“Seventh Century Rome”: Oratory of San Venanzio in the Lateran

Most of the image resources for Sant’Agnese fuori le mura also apply to the Oratory of San Venanzio in the Lateran.  At Flickr, search for “S Venanzio.”  Gillian Mackie has written about the Croatian connection, which perhaps would create a good segue-way to some Croatian material (if only one had the time!).  The Oratory of San Venanzio also provides a good occasion for another flashback, for San Venanzio forms part of the same complex as the Lateran Baptistery and the Lateran Basilica, and the composition in the apse at San Venanzio reflects, in part, the composition in the apse of the Basilica.  And we must not forget the background provided by the papal life of John IV and the inscription describing the function of the mosaic!  This pattern will repeat itself one more time…