| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
 Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna | |
| Location | Ravenna,Emilia-Romagna,Italy |
| Part of | Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna |
| Criteria | Cultural: (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) |
| Reference | 788-001 |
| Inscription | 1996 (20thSession) |
| Area | 0.01 ha (0.025 acres) |
| Buffer zone | 4.5 ha (11 acres) |
| Website | https://www.ravennamosaici.it/en/mausoleum-of-galla-placidia/ |
| Coordinates | 44°25′16″N12°11′49″E / 44.42111°N 12.19694°E /44.42111; 12.19694 |
  Location of Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Emilia-Romagna  Mausoleum of Galla Placidia (Italy) Show map of Italy | |
TheMausoleum of Galla Placidia is aLate AntiqueRoman building inRavenna,Italy, built between 425 and 450.[1] It was added to theWorld Heritage List together with seven other structures in Ravenna in 1996.[2] Despite its common name, the empressGalla Placidia (d. 450) was not buried in the building, a misconception dating from the thirteenth century;[3] she died in Rome and was buried there,[4] probably alongsideHonorius in theMausoleum of Honorius atOld Saint Peter's Basilica.[5]
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The "mausoleum" of Galla Placidia, built 425–450, is a cruciformchapel ororatory that originally adjoined thenarthex of the Church of theHoly Cross (Santa Croce) in Ravenna, which was built in 417 as the church for the imperial palace.[1][6] It was probably dedicated toSaint Lawrence.[1]
Aelia Galla Placidia, the likely patron of the building's construction, was the daughter ofTheodosius I andGalla, the daughter ofValentinian I. Raised bySerena, wife ofStilicho, she was madenobilissima in her youth and granted a palace by her father inConstantinople.[6] She received an advanced education both secular and religious, as is evident from her letters.[6] She marriedAthaulf, King of theVisigoths in 414 in Spain after moving to the West, though he soon died and she married thepatricius Constantius (laterConstantius III) in 417. Their children wereJusta Grata Honoria andValentinian III.[6] Constantius III was elevated as co-emperor of the West in 421 by Honorius, who lacked an heir, and Galla Placidia was madeaugusta; Constantius died the same year and Galla Placidia fled to Constantinople.[6] When Honorius died in 423, theprimicerius notariorumJoannes succeeded asaugustus in the West; thereafterTheodosius II,augustus in the East, moved to install Galla Placidia's son Valentinian as emperor in the West instead, appointing himcaesar.[6]
The building dates from after 425; in that year the six-year old Valentinian III took office asaugustus in 425 and Galla Placidia's title asaugusta was again secured – she ruled as regent for her son for twelve years. Her political influence waned with the growing maturity of her son and the rise to prominence of thepatriciusFlavius Aëtius in the 430s, but she remained powerful until she died in 450. She was an active patron of religious institutions, building churches at Ravenna, Rome, and Jerusalem.[6] She contributed to the refurbishment ofSaint Paul's outside-the-walls (San Paolo fuori le Mura), as recorded in an inscription there.[7]
A basilica in Ravenna dedicated toSaint John the Evangelist (San Giovanni Evangelista) was also built by Galla Placidia after 425; it commemorated theaugusta's and her children's deliverance from a threatening storm during a sea-voyage and was adorned with portraits of her and other members of theTheodosian dynasty.[1] The basilica did not survive theSecond World War.[1] According to the mediaevalLiber Pontificalis Ecclesiae Ravennatis, an inscription on theapse of that basilica recorded the buildings status as anex-voto in gratitude for Galla Placidia's survival at sea.[1] TheLiber Pontificalis also claims her burial was at themonasterium of Saint Nazarius at Ravenna.[1] This claim, originally probably made in Rome, is the probable origin of the misconception that Galla Placidia was buried in Ravenna, rather than in Rome, which culminated in the Ravennates' claim that she was buried in the chapel now known as her "mausoleum".[3]
The building was formerly the oratory of the Church of the Holy Cross and now contains threesarcophagi. The sarcophagus to the right is attributed to Galla's brother, Emperor Honorius. The one on the left is attributed to her husband, Emperor Constantius III, and her son, Valentinian III. The largest sarcophagus was thought to contain the remains of Galla Placidia herself. Her embalmed body was reportedly deposited there in a sitting position, clothed with the imperial mantle, and visible through a peep-hole. In 1577, however, the contents of the sarcophagus were accidentally burned when children inserted a lighted taper.[8]
The floor has been raised by five feet since the fifth century in order to remain above the rising water along the upper Adriatic coast.[9]
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 The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia,Smarthistory[10] |
The mausoleum is laid out in a cruciform floor plan, with a centraldome onpendentives andbarrel vaults over the fourtransepts. The exterior of the dome is enclosed in a square tower that rises above thegabled lateral wings. Thebrick surface is set with narrow mortar joints[citation needed] and decorated withblind arcades. Light enters through modern alabaster window panels.[9]
The iconographic themes developed in the decorations represent the victory of eternal life over death.[citation needed]
The interior of the mausoleum is covered with rich mosaics. The inside contains two famous mosaic lunettes, and the rest of the interior is filled with mosaics of Christian and Apocalyptic symbols.
