Title of Artwork: “Message to the Church of Smyrna”
Artwork by Ende
Year Created 975
Summary of Message to the Church of Smyrna
The fact that the words “INCIPIT EC[C]L[SI]A SE[CUN]DA STORIE/SUB SEQVENTES PICTURE” appears before this miniature on folio 75v is significant, as it provides further evidence that the manuscript was meant to be illustrated.
All About Message to the Church of Smyrna
Again, St. John is shown on the left holding the book, while the angel stands to his right, talking to him while he rolls up a scroll in his right hand. The words “ioannes/cum/angelo” are sandwiched between them. Three of the temple’s horseshoe arches may be seen on the right, directly below a larger arch bearing the inscription “EGLESIE EZMIRNE” on its voussoir.
Thin columns with a pediment base, geometric capitals, and an upper piece of cymatium support the curtains and altars that decorate each arch. In order for the depiction in the Gerona Beatus to resemble a real temple, it would have to have been altered for symmetry purposes, which seems highly implausible.
The upper part is less plausible and should better be interpreted as a tall body than a tower above the nave. Because of its proximity to the altar, its placement may evoke the existence of small, autonomous rooms built in this manner, which were inaccessible from the inside and could only be approached from the outside, although through towering openings.
Information Citations:
En.wikipedia.org, https://en.wikipedia.org/.
