A Section of the Via Sacra, Rome (The Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian) 1814 - 1815

Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg rendered this section of the Via Sacra in Rome with pen and gray ink and gray wash around 1815. Dominating the scene is the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian, crowned with a dome and cross. The cross, an ancient symbol predating Christianity, speaks to sacrifice and redemption. Its presence atop the church is a declaration of faith but also a silent echo of earlier sun and nature symbols. The dome itself, a motif that recurs across epochs, from Roman temples to Renaissance cathedrals, embodies perfection and the heavens. It's a visual shorthand for the cosmos, a comforting embrace that evokes feelings of security. In the collective psyche, such forms trigger a deep-seated yearning for wholeness. Eckersberg captured a moment, but also a continuum, where symbols persist, reminding us of the layered nature of time.