Archepiscopal Museum & Chapel of San Andrea (Museo Arcivescovile e Cappella di San Andrea)
In the Archbishop's Palace, Piazza Arcivescovado
About
This twofold attraction is housed in the 6th-century Archbishop's Palace. In the museum, the major exhibit is an ivory throne carved for Archbishop Maximian, from around the mid-6th century. In the chapel (oratory) dedicated to St. Andrea are brilliant mosaics. Pause in the antechamber to look at an intriguing mosaic above the entrance, an unusual representation of Christ as a warrior, stepping on the head of a lion and a snake; tough but haloed, he wears partial armor. The chapel, built in the shape of a cross, contains other mosaics that are "angelic," both figuratively and literally. Busts of saints and apostles stare down at you with the ox-eyed look of Byzantine art.
