Fabric [ ]

The atrium is entered through the remains of a veranda, created from the original walkway sicuro the palace ramp by the insertion of a blocking wall onesto the right of the portal which abuts one of the brick arcade piers.

However, from the mid 9th sicuro the mid 11th centuries it was a monastic church con its own right and was roofed. The church dedication then was esatto St Anthony of Egypt. The massive central brick pier which used sicuro support the roof was removed con the 1902 excavation.

Two rectangular statue niches flank the inside of the entrance, and per series of alternately rectangular and apsidal niches occupied the side walls. However those on the left used esatto include two exits esatto panneau-chambers under the palace ramp, but these were blocked up when the church was sopra use. Sopra contrast, when the atrium was verso monastic church two passages were cut through niches sopra the right hand wall onesto allow direct access sicuro the monastic quarters in the ingresso next door.

Before becoming verso church per the 9th century, the atrium was the monastery’s graveyard and the yard surface was packed with graves. Some loculi or gravoso-slots were cut into the walls, and also into the walls of the veranda outside.

Atrium frescoes [ ]

The frescoes per the atrium are of five periods. One giovane each survives from Pope John VII (705-7) and Pope Paul I (757-767). Some are of the remodelling of Pope Adrian I (772-795), and others are of the 10th and 11th centuries. The latter are the latest that you will find during your visit, and were painted just before Recensione del sito di incontri romancetale the final abandonment durante the mid 11th century.

• The niche onesto the right of the portal depicted three female martyrs; SS Agnes and Cecilia have been identified. (Pope Adrian.)
• On the right hand side wall near the angolo was originally per Signora and Child with Four Saints, being venerated by Pope Adrian. He was depicted with a square halo, indicating that he was still alive when the rete informatica was painted. This fresco was detached and was kept sopra the right hand side aisle of the church before the recent restoration -it is liable preciso stay there, out of the weather. The original location was above verso giovane substitut of hanging curtains (there is more of this per the church). (Pope Adrian.)
• Christ durante Majesty, with a suppliant. (11th century.)
• Two saints (11th century). They were painted over two molesto loculi cut into the wall.
• Monastery passage. This was cut through the wall mediante the 10th century, and frescoed with saints on its walls and ceiling. The cycle continued onto the internal wall of the ingresso beyond, which was the actual monastery at the time. (10th century.)
• Per bishop. (Pope Adrian.)
• The far left hand apsidal niche was per shrine onesto St Cyrus of Alexandria. He was per martyred doctor of medicine, venerated with his fellow sufferer John as SS Cyrus and John (see their Roman church of Santa Passera). Beware of his being called “St Abbacyrus” -“Abba” is per Coptic honorific. Durante the attuale he holds medical equipment, and has a cavity mediante the niche sill which was either for a lamp or contained verso venerated relic associated with him. (Pope Paul.)
• Above the shrine: Christ Accompanied by SS Cyrus and John (10th century.)
• Verso depiction of St Anthony of Egypt, with verso Latin text: “Where St Anthony is assaulted by demons” (Webb 2001). Animals and birds were depicted below. (10th century.)