itself as a pivotal example of Pre-Christian and Christian artistic syncretism. Although Luke the Apostle is credited with having painted the earliest images of the Virgin, the precursors of Marian imagery appear much earlier. The image of a mother nursing her infant, once popular in Ancient Egypt, quickly became a symbol of the unique humanity of the Christian God, and the Virgin compositionally adapted the role of existing as the “space” where Christ abides. The icon of the Virgin essentially became the icon of the incarnation itself, the visual embodiment of φιλανθρωπία (God’s love of humanity) and the uniting of the Divine with the human race. The image of the Virgin became the focal point of worship and the epitome of Coptic liturgical practice, as well as a reflection of Alexandrian liturgical theology. In the context of the revival of Coptic iconographic tradition among the Copts, this paper will examine the strong tradition of placing the Virgin in the apse, as was done between the sixth and fourteenth centuries, before falling out of practice under the colonization of Egypt.
the apse and the liturgy The architecture of the Coptic church was derived largely from that of the Pharaonic temples (e.g. the mammisi at Dendera and Philae) and the Roman basilica, and were introduced into the repertoire of Coptic usage in the early fourth century. Both structures consisted of a linear axis which culminated in an apex at the furthermost end of the structure. This apex was often also perpendicular with the entrance, which made these structures conducive for processional activities. The apex of the Pharaonic temple was the sanctuary, while that of the Roman basilica was the tribunal. In the Egyptian sanctuary the space was reserved for clergy and Pharaoh himself, while in the tribunal sat the Roman magistrate or emperor. These spaces became the sanctuary of the Coptic church, containing an altar, reserved for the clergy, and the primary focal point of the building. Behind the altar was an apse- often defaced during the repurposing Pharaonic temples- and these apses became common elements in the landscape of rising monastic architecture in Bawit, Saqqara, and Kellia.