Albrile Ezio ,
La pieve del sagittario. Gnostici e astromanti a Roccaforte Mondovì,
Antonianum, 88/1 (2013) p. 111-130
Summary: Romanesque Art contains very old recollections in its manifestations. In fact, a few iconographic representations of this Art that apparently might seem indecipherable can be traced back to ancient religious forms such as Gnosticism or Hellenistic Astrology. The constellation of Sagittarius and the transition from the Sol Invictus of the Winter Solstice to the Christian Sol Salutis are among these elements. Other figures can be explained in the light of the interaction with Eastern religious traditions; in particular through contacts with Iran during the Islamic rule. The specific ancient Iranian (that is Zoroastrian) culture constitutes the original background of the Astrological representations that we find in the Romanesque churches of Southern Piedmont .