The mosaics of Justinian and Theodora
Ravenna was three times a capital: of the Western Roman Empire from 402, of the Ostrogothic kingdom of Theodoric and of the Byzantine Exarchate in Italy. Of this golden age between the fifth and eighth centuries it preserves the most extraordinary collection of early Christian and Byzantine mosaics in the world: eight monuments of the city have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. The most famous is the Basilica of San Vitale, begun in 526 under the Goths and consecrated in 547-548, when Ravenna was the seat of Byzantine power in the West, under Emperor Justinian.
The building has an octagonal plan, with a central dome and an ambulatory, and the exterior, in bare brick, gives no hint of the splendour of the interior, where marble, columns with lace-like capitals and mosaics of gold, green and blue cover the presbytery and the apse. Here are the two most famous mosaic panels of Byzantine art: on one side, Emperor Justinian, with a golden halo and a purple mantle, surrounded by the bishop Maximian, priests and soldiers, offering a golden paten; on the other, Empress Theodora, a former actress who became one of the most powerful women of her time, with a sumptuous dress and a crown of pearls, among the ladies of her court, offering a chalice. On the walls, scenes of the Old Testament, such as the hospitality of Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac, and in the vault, the Lamb of God in a garland held by angels. Next to San Vitale stands the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia.
Tip: a single ticket covers San Vitale, Galla Placidia, Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, the Neonian Baptistery and the Archiepiscopal Museum; book in high season.
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