Sacred Destinations
A richly illustrated guide to the world's sacred places,
historic religious sites, sacred art and religious architecture.

Photo Gallery: Antioch Mosaics

Mosaic of a boat of Psyches, from room 3 of the "House of the Boat of Psyches" (see floor plan).

Psyche means both "Soul" and "Butterfly" in Greek, and also refers to a character from Greek myth, a princess of outstanding beauty who aroused Venus' jealousy and Cupid's love. The fullest version of the tale is told by the Latin author Apuleius in his Metamorphoses (The Golden Ass).

According to Apuleius, the goddess Venus (Aphrodite) was jealous of Psyche's beauty and commanded her son Cupid (Eros, the god of love) to inspire the princess with love for the most despicable of men. Instead, Cupid hid Psyche in a remote palace where he could visit her secretly and only in total darkness. One night, Psyche lit a lamp and found that the figure at her side was the god of love himself. Awakening, Eros reproached Psyche and fled. Wandering the earth in search of him, Psyche fell into the hands of Venus, who imposed upon her difficult tasks. Finally, touched by Psyche's repentance, Cupid rescued her, and, at his instigation, Jupiter (Zeus) made her immortal and gave her in marriage to Cupid. The story as told by Apuleius becomes an allegory of the progress of the Soul guided by Love.

Daphne, third century AD. Antakya Museum, inv. 846.

Related pages:
Antioch
Timeline of Antioch
Antioch Artifacts Photos
Turkey Photos

 




Sacred Destinations Home     About     Contact     Using Images     Advertise     Blog     Twitter     Privacy Policy
Stock photos of religious art and architecture available for licensing: Sacred Destinations Images
Except where indicated otherwise, all content and images © 2005-10 Sacred Destinations. All rights reserved.

Sacred Destinations is an online travel guide to sacred sites, pilgrimages, holy places, religious history, sacred places, historical religious sites, archaeological sites,
religious festivals, sacred sites, spiritual retreats, religious travel and spiritual journeys.
Free content for your Google homepage or website! Get the Sacred Destinations Daily Photo Gadget

Travel resources: Spiritual Tour Directory, Sightseeing Tours, Hotels, Travel Insurance
Popular categories: Ancient Mysteries, Biblical Sites, Cathedrals, Catholic Shrines, Footsteps of Jesus, Luther Sites
Popular sacred sites: Easter Island, Lourdes, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Oberammergau Passion Play, Shroud of Turin, Sistine Chapel, St. Mark's Basilica, St. Peter's Basilica, Stonehenge
Popular city guides: Rome, Ravenna, Ephesus, Assisi, Paris, Jerusalem
Popular maps: England Map, Italy Map, Jerusalem Map, London Map, Paris Map, Rome Map