John The Apostle - Mosaic of the Transfiguration, detail
The mosaic of the Transfiguration is a monumental composition of VI century and is a true masterpiece of Byzantine art. Christ is portrayed with black hair and beard in an 'vescica piscis' or mandorla between Moses and Elijah, who represent the Law and the Prophets. The clothes of Christ are represented 'whites as the light'. Below, the three awed disciples John, Peter, and James are pictured in different poses. The soffit of the triumphal arch is decorated with medallions containing busts of the twelve Apostles. The three Apostles included in the scene of the Transfiguration have been replaced in the chain of medallions by Paul, Thaddaeus and Matthias. The base of the apse is bordered by another series of fifteen medallions with busts of the Prophets. The final medallions enclose the portraits of Longinus the Abbot (right) and John the Deacon (left). Both were important personalities. Longinus was Abbot of the Monastery between 562-565, at which time the decoration was executed. He later became Patriarch of Antioch. John is perhaps the later Patriarch of Jerusalem known as John IV (575-594).
