Plutei of Theodota

{{Short description|8th-century Lombard sculptures}}

File:Paolo Monti - Servizio fotografico (Pavia, 1965) - BEIC 6365973.jpg

The Plutei of Theodota are two mid 8th-century Lombard marble bas-reliefs or plutei from the oratory of San Michele alla Pusterla in Italy.{{in lang|it}} Lida Capo, 'Commento' in Paolo Diacono, Storia dei Longobardi, pp. 556-557. They are now held in the Civic Museums of Pavia. Naturalistic in style, they were produced during the Liutprandean Renaissance.{{in lang|it}} Pierluigi De Vecchi, Elda Cerchiari, 'I Longobardi in Italia', in L'arte nel tempo, Milano, Bompiani, 1991, Vol. 1, tomo II, pp. 305-317., {{ISBN|88-450-4219-7}} One shows the Tree of Life between two griffins and the other shows a cross and font between two peacocks.{{in lang|it}} Pierluigi De Vecchi-Elda Cerchiari, I Longobardi in Italia, p. 311.

They are named after Theodota, a Byzantine noblewoman who became the lover of king Cunipert (688–700), who later placed her in the Santa Maria Teodote monastery, also known as Santa Maria della Pusterla{{in lang|la}} Paolo Diacono, Historia Langobardorum, V, 37 in {{cite book|editor= Georg Waitz|title= Monumenta Germaniae Historica|year= 1878|page= Scriptores rerum Langobardicarum et Italicarum saec. VI–IX, 12–219}} (now the Diocesan Seminary for Pavia), near which was later built the oratorio di San Michele.