Ravenna | Italy, Map, Port, & History

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<span class="toc-extra-link selected link-gray-900 mt-15"> Introduction </span> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Ravenna-Italy/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/Ravenna-Italy">Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Ravenna-Italy/images-videos">Images</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 "> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex overflow-hidden text-nowrap ml-15"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/08/3708-004-4D74474C/Mausoleum-Theuderic-Italy-Ravenna.jpg" data-href="/media/1/492249/13671" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/08/3708-004-4D74474C/Mausoleum-Theuderic-Italy-Ravenna.jpg" alt="Ravenna" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/37/64437-050-3832CFA9/Ravenna-Italy.jpg" data-href="/media/1/492249/269605" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/37/64437-004-C95FD530/Ravenna-Italy.jpg" alt="Ravenna, Italy" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/37/100237-050-347F028F/Justinian-I-mosaic-Basilica-of-San-Vitale.jpg" data-href="/media/1/492249/109837" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/37/100237-004-B5CB2808/Justinian-I-mosaic-Basilica-of-San-Vitale.jpg" alt="Justinian I" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/12/215612-050-E946BFC4/Basilica-Sant-Apollinare-near-Ravenna-Italy.jpg" data-href="/media/1/492249/245339" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/12/215612-004-1DED78BD/Basilica-Sant-Apollinare-near-Ravenna-Italy.jpg" alt="basilica of Sant'Apollinare" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/76/120876-050-41267666/Mausoleum-of-Theodoric-Ravenna-Italy.jpg" data-href="/media/1/492249/114698" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/76/120876-004-B379C505/Mausoleum-of-Theodoric-Ravenna-Italy.jpg" alt="Mausoleum of Theodoric" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/32/62332-004-A50F496C/Campanile-Classe-Sant-Apollinare-Ravenna-Italy.jpg" data-href="/media/1/492249/4711" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/32/62332-004-A50F496C/Campanile-Classe-Sant-Apollinare-Ravenna-Italy.jpg" alt="Campanile, Sant' Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna, Italy, 6th century." height="50" /> </a> </div> <button disabled class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn 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href="https://cdn.britannica.com/08/3708-004-4D74474C/Mausoleum-Theuderic-Italy-Ravenna.jpg" data-href="/media/1/492249/13671">Ravenna</a> <span><span>Mausoleum of Theuderic, c. 520, at Ravenna, Italy.</span></span> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <span class="link-blue">(more)</span> </button> </span> </div> </figcaption> </figure> </div><div class="topic-header"> <div class="d-flex align-items-top justify-content-between"> <div class="d-flex flex-column"> <div> <div> <h1>Ravenna</h1></div> </div> <div class="topic-identifier font-16 font-md-20">Italy</div> </div> </div> <div class="d-none d-sm-flex flex-row"> <div class="mr-10 mb-15"> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="d-block md-topic-tools qa-action-buttons mb-15" data-topic-id="492249"> <button class="js-tooltip 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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2024-12-27T00:00:00CST" >Dec 27, 2024</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Ravenna-Italy/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref206883"></span>Ravenna</strong>, city, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Emilia-Romagna" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Emilia-Romagna</a> <em>regione</em>, northeastern <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Italy" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Italy</a>. The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/city" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">city</a> is on a low-lying plain near the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="confluence" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confluence" data-type="MW">confluence</a> of the Ronco and Montone rivers, 6 miles (10 km) inland from the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Adriatic-Sea" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Adriatic Sea</a>, with which it is connected by a canal. Ravenna was important in history as the capital of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Roman-Empire" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Western Roman Empire</a> in the 5th century <span class="text-smallcaps">ce</span> and later (6th–8th century) of Ostrogothic and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Byzantine-Empire" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Byzantine</a> Italy.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="269605" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/37/64437-050-3832CFA9/Ravenna-Italy.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/492249/269605"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/37/64437-050-3832CFA9/Ravenna-Italy.jpg"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/37/64437-050-3832CFA9/Ravenna-Italy.jpg?w=300" alt="Ravenna, Italy" data-width="1600" data-height="1600" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/37/64437-050-3832CFA9/Ravenna-Italy.jpg" data-href="/media/1/492249/269605">Ravenna, Italy</a><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">In ancient times the Adriatic lay nearer Ravenna, which rested on coastal lagoons that later silted up. The earliest inhabitants of Ravenna were probably Italic peoples who moved southward from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Aquileia" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Aquileia</a> about 1400 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>. According to tradition, it was occupied by the <span id="ref206884"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Etruscan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Etruscans</a> and later by the <span id="ref206885"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gaul-people" class="md-crosslink ">Gauls</a>. It came under <span id="ref206886"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Rome" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Roman</a> control in 191 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span> and soon became important because it possessed one of the few good port sites on the northeastern coast of Italy. The Roman emperor <span id="ref206887"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Augustus-Roman-emperor" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Augustus</a> built the port of Classis, about 3 miles (5 km) from the city, and by the 1st century <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span> Ravenna had become the base for <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Rome" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Rome’s</a> naval <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="fleet" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/fleet" data-type="EB">fleet</a> in the Adriatic Sea.