Architectural Boss with Christogram
This impressive limestone roundel is from northern Syria and dates from the late 5th or early 6th century AD.
The medallion is deeply carved with a Christogram, the symbol formed by superimposing the first two Greek letters of Christ's name (the chi rho). Filling the space on the two sides are the alpha and omega, another common Christian symbol that alludes to Christ's words in Revelation 21:6: "I am the Alpha and Omega; the beginning and the end."
Similar medallions have been found throughout central and northern Syria, in churches, baptisteries, homes, shops, fortifications and tombs. They were located on door lintels, arches, columsn, capitals, friezes and walls. Because of its thickness, this particular roundel was probably hung on a wall.
What the different locations of the Christogram roundels share is their high visibility. They were intended to show both any passerby and especially any malevolent spirits in the vicinity that the site was under the protection of Christ. Some examples of this symbol are accompanied by inscriptions that make their function as an amulet explicit. The invocations mention protection, victory, and related concepts, revealing that the Christogram with the alpha and omega was considered a powerful emblem of physical and spiritual safety in the area of Syria near Antioch.
Dumbarton Oaks, Washington D.C., inv. 45.7. Acquired in Beirut. Source: Antioch: The Lost Ancient City
