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The Mosaics The Virgin, located in the upper part of the apse, is the central point of Euphrasius’s Basilica. The baby Christ sits in her lap. Christ and the Virgin are the central personalities of Christianity. There is in Christian iconography one point where the characters of Mary and Christ, her Son and God, come closest together, inform each other absolutely. This is the Annunciation, the moment at which God enters Mary’s human body. In iconography the Annunciation is based on the Gospel according to St Luke, filled out with the apocryphal works the Protoevangelium of James and the Pseudo-Matthew’s Gospel, and from later times motifs from sermons and mystical literature. The Annunciation can be found in iconography very early on, and is there already in the 4th century in the Roman catacombs, while in the 5th century it developed as an omnipresent type with clearly standardised positions, gestures and expressions. The Virgin is shown in a sitting position on a throne, usually with a distaff and yarn in her hand, and there is an angel walking, clothed in the glory of classical clothing. That is how it is in Poreč as well. However, since it is the year 540, Justinian’s time and the Byzantium spirit that are concerned, the Madonna is dressed in Byzantine clothing, her head partially covered in a veil called a maforion. This veil has its own significance: it is a symbol of virginity and has probably been borrowed from Syrian art. Mary sits on a throne the pillars of which merge with the pillars of the Basilica, the church. This image has its source in the commentaries of St Ambrose who, talking of the Annunciation in Luke, draws attention to the link between, the identification of, Mary and the Church. More precisely, the Church, like Mary in the deed of the Annunciation, is filled with the Holy Spirit. In her left hand Mary holds purple thread, since the angel has found her at work. The fact of surprise is indicated here by the gesture of Mary’s right hand, which she moves towards her slightly inclined head. The attractive figure of the angel, turned in half profile, as prescribed by the times, greets her with his right hand, while in his left he holds a long messenger’s staff. He is dressed in brilliant classical clothing, the folds of which follow the rapid movements of the body. This movement is expressed by the feet which are apart, the right having its toes on the ground. Opposite the Annunciation in the apse of the Euphrasian Basilica is an image of the Visitation. Two slender female figures, Mary in purple and Elizabeth in yellow robes, clearly reveal their pregnancy. Behind Elizabeth is the façade of a building, through the door of which peeps a girlish figure with a hand moved towards her mouth. This gesture, full of charming inquisitiveness, gives an impression of still more dignity and ceremoniousness to the two main figures. Mary and Elizabeth belong to a second hierarchy of figures: they are the chosen ones of heaven, bearing in their bodies the great protagonists who will change the fates of world and time. Between these two main scenes from the life of Mary, in the central part of the apse and in special fields set off by windows are the figures of St Zachary, an angel and St John the Baptist. In the lower part of the arch of triumph there are thirteen round medallions. In the central one is Christ depicted as Agnus Dei, while on each side, six on each, there are images of saints with their names inscribed. For the final part of the mosaic, on the frontal wall of the apse, is a frieze made up of almost identical figures of the Apostles with Christ in their centre. Christ is depicted as a young king who, sitting on a globe, rules the universe. The Apostles, in a monotone rhythm, symmetrically on each side, frame the central figure of the young ruler. In their hands, covered with mantles, they hold various attributes, and between their round haloes are inscriptions with their names. In the upper zones of the side apses there are also fragments of mosaics that have been preserved with almost identical depictions: a great figure of Christ emerging from stylised clouds placing laurel wreaths on the heads of two martyrs. The mosaics did not cover just the interior of the church, they can also be found outside as well, on the front above the narthex. From the parts that have been preserved it is difficult to gain an impression of the original appearance, since the mosaics in the upper part have almost completely disappeared, and in the lower part were changed during 19th century restoration. The destroyed mosaics on the pediment had a picture of Christ sitting on a globe, below which four stylised heavenly rivers run, there being four apostles on the left. The lower part has two apostles in each field at the edge, while in the two central fields, separated by a window, are seven apocalyptic candlesticks.
