Basilica Sant'Apollinare Nuovo
The Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo is one of the eight monuments in Ravenna declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located in Via di Roma, a few steps away from the MAR (Ravenna Art Museum) and the Palace of Theodoric, the basilica has a simple brick façade with a marble portico dating back to the 16th century.
To find the origins of the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo we have to go back to 505 AD, the year it was built by the Ostrogoth king Theodoric, who professed the cult of Arianism. The church was originally intended only for the use of the ruler and his court.
With the rise of the Byzantine Empire and particularly under Justinian, the basilica was then converted to the Orthodox faith and renamed the Basilica of St Martin of Tours, around the middle of the 6th century. But it was not until the 9th century that it assumed its current name. Legend has it that at that time the remains of St Apollinaris, the patron saint of Ravenna, were transferred from the port of Classe to here to protect them from pirate attacks. However, a basilica named after the saint already existed in the city, that’s why the city decided to add 'Nuovo' to its name.
What to see in the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo
The Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo preserves
a magnificent cycle of mosaics which bear witness to the
alternation of the Arian cult and the Catholic faith.
Looking at the mosaic decorations of the nave from top to bottom we can see
three overlapping bands. At the top we find the largest mosaic cycle of the New Testament that has come down to us. Enclosed within panels, these mosaics in fact date back to the time of Theodoric, and have survived intact to the present day because they depict a subject also belonging to Catholic culture, namely 26 scenes from the life of Christ.
In the middle cycle, on the other hand, we see a set of Saints and Prophets on a golden background, also dating back to the time of Theodoric. The lower band, on the other hand, was
remodelled by order of Bishop Agnello, who wanted to remove all traces of the previous Arian representations in order to replace them with new mosaics with a Catholic theme, depicting the
processions of the Holy Martyrs and Virgins. These sacred figures follow one another from one side of the nave to the other, and are depicted on their way to the apse wrapped in precious robes.
The only exceptions to the elimination process by Bishop Agnello are the
famous scenes depicting the Port of Classe and Theodoric's Palatium. In the latter mosaic, however, one can still see some remnants of the earlier Arian-inspired mosaic, probably a representation of the king and his court, in the detail of the hands standing out against the palace columns.
