The Apse
Mosaic at San Clemente
Detail: Bethlehem
The rump of the leftmost of the sheep can be just made out on the right
of this photograph. Above it is the inscription "Bethleem."
In the arch above the gate is the figure of a child, representing the
birth of Christ in Bethlehem. This image on the far left
corresponds to that of Jerusalem
on the far right.
This representation of the earthly Bethlehem points nevertheless to the
heavenly Jerusalem. The colored rectangles in the stones of the
wall apparently reflect
Revelation 22:19: "And the foundations of the wall of the
city were adorned with all manner of precious stones."
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Photographed at the
site by Richard Stracke
