Apse mosaic. Church of St. Pudenziana

The apse mosaic in the church of S. Pudenziana is one of the oldest in Rome dating back to 390 AD. The iconography of the mosaic is centered on the oldest surviving representation of the Pantocrator in the apse.  Christ is enthroned in the act of teaching to the apostles.  At the side of Christ, in the foreground are Peter and Paul, crowned by two women, who represent: that which crowns the ecclesia ex circumcisione Peter, Paul and the crowning symbol of the ecclesia ex gentibus.