A ceiling painted with stars frequently occurs as a design motif in Christian churches, artistically replicating the Earth's sky at night. Ceilings painted with stars are often found in these buildings because of symbolic associations of stars in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. In religious buildings, this decorative feature is often white or gold stars on a blue background. As well as being a decorative technique, star-painted ceilings are also associated with astrology. It has been used as a way to accurately depict the night sky such as in planetariums. Ceilings painted with stars are also a decorative feature sometimes found in houses, particularly in children's rooms.
History Illustrations, paintings, and murals of the sky, heavens, and stars have a long history as a source of decoration. The Imperial temple in Palmyra, approximately constructed in the late 2nd century BC, is one of the earliest known examples of a religious building that features star-painted ceilings as a decorative motif. Outside of religious context, this motif has also been found in villas, and bath houses in Palmyra during this same time period. Star-painted ceilings have also been found in caves within the Navajo region, with the majority located in the state of New Mexico. The stars painted in this area are presented as cross [x] shapes. They are painted using various pigments including red, blue, black, yellow, and green. It is believed that the ceilings in this area were painted between 1000 - 1525 AD. Vaults in places of worship became a popular place to paint night skies throughout Europe during the 12th to 16th centuries. This motif of painted vaults, also referred to as starry vaults, is linked to Gothic architecture. An example of a chapel that features star-painted vaults is the Sainte-Chapelle, located in Paris, France. The vaults of the upper-chapel feature gold painted stars on a dark blue background. The earliest known instance of a star-painted vault related to Christianity is a baptistery at the city of Dura-Europos which is dated approximately 300 AD. The stars in the baptistery were painted white, painted over a blue background, and featured eight points. Islamic artists began using complex geometric patterns involving stars as a form of ceiling decoration from the 9th century through to the 16th century. The shape of the stars took many forms over this period, becoming more embellished over time with complex shapes and details taking centerstage. For instance, the simple five-pointed star was favoured during the 9th century. While by the 16th century stars with 16 points were more commonly portrayed. Into the late 20th and early 21st century, star-painted ceilings have continued to be created. However, during this period star-painted ceilings have been created more commonly on a commercial scale such as in homes and nurseries. This decorative feature takes a range of forms but has been created using gold stars on a blue ceiling, black and white, or glow in the dark paint.
Symbolism
Mithras Ceilings that featured stars found in the Roman Empire during the 2nd and 3rd centuries were frequently used as a way to illustrate Mithras. During this time, the deity's cloak was painted dark blue with gold stars painted on top, decorating the cloak.
Christ In Christianity, stars have a long history as sacred symbols. In churches, pentagrams, which are commonly used to represent stars, are painted on the ceilings of churches and cathedrals. Unlike stars which are painted solidly and have a variety of points, the pentagram is five-pointed with a hollow centre. Art historian Alva William's states that these pentacles symbolise the five wounds of Christ and is thought to “ward off evil spirits”.
The Star of David The Star of David is a symbol used in Judaism and can be found painted on the ceilings of some synagogues. It is represented as a six-pointed hexagram and is associated with “Hebrew mysticism”. Ceilings that have the Star of David painted on the ceiling include the Sha'ar HaShamayim Synagogue (also known as the “Gate of Heaven Synagogue”). In the synagogue, a large Star of David has been painted on the ceiling with smaller stars surrounding it.
Heaven and cosmology Stars are a recurring decorative motif in both Christianity and Judaism. However, stars used for decoration have several different symbolic associations depending on their depiction. Stars individually used for decoration have several different symbolic associations in Christianity. The scholar Jodi Magness suggests that by the 6th century the central dome of churches, often located in the centre of the church, started to become recognised as a ‘heavenly’ place that was symbolically linked to cosmology. Because of this association, the central dome is where star-painted ceilings are still often located in religious buildings. This can be seen in churches such as St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and the Siena Cathedral, located in Tuscany. Jodi Magness also states that during the 4th century Jewish places of worship represented “the Garden of Eden or Paradise, a place where heaven and earth were united”. However, during this time many of the star-studded ceilings and domes were created using mosaic tiles rather than paint. Nevertheless, this connection to heaven and symbolic use of stars can be seen continuing to be recreated into the 19th and 20th centuries, such as seen in the Grand Synagogue of Edirne. The synagogue was built in 1906 and features large vaulted ceilings covered in thousands of small painted white, gold, and black stars on a sky-blue background.
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