| Church of San Vitale | |
|---|---|
 The Church of San Vitale | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Province | Archdiocese of Ravenna-Cervia |
| Region | Emilia-Romagna |
| Year consecrated | 547 |
| Location | |
| Location | Ravenna, Italy |
  Shown within Italy | |
| Coordinates | 44°25′14″N12°11′47″E / 44.42056°N 12.19639°E /44.42056; 12.19639 |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Byzantine |
| Groundbreaking | 527 |
| Completed | 547 |
| Construction cost | 26,000solidi |
| Website | |
| http://www.ravennamosaici.it/ | |
 Interactive map of Basilica of San Vitale | |
| Official name | Church of St. Vitale |
| Part of | Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna |
| Criteria | Cultural: (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) |
| Reference | 788-002 |
| Inscription | 1996 (20thSession) |
| Area | 0.14 ha (0.35 acres) |
TheBasilica of San Vitale is alate antique church inRavenna, Italy. The sixth-century church is an important surviving example of earlyByzantine art and architecture, and its mosaics in particular are some of the most-studied works in Byzantine art. It is one of eight structures in Ravenna inscribed on theUNESCOWorld Heritage List. Its foundational inscription describes the church as abasilica, though its centrally-planned design is not typical of the basilica form.[1] Within the Roman Catholic Church it holds thehonorific title of basilica for its historic and ecclesial importance.
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The church's construction began in 526 on the orders of BishopEcclesius of Ravenna. At the time, Ravenna was under the rule of theOstrogoths.Bishop Maximian completed construction in 547, following theconquest of Italy byJustinian.
The construction of the church was sponsored by local banker and architect Julius Argentarius. Very little is known of Julius, but he also sponsored the construction of the nearbyBasilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe at around the same time.[2] Adonor portrait of Julius Argentarius may appear among the courtiers on the Justinian mosaic. The final cost amounted to 26,000solidi[3] equal to 16.38 kilograms (36.11 lb) of gold. It has been suggested that Julius originated in the eastern part of the Byzantine Empire, where there was a long-standing tradition of public benefactions.
The central vault used a western technique of hollow tubes inserted into each other, rather than bricks. This method was the first recorded structural use of terra-cotta forms, which later evolved into modernstructural clay tile. Theambulatory and gallery were vaulted only later in the Middle Ages.[4]
TheBaroque frescoes on the dome were made between 1778 and 1782 byS. Barozzi,Ubaldo Gandolfi andJacopo Guarana.[5]
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The main building of the church is laid out octagonally. The building combinesRoman andByzantine elements. The dome, shape of doorways, and stepped towers are typical of Roman style, while the polygonal apse, capitals, narrow bricks, and an early example offlying buttresses are typical of the Byzantine. The church is most famous for its wealth of Byzantinemosaics, the largest and best-preserved specimens outside ofIstanbul. San Vitale is of extreme importance in Byzantine art, as it is the only major church from the period of the EmperorJustinian I to survive virtually intact. Like theChurch of Saints Sergios and Bacchos inConstantinople, its overall design is a "double-shelled octagon."[6]
Some speculate that it reflects the design of theByzantine Imperial Palace Audience Chamber, of which nothing at all survives. The bell tower has four bells. The tenor bell dates to the 16th century. According to legends, the church was erected on the site of the martyrdom ofSaint Vitalis.[7] However, there is some confusion as to whether this is the SaintVitalis of Milan, or theSaint Vitale whose body was discovered (together with that ofSaint Agricola) bySaint Ambrose inBologna in 393.
The central section is surrounded by two superposedambulatories. The upper one, thematrimoneum, was possibly reserved for married women. A series of mosaics in the lunettes above thetriforia depict sacrifices from the Old Testament:[8] the Hospitality ofAbraham (Genesis 18:1–16), and the Sacrifice ofIsaac; the story ofMoses and theBurning Bush,Jeremiah andIsaiah, representatives of the twelve tribes of Israel, and the story ofAbel andCain. A pair of angels, holding a medallion with a cross, crowns each lunette. On the side walls the corners, next to the mullioned windows, have mosaics of theFour Evangelists, under their symbols (angel, lion, ox and eagle), and dressed in white. Especially the portrayal of the lion is remarkable in its ferocity.
The cross-ribbed vault in thepresbytery is richly ornamented with mosaic festoons of leaves, fruit and flowers, converging on a crown encircling theLamb of God. The crown is supported by fourangels, and every surface is covered with a profusion of flowers, stars, birds and animals, including manypeacocks. Above the arch, on both sides, two angels hold a disc and beside them a representation of the cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. They symbolize the human race (Jerusalem representing the Jews, and Bethlehem the Gentiles).[citation needed]
All these mosaics are executed in the Hellenistic-Roman tradition: lively and imaginative, with rich colours and a certain perspective, and with a vivid depiction of the landscape, plants and birds. The polychrome colors and shapes, as well as the preference for geometric pattern over representation is known as the jeweled style in Late Antiquity.[9] They were finished when Ravenna was still underGothic rule[citation needed]. The apse is flanked by two chapels, theprothesis and thediaconicon, typical for Byzantine architecture.
Inside, the intrados of the greattriumphal arch is decorated with fifteen mosaic medallions, depictingJesus Christ, the twelveApostles and SaintsGervasius and Protasius, the sons of Saint Vitale. Thetheophany was begun in 525 under bishopEcclesius. It has a great gold fascia with twining flowers, birds, and horns of plenty.
Theapse mosaic centers on a youthful depiction of Jesus Christ, seated on a blue globe, robed in purple, flanked by angels, offering with his right hand the martyr's crown to Saint Vitale, while on his left Bishop Ecclesius offers a model of the church, in his role as the symbolic donor of the church.
At the foot of theapse side walls are two famous mosaic panels, completed in 547. On viewer left (but privileged right side from perspective of Christ in apse) is a mosaic depicting the East Roman EmperorJustinian I, clad inTyrian purple with a golden halo, standing next to court officials, generalsBelisarius andNarses,Bishop Maximian,palatinae guards and deacons.[10] The halo around his head gives him the same aspect as Christ in the dome of the apse, but is part of the tradition of rendering the imperial family with haloes described byErnst Kantorowicz inThe King's Two Bodies. Justinian himself stands in the middle, with soldiers on his right and clergy on his left, emphasizing that Justinian is the leader of both church and state of his empire. The later insertion of Bishop Maximian's name above his head suggests that the mosaic may have been modified in 547, replacing the representation of the prior bishop with that of Maximian's.
Thegold background of the mosaic perhaps shows that Justinian and his entourage are inside the church. The figures are placed in a V shape; Justinian is placed in the front and in the middle to show his importance with Bishop Maximian on his left and lesser individuals being placed behind them. This placement can be seen through the overlapping feet of the individuals present in the mosaic.[11]
On the opposite wall, the more elaborate panel showsEmpress Theodora solemn and formal, with a golden halo, crown and jewels, and a group of court women as well aseunuchs. The Empress holds the Eucharistic vessel for the Precious Blood, and her panel differs from that of Justinian in having a more complex background, with a fountain, cupola, and lavish hangings.[12] They are adorned with intricately patterned textiles, possibly luxurious silks imported from theSassanian Persian Empire.[13] One scholar[14] has argued that Theodora was depicted after her death in 548, but that theory has not been widely accepted due to other evidence that the mosaics were completed by 547 when the church was consecrated.[15] This is the only certain image of the Empress Theodora, and stands in contrast to her depiction in some of the political rhetoric of the era.[16]
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Media related toSan Vitale (Ravenna) at Wikimedia Commons
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