36 And, look! Elizabeth your relative has also herself conceived a son, in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her, the so-called barren woman; 37 because with God no declaration will be an impossibility.” 38 Then Mary said: “ May it become of me according to your word.” At that the angel departed from her.

Is it starting to fall into place yet?

And here we can see that the symbolism of using a group of angels joined together in a ring/circle isn't exclusive to the crucifixion painting. Below you can see the fresco of the Assumption of the Virgin in the dome of the cathedral of Parma.

The Crucifixions Of Christ

Crucifixion: Currently displayed at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Mtskheta , Georgia

Before I start on this one, I feel it's important to stress a few facts mainly regarding symbolism in medieval works of art. In fact, it's by no means exclusive to medieval art (or to the Byzantine era) the symbolism is quite easily explained and can really be pinned down to the theme of the crucifixion itself. (The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire of the Middle Ages.)

The interpretation of the symbolism is widely recognized as being representative of how through the death of Christ, man was ultimately saved. A negative and positive, dark and light, which is nearly always represented by the two universally recognised symbols of the sun and the moon.

The, "Smoking gun " which has sent many people up the wrong path is the ways in which the sun and the moon are represented. And to add yet further confusion, this symbolism is not exclusive to the Byzantine era and can be found in the works of other painters, like Crivelli for instance, who we have already briefly discussed with regards to the Annunciation.

The Byzantine style of painting is certainly the style where the objects are most prevalent on either side of the cross and they can be seen in a great many works from this time.