Mosaics composed of glasstesserae cover the interior walls of the vault, thelunettes and thecupola; the adornments are of high quality.[1] Above the entrance portal is a mosaic depicting Christ as the Good Shepherd among his flock.[1] The barrel-vaults of the four arms of the cruciform chapel bear vegetal mosaics consisting ofacanthus and vinescrolls.[1] In the western arm's lunette a mosaic representsdeer approaching a spring, perhaps a reference toPsalm 42, whoseincipit is"As thehart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God."[1] In the southern transept's lunette is a mosaic depicting a male saint carrying a cross accompanied by a burning gridiron and an opened cabinet containing the four canonical Gospels, identified by the names of the Four Evangelists in Latin.[1] Unidentified figures of white-robed martyrs decorate the lunettes of the east and west transepts.[7] The interior of the dome at the centre is decorated as a starry sky, with a regular mosaic of golden stars on a dark blue background, with a goldcross represented at the apex of the dome and the four symbols of the Evangelists (or the "living creatures" ofRevelation 4:7) at the cornerpendentives.[1] The four lunettes below the dome, between the arches springing from the four centralpiers and the arches of the pendentives above them, have mosaics each depicting twoApostles with their right arms raised in acclamation likely directed at the male saint in the southern transept's mosaic.[1]
The sky with stars or clouds was often depicted as decoration of domes, apses, and ceilings of churches. Thebasilica in Rome of SaintPudentiana (Santa Pudenziana), built in the late 4th century, is an example predating Galla Placidia's building, while later buildings at Ravenna repeated the motif, including theChapel ofSaint Andrew (capella Sant'Andrea) in the Archiepiscopal Palace and the6th century basilica ofSaint Apollinaris inClasse (Sant'Apollinare in Classe).[11]
The figure of the Good Shepherd and pastoral scenes were familiar to Christian thought; depictions of a young man, thecriophorus, bearing on his shoulders a sheep were known in the ancient world from the 6th century BC and was adopted from the late 3rd century AD into Christian art, especially in funerary contexts.[12] The shepherd was understood to represent Christ, as inJohn 10:11-17 andLuke 15:4-7. Here the beardless figure of the shepherd is in imperial garb, wearingpurple and gold and bearing a cruciform staff in place of the usualshepherd's crook.[13]
The Lunette of Christ as Good Shepherd over the north entrance is representative of Christian art at this time period in late antiquity.[citation needed]The mosaic represents a transition period between the naturalistic depictions of the classical period in art history and the stylized representations of the medieval period.[citation needed]The forms still have three-dimensional bulk, but the shading such as in the folds of the robes is less refined than in the past, and figures are not very grounded. Elements of realism have been sacrificed for a focus on the spiritual elements.[citation needed] He holds an imperial staff joined to the Christian cross,symbolizing the combined earthly and heavenly domains[citation needed].
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The art historian Gillian Mackie argues that this panel represents the SpanishSaint Vincent of Saragossa rather than the Italian Saint Lawrence.[14] Mackie cites Galla's connection to Spain; in addition, St. Vincent was martyred by drowning at sea, and Galla and her children had been delivered from shipwreck. The panel seems to be an illustration ofthe poem about St. Vincent in Prudentius's fifth centuryPassio Sancti Vincentii Martyris[citation needed]. In the poem St. Vincent is ordered to disclose his sacred books to be burned. This explains the cupboard containing the Gospels, which has no satisfactory explanation in the story of St. Lawrence.[14] Osbert Lancaster, who identified the figure as Saint Lawrence, shown here with the flaming gridiron of his martyrdom, observes that this is the earliest representation of any figure, other than Christ, to be shown with a halo.[9]
The mausoleum is reputed to have inspired American songwriterCole Porter to compose "Night and Day" while on a 1920s visit.[15]
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