Abstract

Entombed Images and Monumental Icons. The Intentional Conservation of the Santa Susanna Paintings in Rome The paintings discovered in the 1990s beneath the sacristy of the Church of Santa Susanna in Rome are exceptional, among early medieval works, for their excellent state of preservation. This paper reexamines evidence concerning the dating of the paintings and suggests that their deliberate concealment within a sarcophagus was most likely carried out during works promoted by Pope Leo iii (795–816). It considers potential rationales for this seemingly unprecedented act of preservation, taking into account the perception and status of the images when they were still on their original support. The Santa Susanna paintings thus provide a valuable perspective from which to rethink the status of sacred images in eighth- and ninth-century Rome.