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In 402 <span class="text-smallcaps">ce</span> the danger of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/barbarian-invasions" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">barbarian invasions</a> compelled the Western Roman emperor <span id="ref206888"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Honorius-Roman-emperor" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Honorius</a> to move his court from Rome to Ravenna. Ravenna was henceforth the capital of the Western Roman Empire until its dissolution in 476. As such, Ravenna was embellished with magnificent monuments. The city was also raised to the status of an archbishopric in 438. With the fall of the Western Empire in 476, it became the capital of the first barbarian ruler of Italy, <span id="ref206889"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Odoacer" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Odoacer</a> (reigned 476–493), who in turn surrendered it to the Ostrogothic king <span id="ref206890"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Theodoric-king-of-Italy" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Theuderic</a> (reigned 493–526) in 493. Theuderic made Ravenna the capital of the Ostrogothic kingdom, but in 540 Ravenna was occupied by the great <span id="ref206891"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Byzantine-Empire" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Byzantine</a> general <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Belisarius" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Belisarius</a> and was subsequently made an imperial exarchate.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/world-heritage-sites-in-italy-quiz" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/75/75775-131-1D05DD74/Colosseum-Rome.jpg" alt="Colosseum, Rome, Italy. (Flavian Amphitheatre, arena)" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">World Heritage Sites in Italy Quiz</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">As the capital of the Exarchate of Ravenna, the city was the administrative centre of <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="Byzantine" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Byzantine" data-type="MW">Byzantine</a> government in Italy. In the early 7th century the area administered included a diagonal strip of territory extending from the area north of Ravenna to south of Rome, the southern extremities of the peninsula, and various coastal enclaves. The exarchate was broken up by revolts and invasions after 726. About 751 Ravenna itself fell to the Lombards, who in turn lost it to the Franks in 754 under the leadership of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pippin-III" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Pippin III</a> the Short. He gave Ravenna to the <span id="ref206892"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Papal-States" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">pope</a> in 757; the local archbishops, however, retained almost princely powers.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">A short-lived bid for independence on Ravenna’s part in the mid-12th century was followed in the 14th and early 15th centuries by the rule of the da Polenta family, a noble house of the Romagna region. In 1441 <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Venice" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Venice</a> was able to establish direct rule over Ravenna, but in 1509 the city was returned to the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Papal-States" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Papal States</a>. In 1512, following the <span id="ref206893"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Italian-Wars" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Battle of Ravenna</a>, the city was seized by the French but was soon recaptured. Thereafter it was subject to papal rule with only minor interruptions. In 1859 Ravenna proclaimed its union with the kingdom of Sardinia, which became the kingdom of <span id="ref206894"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Italy" class="md-crosslink ">Italy</a> in 1861.</p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Ravenna is now an agricultural and industrial city. Its principal enterprises include petroleum and natural-gas refining, the production of fertilizers and <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="synthetic" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/synthetic" data-type="MW">synthetic</a> rubber, and the processing of oilseeds.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Nothing remains of the ancient Roman structures in Ravenna or of its harbour at Classis. The fame of Ravenna rests instead on the quality and quantity of its 5th–8th-century Christian monuments. As the capital city of the Western Roman Empire for 250 years and a major port of entry for the Eastern (<span id="ref206896"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Byzantine-art" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Byzantine</a>) Empire, Ravenna reflects in its art and architecture a fusion of <span id="ref206895"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Rome" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Roman</a> architectural forms with Byzantine mosaics and other decoration.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Get Unlimited Access</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Try Britannica Premium for free and discover more.</div> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-button-wrapper d-flex justify-content-center align-items-center ml-auto mr-auto"> <a class="btn btn-m btn-orange" href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=august-2024">Subscribe</a> </div> </div> </div> </DIV></div><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">One of the earliest of Ravenna’s <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="extant" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/extant" data-type="MW">extant</a> monuments is the <span id="ref285985"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mausoleum-of-Galla-Placidia" class="md-crosslink ">mausoleum of Galla Placidia</a>, built in the 5th century <span class="text-smallcaps">ce</span> by Galla Placidia, the sister of the emperor Honorius. Its building technique is Western, but its Latin cross layout, with barrel vaults and a central dome, has Eastern <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="prototypes" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prototypes" data-type="MW">prototypes</a>. The entire upper surface of the mausoleum’s interior is covered with mosaics on a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/kimberlite" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">blue ground</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD9 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Of the monuments dating from the rule of the Arian Ostrogothic king <span id="ref285986"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mausoleum-of-Theodoric" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Theuderic</a> (d. 526), the most impressive is his mausoleum. This two-storied structure is capped by a single-slab limestone dome that is 36 feet (11 metres) in diameter. The Basilica of <span id="ref285987"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/SantApollinare-Nuovo" class="md-crosslink ">Sant’Apollinare Nuovo</a> was also erected by Theuderic. It was originally an Arian cathedral but became a Catholic church in 570. This church contains magnificent mosaics depicting the teachings, miracles, Passion, and Resurrection of Christ; these are among the oldest such representations in existence and are of considerable scholarly interest. The church also has finely executed mosaics depicting processions of male and female saints.