I can’t find a reference that the Cosmati family specifically worked on these floors but they are the same age and would have been similar quality regardless. I spent over an hour admiring these floors. The designs, the color choice, the exacting stonework, the pieced borders, are stunning. Quite worn in places, obviously repaired in places, some of the most complex designs cannot be trod upon nor even barely seen and probably for a reason to avoid further damage.
Quincunx means “5 12ths”. So a single loop is a “uncia” (one twelfth?)??? Now I really don’t know what I’m saying.
Above is a classic Cosmati pavement, note the high contrast, the insane intricacy, and the rich oranges and reds. This is the Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore in Civita Castellana, which is not Civita di Bagnoregio, sadly nowhere near where I was going. Something for next time.
One more bonus, thru the floor grates you can see the old floor, which itself was also tiled:
N.B. for you astronomy nerds – “On June 21—the summer solstice—a single, concentrated ray of sunlight would stream directly through the suspended bronze gnomon ring (an astronomical pinhole) at solar noon. The ray of light would pierce the darkness of the Florence Baptistery and perfectly illuminate the Cancer constellation on the magnificent intarsio (inlaid marble) zodiac wheel embedded in the floor. This system no longer functions (as the ring is gone and the zodiac was moved)…(But) An almost identical, fully functional “twin” solstice sundial from 1207 can still be witnessed nearby at the Basilica of San Miniato al Monte.” – Google
Someone needs to put together an ancient astronomy tour of Europe.
