Abstract:
THE BATTLE SCENE (12TH CENT.) OF THE MOSAIC FLOOR
OF SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE IN VERCELLI
THE ANTI-TURKISH PROPAGANDA AT THE TIME OF THE CRUSADES
A Thesis Submitted to Ca 'Foscari University of Venice
Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage
Master's Degree in History of Arts and Conservation of Cultural Heritage
Medieval and Byzantine Programme
by Gönül Yektaş Biancat
March 2021
ABSTRACT
The archaeological remains of the ancient basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, in Vercelli, include a mysterious floor mosaic known as the "duello" or "monomachia" (conflict/battle). The theme of this 12th-century work of art has been the subject of numerous The theme of this 12th-century work of art has been the subject of numerous either academic or non-academic debates over the past two centuries. Scholars and researchers have come up with various theories about the combatants in the mosaic and their mysterious descriptive writings, "Fel and Fol." However, this Middle Ages puzzle requires a more comprehensive answer. Foremost, to solve the problem, some pieces that are still missing need first to be discovered and identified. As an introductory problem, the meaning of the inscriptions lacks both a complete elaborate analysis and a single persuasive idea. As many recent studies have demonstrated, the battle scene is connected to the Crusades. Though it is common knowledge that the Crusades were fought against the Turks, no one has adequately addressed this key single fact when explaining the mysterious enigma up to now.
From this starting point, the thesis attempts to analyzes the mosaic with an iconographic and iconological method considering the conditions of its era, to come up with an alternative hypothesis.
Keywords: Fel and Fol, the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore of Vercelli, floor mosaics, duel iconography, combat between the Crusaders and the Turks, iconographic propaganda, enemy symbolism.