</p><span class="marker MOD9 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD10 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="109837" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/37/100237-050-347F028F/Justinian-I-mosaic-Basilica-of-San-Vitale.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/492249/109837"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/37/100237-050-347F028F/Justinian-I-mosaic-Basilica-of-San-Vitale.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/37/100237-050-347F028F/Justinian-I-mosaic-Basilica-of-San-Vitale.jpg?w=300" alt="Justinian I" data-width="1282" data-height="1600" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/37/100237-050-347F028F/Justinian-I-mosaic-Basilica-of-San-Vitale.jpg" data-href="/media/1/492249/109837">Justinian I</a><span>Justinian I, detail of a 6th-century mosaic at the Church of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy. </span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The Church of <span id="ref285988"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Church-of-San-Vitale" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">San Vitale</a>, the masterpiece of Byzantine art in Ravenna, was completed during the reign of the emperor Justinian. The church was begun by Bishop Ecclesius under the Ostrogothic queen Amalasuntha (d. 535) and was <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="consecrated" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consecrated" data-type="MW">consecrated</a> in 547. This octagonal church, built of marble and capped by a lofty terra-cotta dome, is one of the finest examples of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Byzantine-architecture" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Byzantine architecture</a> and decoration in western Europe. The celebrated mosaics in the church’s presbytery are strongly influenced by similar work at Constantinople. They depict Old and New Testament figures, as well as contemporary Byzantine rulers and Catholic ecclesiastics.</p><span class="marker MOD10 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD11 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="245339" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/12/215612-050-E946BFC4/Basilica-Sant-Apollinare-near-Ravenna-Italy.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/492249/245339"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/12/215612-050-E946BFC4/Basilica-Sant-Apollinare-near-Ravenna-Italy.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/12/215612-050-E946BFC4/Basilica-Sant-Apollinare-near-Ravenna-Italy.jpg?w=300" alt="basilica of Sant'Apollinare" data-width="1600" data-height="1067" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/12/215612-050-E946BFC4/Basilica-Sant-Apollinare-near-Ravenna-Italy.jpg" data-href="/media/1/492249/245339">basilica of Sant'Apollinare</a><span>Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe, near Ravenna, Italy.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Ravenna’s other surviving monuments include the following. The Basilica of <span id="ref285989"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/SantApollinare-in-Classe" class="md-crosslink ">Sant’Apollinare in Classe</a>, begun in 535 and consecrated in 549, has a distinctive round campanile (870–878) that is the earliest example in Italy of the decorative use of majolica. This church also has impressive capitals in its nave and a fine apse <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/mosaic-art" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">mosaic</a> depicting the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Transfiguration-Christianity" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Transfiguration</a> of Christ. The <span id="ref285990"></span>Church of St. Francis (San Francesco) has a small <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="annex" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/annex" data-type="EB">annex</a> containing the tomb of the Italian poet <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dante-Alighieri" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Dante Alighieri</a>. The <span id="ref285991"></span>Church of St. John the Evangelist (San Giovanni Evangelista) was almost totally destroyed in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">World War II</a> and has since been heavily restored. The oldest church in Ravenna, the cathedral, was originally built in 370–390 but was destroyed in 1733 and immediately rebuilt. Adjoining the cathedral is an octagonal baptistery containing fine Byzantine mosaics from the 5th century.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD11 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD12 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Ravenna’s <span id="ref285992"></span>National Museum of Antiquities, housed in the cloisters of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Church-of-San-Vitale" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Church of San Vitale</a>, has an important collection of classical and Early Christian antiquities, including inscriptions, icons, ceramics, ivories and other sculptures, and sarcophagi. The Church of Santa Maria in Porto Fuori, built after 1069, was, until its destruction in World War II, the only important surviving building of the later European Middle Ages in Ravenna. From the era of Venetian <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="dominion" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/dominion" data-type="EB">dominion</a> there remain various palaces and a fortress, the Rocca Brancaleona. Pop. (2022 est.) 156,080.</p><span class="marker MOD12 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span><span class="md-signature">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="/editor/Michael-Ray/6392">Michael Ray</a>.</span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":492249,"pageLength":1107,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.133.9"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.133.9' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"A","adLeg":"A","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"LARGE","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":true} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Ravenna | Italy, Map, Port, & History | Britannica