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In the semi-dome above is the Virgin and Child Enthroned: the Virgin, in a dark mantle, sits on an elaborately decorated throne, while on her knee Christ - shown as a boy of about 10, his head ringed by a halo decorated with a cross - raises his hand in blessing, and the hand of God, clasping a jewelled wreath, reaches down from above. At each side stands an archangel and, beyond them, the figures of patron saints, including St Maurus, and local worthies, among them Bishop Euphrasius holding a model of his church. This image (pre-dating the mosaic in Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna) appears to be the earliest instance of the Virgin and Child occupying the position of majesty previously assigned to the Christ Pantokrator, and it may reflect doctrinal developments after the Council of Ephesos (431) officially defined the Virgin as Theotokos ('Mother of God').
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