Church of San Vitale - Ravenna, Italy
Posted by: 
hykesj
N 44° 25.234 E 012° 11.781
33T E 276811 N 4922408
Relatively recent eighteenth-century frescoes adorn the interior of the dome of the ancient sixth-century church of San Vitale in Ravenna.
Waymark Code: WM19TKF
Location: Emilia–Romagna, Italy
Date Posted: 04/10/2024
Views: 0
The interior of the dome of the church of San Vitale in Ravenna is wonderfully decorated with Italian Baroque frescoes completed between 1778 and 1782 by Serafino Barozzi, Ubaldo Gandolfi and Jacopo Guarana. The trouble is that no one comes here to see the dome or the frescoes but rather the dazzling Byzantine mosaics, sixth-century architecture and other design elements such as the labyrinth which date to Late Roman Antiquity.
The church dates from 526 to 547 A.D. and is based on an unusual double octagonal plan. It is said to have been built on the site where the remains of St. Vitale, an early Christian martyr, were interred. The interior decoration consists mainly of contemporary mosaics depicting scenes and personalities from both the Old and New Testaments, various sacred symbols and Emperor Justinian I and his wife Theodora. So important is the art and architecture of San Vitale that it, along with several other buildings in Ravenna, were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.
It's easy to see how the vividly colorful mosaics, which cover a good portion of the open interior space, overshadow the Baroque frescoes of the dome which were added some 1200 years later. But the dome’s interior, which rises 30 meters above the floor, is still worth a peek.
Hours Open:
10:00 am to 4:45 pm
Address:
Via San Vitale, 17, 48121 Ravenna RA, Italy
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