Oh, Ravenna! — Basilica of St. Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy
Before we look
at the church, a quick explanation, for context, regarding Arianism, for those
who haven’t read my other pieces on Ravenna’s mosaics. Arianism was an early Christian
doctrine, the central tenet of which was that Jesus, as the Son of God, should
not be accorded equal status with God the Father. Arianism was condemned as
heresy at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. Nonetheless, when the Germanic
Gothic tribes converted to Christianity in the late fourth century AD, it was
the Arian doctrine that they followed.
What is now
the Basilica of St. Apollinare Nuovo was originally dedicated to Jesus Christ
as the Golden Church of Christ the Saviour when it was built by Ostrogothic king Theodoric, but it was reconsecrated by the Byzantines
in 561 AD and named St. Martin in Golden Heaven in honour of a saint who opposed
Arianism. In the ninth century, when the remains of St. Apollinare were
allegedly moved from their resting place in nearby Classe to Ravenna to protect
them from Slavic pirates, the church’s name was changed again to St. Apollinare
Nuovo.
There are
some wonderful mosaics here. On one side of the church is a procession of
twenty-two virgin martyrs and an unusual rendering of the Magi. There are also,
near the ceiling, depictions of Christ’s miracles and parables (although it’s a
little difficult to see them properly and take photographs as a casual
observer). There is also one mosaic featuring a blue angel, which some people
think might be a representation of Satan. These ones higher up date from Theodoric’s
time, whereas the larger panels below showing the virgins are later, dating
from the early seventh century.
above: The Virgin martyrs. At the top left of the photo, you can see the mosaic showing a blue angel which might be Satan.
above: Virgin martyrs, the Magi, the Madonna with the infant Jesus.
above: Detail of the Three Magi.
above: Mosaic depicting Classe, Ravenna's ancient port.
One of the
most interesting aspects of this basilica is the visual evidence of regime
change, as you can see that the Palace mosaic contains a lot of curtains and empty
space. If you look carefully, you can see odd hands appearing on pillars within
the mosaic. These once belonged to depictions of Theodoric’s courtiers, flanking a
central figure of the Ostrogothic king himself, but all of these figures were
obliterated (not entirely thoroughly) after the Byzantine emperor Justinian
conquered Ravenna in 540 AD, as they represented Arian heresy. What is now
labelled as ‘Iustinian’ (i.e. a portrait of Emperor Justinian for which the inscription was a nineteenth-century addition, following restoration) may
once have been a portrait of Theodoric refashioned as the Roman emperor after the
Byzantine takeover. It’s fascinating to see how important it was to remove
the images of the supposedly heretical Arian king, and yet those faint traces
that remain are symbolic of the Ostrogothic power that bequeathed this dazzling
artistic brilliance.
above: Palace of Theodoric. In the central alcove once stood the figure of Theodoric, but his image was excised, along with figures from his court depicted in the other alcoves.
above: Strangely disembodied hands on these mosaics reveal a secret past.
above: Exterior of the basilica.
For a
comprehensive history of Ravenna throughout late antiquity and the early Middle
Ages, I can recommend Ravenna: Capital of Empire, Crucible of Europe by
Judith Herrin ISBN: 9780241954454
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