When Popes Wore Arabic Clothes. Arabic Script and Pseudo-Script in the Mosaics of S. Maria in Trastevere (Rome, 12th century): A Mediterranean Perspective

The apse mosaics in the Basilica of S. Maria in Trastevere (Rome, first half of the 12th century) contain details of Arabic script and pseudo-script which are presented here for the first time. Arabic script and pseudo-script in medieval Rome mosaics appear on textiles – the edges of robes or curtains or on furnishings – and they reflect the type of luxury goods traded from East to West. The early evidence of Arabic script and pseudo-script in S. Maria in Trastevere will be examined in context and in the light of documentary, archaeological, numismatic and art historical evidence. This will provide a Mediterranean perspective on the cultural and artistic connections and dynamics at play in Rome in the 12th and 13th centuries.