Vinova loza – simbol euharistije na podnim mozaicima istočnog Jadrana

The vine scroll symbolism appeared in Cristian art already during the Roman Antiquity. The pagan motifs were integrated into Christian art and endowed with a new meaning and ideological interpretation, merging old, pagan symbolism with that of a newly asserted Christianity. The composition of a mosaic is determined by the division of the church space, i.e., its function and meaning. The geometric structure of the mosaic in the aisles of the Early Christian basilica differs from that in the liturgical spaces. The former is coceived as an endless series of repeated geometric patterns, whereas in the presbytery scenes with sumptuous vegetal and figured elements dominate. This is true of the 5th – 6th century period throughout the Mediterranean and the Hellenistic East. The vases from which the vine grows in symmetric patterns appear in the altar areas in the 5th and 6th century (Trier, Membrey, Aquileia, Beligna, Grado, Ravenna, Orleansville, Nikopolis, Lesbos, Umm al Rasas, Khirbet el Mukkhayyat, Kabr Hiram). The same can be established for the Eastern Adriatic (Parentium, Betika, Muntajana, Stari Grad, Salona, Lader, Nesactium, Vrsar).