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Mozaici Bogorodica, smještena u gornjem dijelu apside, središnja je točke Eufrazijeve bazilike. Njoj na krilu sjedi mali Krist. Krist i Bogorodica su i središnje ličnosti kršćanstva. Postoji u kršćanskoj ikonografiji jedna točka gdje se ličnosti Bogorodice i Krista, njezina sina i Boga, najviše približavaju, štoviše sasvim prožimaju. To je Navještenje, trenutak u kojemu Bog ulazi u ljudsko, Marijino tijelo. Navještenje se u ikonografiji javlja na temelju Lukina Evanđelja, a dopunjuje ga apokrifno Jakovljevo protoevanđelje, apokrifno Pseudomatejevo Evanđelje, te iz kasnijeg vremena motivi iz propovjedničke i mističke književnosti. U ikonografiji je navještenje prisutno vrlo rano i nalazimo ga već u IV. stoljeću u rimskim katakombama, da bi se u V. stoljeću razvilo kao opće prisutan tip: jasno normiranih položaja, gesta, izraza itd. Bogorodica se prikazuje u sjedećem položaju na prijestolju, obično s preslicom i pređom u ruci, a anđeo u hodu, odjeven u blještavu antiknu odjeću. Upravo je tako i u Poreču. Međutim, kako se radi o 540. godini, Justinijanovu vremenu i bizantskom duhu, Bogorodica je odjevena u bizantsko ruho, glave dijelom pokrivene velom zvanim maforion. Taj veo ima svoje značenje: on je simbol djevičanstva, a preuzet je vjerojatno iz sirijske umjetnosti. Marija sjedi na prijestolju čiji se stupovi stapaju sa stupovljem bazilike, dakle crkve. Taj prikaz ima izvore u komentarima svetog Ambrozija koji, govoreći o Navještenju iz Lukina Evanđelja, upućuje na vezu, identifikaciju Marije i Crkve. Točnije rečeno: kao što je Marija u činu navještenja ispunjena Duhom svetim, tako je to isto i Crkva. U lijevoj ruci Marija drži purpurnu pređu, budući ju je anđeo zatekao u poslu. Ta činjenica iznenađenja prikazana je ovdje gestom Marijine desne ruke koju primiče pomalo nagnutoj glavi. Lijepa figura anđela, okrenutog u poluprofilu, što je bio i propis onoga vremena, desnom rukom pozdravlja, dok lijevom drži dugi glasnički štap. On je odjeven u blještavu antiknu odjeću čiji nabori slijede brz pokret tijela. Ta je kretnja iskazana razmaknutim stopalima, od kojih se desno oslanja prstima o tlo. Nasuprot Navještenju u apsidi Eufrazijeve bazilike smješten je prikaz Vizitacije. Dva vitka ženska lika, Marija u purpurnoj i Elizabeta u žutoj odjeći, jasno pokazuju stanje graviditeta. Iza Elizabete nalazi se pročelje zgrade kroz čija vrata proviruje djevojački lik s rukom primaknutom ustima. Ta gesta, puna ljupke znatiželje, daje dvama glavnim likovima još dostojanstveniji i svečaniji dojam. Marija i Elizabeta pripadaju drugoj hijerarhiji likova: one su nebeske izabranice koje u svom tijelu nose velike protagoniste koji će mijenjati sudbinu svijeta i vremena. Između ova dva glavna prizora iz Marijina života, u središnjem su dijelu apside i u zasebnim poljima odijeljenim prozorima, smješteni likovi svetog Zaharije, anđela i svetog Ivana Krstitelja. U donjem dijelu trijumfalnog luka nalazi se trinaest okruglih medaljona. U središnjem je prikazan Krist kao Agnus Dei, dok se sa svake strane, njih šest i šest, spuštaju prikazi svetica s ispisanim imenima. Kao završni dio mozaika, na čeonom zidu apside, smješten je friz što ga čine gotovo jednaki likovi apostola s Kristom u sredini. Krist je prikazan kao mladi vladar koji, sjedeći na globusu, gospodari kozmosom. Apostoli pak u monotonom ritmu i simetrično sa svake strane uokviruju središnju figuru božanskog vladara. Oni u rukama zakrivenim plaštem drže atribute, a između okruglih aureola stoje natpisi s njihovim imenima. U gornjim zonama pobočnih apsida ostali su također sačuvani fragmenti mozaika s gotovo identičnim prikazima: velika figura Krista izranja iz stiliziranih oblaka i stavlja lovorove vijence na glave dvojici mučenika. Mozaici nisu prekrivali samo unutrašnjost crkve, već ih nalazimo i izvana, na pročelju iznad narteksa. Iz sačuvanih dijelova teško se može stvoriti dojam prvotnog izgleda, budući da su mozaici ovdje u gornjem dijelu gotovo sasvim iščezli, a u donjemu izmijenjeni restauracijom s kraja XIX. stoljeća. Uništeni mozaici u zabatu imali su prikaz Krista kako sjedi na globusu ispod kojeg teku stilizirane četiri rajske rijeke, a s lijeve su strane bila po četiri apostola. Donji dio donosi u rubnim poljima po dva apostola, dok je u dva središnja, odijeljena prozorom, prikazano sedam apokaliptičkih svijećnjaka.