Ancient Ravenna

Table of contents

Origins and Roman eraLate antiquity: capital of the Empire of the West

Ostrogoth RavennaByzantin RavennaDante

Origins and Roman era

Unknown origins Etruscan name Augustus 402: Capital of West Empire 476: Fall of Roman Empire – Odoacer

Ostrogoth and Byzantin era

476: Fall of Roman Empire – Odoacer 493-527: Theoderic 553: Justinian

Mausoleum of Galla Placidia

Middle IVth century Latin cross Burial place Subsiding of the

ground Simple exterior vs.

rich interior Mosaics in bright

colours: animals, flowers, fruit, symbolic scenes, starred night sky

Sant'Apollinare Nuovo

Upper zone mosaics: 26 scenes relating to the miracles and passion of Christ

Second zone mosaics: male figures between the windows

Lower zone mosaics: Processions of martyrs and female saints, Palace of Theoderic and City of Classe, groups of Christ and the Madonna with Angels

Sant'Apollinare Nuovo

Built by Theoderic (493-527) as a Palatine church of Arian religion

Of the ancient construction only the mosaics are left

They enfold in three large bands.

San Vitale• Started in 526 A.D and finished in 547 A.D• Built with ‘Giulianei’• Walls and ceilings covered in bright mosaics• In the apse there is a teophanic scene with Christ and San Vitale, which is echoed lower down by Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodore with their court.

Sant'Apollinare in Classe

• Consacrated shortly afterwards San Vitale by Bishop Maximilian.

• Far from Ravenna and from the sea, where one time stood on.

• Three mosaics : the upper one shows Christ and the four Evangelists, the one below a latin cross in a night sky, the third one S. Apollinare in a bright green meadow.

Domus of rock carpet

The Domus is an underground space (3 meters below the road level) which hosts the mosaics of a Byzantine palace dating the 6th century A.D.

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri is a

famous Italian poet of the Middle Ages, he was born around 1265 in Florence and he died in 1321 in Ravenna, and now his tomb is next to the church of S. Francesco. His Divine Comedy, originally called La Comedia and later called Divina by Boccaccio, is widely considered the greatest literary work composed in the Italian language and a masterpiece of world literature.

-->

Dante's grave

Quiz

1) Which site is it? Sant'Apollinare Nuovo San Vitale Sant'Apollinare in Classe

2) Which monument is it? San Vitale Sant'Apollinare

Galla Placidia Dante's tomb

3) Which monument is it? Galla Placidia San Vitale

Sant'Apollinare Nuovo Dante's Tomb

4) Which monument is it? San Vitale The Domus Dante's Tomb Sant'Apollinare Nuovo

5) Which monument is it? Galla Placidia San Vitale Sant'Apollinare in Classe The Domus

Mos companyons fiu jo axí aguts, ab cesta oració poqua, al camí,

qu·a penes puys los hagre retenguts; 123

e la popa volta vers lo matí, dels rems fahem ales a aquell foll vol,

tostems guanyant del costat de garbí. 126

Tots los estells ja d’aquell altro poll veia en la nit, e·l nostro atant bas,

que no s’alsava fors del marí sol. 129

Cinch veus reencès e altres tantes caç era lo lum tot desots de la luna,

puys que nós fom entrats en cell alt pas, 132

quant nós vehem una montanya, bruna per la distança, e parech alta tant

com n’agués may jo vista ja alguna. 135

Alagram-nós, mas tost tornà en plant; car de lla nova terra un torb2 nasqué

e ferí fort lo leny del primer qant. 138

En les ondes tres veus girar lo fé; a la quarta levà la popa ensús

e la proa enjús, com a ·ltri plagué,

entrò que·ll mar fo sobre nós reclús. 142

<--