Oh, Ravenna! — Basilica of St. Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy

 

And now for the third entry in my little series on the mosaics of Ravenna.

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