Reply To: Syncretism

[Laura Barber]

The Oratory of Galla Placidia is one example of the integration of cultures and times in religious art. Saint Lawrence is shown wearing traditional Roman clothes in order to show his citizenship and to reference the time period in which Christians were persecuted for their faith. The churches and synagogues also had similar styles to the Romans, and thus also to the many cultures that influenced the Romans. The use of columns and sophisticated catacombs all hearken back to earlier cultures. This continues to take place nowadays, with the influence of earlier Christian and Jewish art remaining prevalent today.