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CULTURE >Byzantine Culture | |||||||||||||
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Byzantine Culture |
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Today as in the past, the town of Ravenna stretches along the Adriatic coast and, with its precious mosaics, it looks like a jewel mounted in a green frame. It is a modern active town, but at the same time rich in glorious history. Ever since the Augustan age, Ravenna was the urban nucleus of the powerful military port of Classe. In 402 it became the capital of the Western Roman Empire; under Theodoric, it was the most powerful seat of the Eastern Roman Empire of the Byzantine period, and such it remained until 751. Ravenna flourished in the 5th – 6th century, when the Byzantine wind spread its magnificence on the Adriatic coasts: in 540 it became the capital of the Exarchate. That extraordinary period is witnessed by several traces: the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the Church of San Giovanni Battista, the Neonian Baptistry, the Arian Baptistry, the Basilica of Spirito Santo, the Archiepiscopal Museum, Theodoric’s Mausoleum, the wonderful basilica of San Vitale (an ancient Benedictine monastery, quoted in documents ever since the 10th century), Sant’Apollinare Nuovo and Sant’Apollinare in Classe. Their great mosaics, which were declared World Heritage by UNESCO, make Ravenna unique and famous all over the world; a casket of masterpieces of architecture and of late-ancient and late-medieval art. Ravenna also houses Dante Alighieri's sepulchre, next to the church of San Francesco, as well as the seat of the Accademia delle Belle Arti and a Pinacoteca Comunale with important works of art. There are also important traces left by the Republic of Venice, such as the Rocca (fortress) and the central Piazza del Popolo square. The former 16th-century monastery of Camaldolese monks houses the Classense Library. Many cultural events held in the town are worth quoting: among them, the “Ravenna Festival” is the reference point for summer music at an international level. The pinewoods surrounding Ravenna – San Vitale, Classe, Cervia – give an idea of the territorial dimension of this place where even the environment speaks the language of history. A territory skirting the Valli di Comacchio, separated from them by the river Reno. Here lies the town of Sant’Alberto. Link to the Province of Ravenna Link to Events Link to Bibliography |