Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna

“For I dipped into the future, far as human eye could see, saw the vision of the world, and all the wonder that would be” –Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Location
Basilica of San Vitale is most famous monument located in Ravenna, Italy.

Uniqueness
It is popular for Byzantine art and architecture in the whole Western Europe. The monument is one of the eight Ravenna structures which are listed in UNESCO world heritage. Basilica of San Vitale is famous for  its wealth of Byzantine Mosaics and also most preserved from the period of Emperor Justinian.

History
The church actually began in the year 527 AD by Bishop “Ecclesius” when the city of Ravenna was under the rule of the Ostrogoths and completed in the year 548 during the rule of 27th Bishop “Maximian”. The architect of the church is still unknown, but it was certainly one of the best architecture of that time. The construction of Basilica of San Vitale was sponsored by Iulianus Argentarius, a Greek banker. The total cost spent for the construction was about 26,000 gold pieces.

Structure
The Basilica of San Vitale has an octagonal plan which combines the Roman elements like the dome, stepped towers and shape of doorways with Byzantine. The central part of the church is surrounded by two superposed ambulatories (a place of walking). All the mosaics depict the Hellenistic-Roman tradition which looks lively and imaginative due to rich colors.

Events
The Basilica of San Vitale conducts several events through out the year. Some of them are:

• Ravenna Festival
• Mosaico di Notte
• Antiques Market
• Alighieri and Rasi Theaters

Visiting guidelines
There are two combo tickets to Ravenna which even includes Basilica of San Vitale. There are no individual admissions for the sights in Ravenna. The total admission ticket fee is €8.50 which is sold at the sights. The admission is open from morning 9:00 am to evening 5:30 pm. Photography is allowed in the church. Please note that there is a replica of Basilica of San Vitale within the city of Rome. But the one which is notable and outstanding is the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna.

Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna