Early Christian Ravenna

Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna

Emperor Justinian & Bishop Maximian with imperial court (Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna)

Introduction

After the death of Theodosius the Great in 395, the Roman Empire was divided into two parts: his son Honorius succeeded him in the West, governing from Mediolanum (Milan), while his other son, Arcadius, ruled the eastern portion of the empire from Constantinople. In 401, Honorius relocated his court from Mediolanum to Ravenna, which became the capital of the Western Roman Empire for most of the following decades, except during brief periods when the imperial court resided in Rome. Emperor Romulus Augustulus was in Ravenna during his deposition by Germanic general Odoacer in 476, an event that marked the end of the Western Roman Empire.

In 493, Ravenna was captured by Theodoric the Great, who made it the capital of the Ostrogothic Kingdom (officially known as the Kingdom of Italy). Over the following decades, the city underwent significant development, driven by Theodoric’s efforts to model it as a capital on par with Rome or Constantinople. Many of the monuments constructed during this period reflected the Arian faith of the Goths, which held that Jesus, as the Son of God, was not coeternal with God and was therefore subordinate to Him. Despite this theological divergence from orthodoxy, Theodoric ensured peaceful coexistence with the local Latin population.

After the death of Theodoric in 526, the Ostrogothic Kingdom weakened. In 535, under Justinian the Great, the Eastern Roman Empire launched a campaign to reconquer Italy (the Gothic War). Ravenna fell in 540, and by 553, the entire Ostrogothic Kingdom was defeated.

Following the Byzantine conquest, the bishops of Ravenna, aligned with Nicene Christianity, took measures to reduce the influence of Arianism. Ravenna became the seat of the Exarchs, serving as the administrative and military centre for Byzantine rule in Italy. The city remained under Byzantine control until 751, when it was captured by the Lombards. Shortly thereafter, it gradually came under the direct authority of the Papacy.

Ravenna is renowned for its Early Christian architecture, which spans the Western Roman, Ostrogothic, and Byzantine rules. Despite the political and theological shifts that defined these reigns, architectural styles evolved organically throughout the 5th and 6th centuries. The city is particularly renowned for its mosaic art, which showcases the gradual transition from the naturalistic style of the Late Roman tradition to the more abstract and symbolic aesthetics favoured by the Byzantines.

Sites

The portfolios below include photos of the most important Early Christian sites in Ravenna, except for the Archbishop’s Chapel (late 5th or early 6th century).

Baptistery of Neon (Orthodox Baptistery) | Piazza Arcivescovado | late 4th or early 5th century (building); third quarter of 5th century (mosaics)
Mausoleum of Galla Placidia | Via Galla Placidia | second quarter of 5th century
Arian Baptistery | Piazzetta degli Ariani | after 493
Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo | Via di Roma 53 | c. 504; c. 560s (alterations of some mosaics)
Mausoleum of Theodoric | Parco Teodorico (Via delle Industrie & Via Pomposa) | 520
Basilica of San Vitale | Via San Vitale & Via Galla Placidia | 526-547
Basilica of Sant’Apollinare in Classe | Via Classense (Classe) | 530s-549; 7th century (mosaics on the sides of the apse); 7th or 9th century (mosaics in the upper part of the triumphal arch)
House of the Stone Carpets | Church of Sant’Eufemia (between Via Gian Battista Barbiani 16 & 18) | early 5th to early 7th century (Byzantine palace); late 4th century (Mosaic of the Good Shepherd); second half of 6th century (Mosaic of the Dance of the Seasons)
Guardhouse of the Residence of the Exarchs (‘Palace of Theodoric’) | Via di Roma & Via Giulio Alberoni | 6th to 8th century; 9th century (Church of San Salvatore ad Calchi)