ABSTRACT
In my early days as a doctoral student, this sentence from Leslie Brubaker’s influential book on the ninth-century imperial manuscript of Gregory Nazianzenos’ Homilies was a major incentive for deciphering the meaning behind late antique architectural representations. Building depictions have mostly been studied for their potential in the reconstruction of ancient architecture, although they are generally neglected as backgrounds of liĴle importance in the context of great decorative programmes. In this paper, I argue that the function of architectural representations goes beyond the depiction of buildings and that, when analysed in their context, these images become bearers of messages.
