The Interior Courtyard: The Heart of Cimitile/Nola

Abstract

Paulinus of Nola's account of the liturgical center at Cimitile/Nola represents his vision of Cimitile. His description of the interior courtyard, in particular, manifests his commitment to the ascetical life and his goals as a missionary bishop in rural Campania. The courtyard functions as an atrium to the new basilica and as a central passageway. It is modeled after the villa peristyle, both in its form and function and in the profound significance it has for Paulinus. The Old Testament paintings installed there reflect his spiritual itinerary. Combined with sumptuous ornamentation, they provide an ideal, if experimental, setting in which he may present his life to guests and pilgrims as a model of Christian asceticism. Paulinus gives a precise and nuanced explanation of his program of catechesis based on the use of pictures as a complement to the text of Holy Scripture.