We are going to see three of the major mosaic buildings plus the tomb of Dante Alighieri, author of The Divine Comedy. It will be a walking tour so I'm expecting some grumbling by my fellow travelers that should not have booked this tour.
On the way from the port to the city we did a 'drive by' stop at Theodoric's Mausoleum. The construction of this building is not fully understood. They know it was built at the order of King Theodoric who died in 526 as his tomb. The dome is one solid piece of Istrian stone; it is 108 feet in circumference and weighs about 300 tons. Carving and lifting this piece atop the circular tower was an amazing feat for the time. A little before the year 1000 a monastery took over the building for use as an oratory.
Our first real stop on the walking tour was at the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia. At the beginning of the Fifth Century Ravenna became the imperial seat. Galla Placidia, a daughter of King Theodosio the Great was captured by the Visigoths in 409 and married by force to Alarico, King of the Visigoths. After his death she was returned to her brother who, in 416, married her to a general. When he died she ran away to Constantinople to escape from her brother. Her other brother, Theodosius, Emperor of the East allowed her to return to Ravenna.
The contrast between the simple brick exterior and the ornate interior is startling. It's a small building but was built in the shape of a Latin cross. The barrel shaped vault over the entrance is covered in deep blue tiles with decorations that are meant to represent the white coronas of moonflowers. The mosaic over the door is of the Good Shepherd tending His sheep.
The most unusual mosaic is that of St. Lawrence holding the cross of martyrdom standing before the grill on which he was roasted alive. To his right on the opposite side of the grill is an ark that would be used in a synagogue to hold the Torah. In this case the ark holds four books, the Gospels of the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The symbols of these four evangelists are on the lunettes of the central dome. The mosaics are fantastic. They were made between 425 and 430 as the building was constructed. There are 2 sarcophaguses in addition to Galla Placadia's, one on each side of hers but no indication of who they might be.
Our next stop was at the nearby Basilica of Saint Vitale. It was built between 527 and 548 so it's over 100 years newer than Galla's Mausoleum. It's another brick building but much more elaborate in its design. Its dome is octagonal but its apse is polygonal so it seems like Roman construction modified by Byzantine features. Very unusual in a Western Christian churches. Around the central area are square and rounded protrusions the house chapels. Here again the mosaics are fantastic. This time the floor as well as every wall surface is covered with them. They are rich in religious symbolism, much of which is recognizable to a Baptist from the USA.
One lunette in the Presbytery has episodes from the life of Abraham, the episode where he unknowingly entertains angels who announce the birth of his son Isaac and the episode where he is about to sacrifice that same son. Various prophets, judges and saints are represented. Moses is shown leading his flock to Jethro the priest and his encounter with the burning bush. Abel and Melchisedic are shown making their proper sacrifices. In addition to all these Biblical figures the mosaics also represent plants and animals found in Scriptural writings. Doves, pomegranates, grapes, peacocks, lilies, figs, etc. are all depicted. Roman dignitaries like Justinian and his wife Theodora are also shown accompanied by their staff and servants. There are also various geometric designs worked into the borders and odd spaces of the walls, ceilings and vaults. Truly amazing.
We walked across town to the Piazza del Popolo. This is the major square of the town. There are two columns here erected in 1483 during the short Venetians domination. One dedicated to Saint Vitale and one to St. Apollinaris complete with the obligatory statues at the top. The Venetian Palace is also here directly behind the columns and is connected to the city hall. It's a lively place with flower stands and cafes around the edges.
From there we walked to Dante's Tomb. It's a small domed sepulcher at the corner of an outside wall of a large palace. Dante died in 1321 but it wasn't until 1780 that his tomb was constructed. At the time it was not very ornate or richly finished. In 1921, 600 years after his death, the tomb was decorated with onyx over the bare interior walls and rare marble on the exterior. Oddly enough the bas-relief honoring Dante was carved in 1483 and has been set over his sarcophagus since that time. It must have looked forlorn for the almost 440 years it stood at the only bright spot inside his tomb.
From Dante's Tomb we walked to another square where there was a swap meet like sale going on. People had things on card tables for you to pick over and find a gem in the rough. However we had no time for shopping. We walked past the yellow ocher City Theater to the Basilica of Saint Apollinare Nuovo. This structure was built by the Arians and dedicated to Jesus Christ by Theodoric, king of the Goths, in the first quarter of the Sixth Century. It was rededicated to the catholic cult in 561 as the Church of Saint Martin in Golden Heaven. When St. Apoloinaris', the first bishop of Ravenna, bones were moved here from Classe it was renamed in his honor. The round bell tower dates from the Eleventh Century. It's a long building with three naves but the central nave is far wider than the small side aisles. It's also over twice as high as there's high wall of mosaics on either side of the central nave and clerestory windows above that.
The left wall of the central nave had scenes from Christ's miracles and parables between the clearstory windows. In this same location the right wall has pictures from Christ's passion and resurrection. Below this on both sides are images of Saints and Prophets. Below that, just above where the columns support the central nave's walls is a procession, led by the three Magi, of the 22 Virgins of the Byzantine Era. They are richly dressed, adorned with pearls and moving toward the Madonna and Child carrying the crown of glory in their hands. On the opposite side is a procession of 26 martyrs moving toward Christ the Redeemer, led by St. Martin, to whom the basilica is dedicated. They are all dressed in white as the book of Revelation predicts except for Saint Lawrence who is wearing a golden tunic. Lawrence is greatly revered in this area of the world.
Outside the church was a large wisteria vine that had created a voluntary window box. In keeping with my habit of photographing windows with flowers I couldn't pass up this unusual one.
From here we had some free time to shop. I decided to try Ravennian pizza. I'm sure the town has better examples than the one I got but it was ok. After that it was back on the bus for the trip back to the ship.
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