The last day of our Italian swing gives us time to see a couple of sites in
Ravenna before catching the train and then our afternoon flight from
Bologna. Our plan saves one of the best sites for last: the
Basilica di San Vitale (sixth century).
We approach the church from the south and pass a large stone gate. We can see the 'front door' under the marble arch, but that is not the tourist entrance. Both the gate and the door seem to be
Baroque era additions. We continue around several brick structures and enter from the northeast, between the
large buttresses we saw yesterday.
The interior flow is vertical, but we are surprised by the lack of medieval mosaics; mostly, it's painted Baroque frescos. Triple-arched, two-story
exedrae expand the, octagonal plan, and reach up to the overly-dramatic imagery in the center dome. Fragments of old floor mosaics hang within the ambulatory. The
presbiterio extends to the southeast, and along its sides and in the apse, we find the mosaics.
Another visitor has her phone's flashlight on near the altar, so we wait for her to vacate. Meanwhile, we play with the iPhone's camera to see what the zoom lenses can do. The dome and the hall-domes of the exedrae are at least colorful. Several frescos are missing, and show how the church's flat surfaces are being manipulated by the Baroque painters. So while the Basilica's geometry is complex, the decorative elements take it to another level.
We see that the lady with the flashlight is reading her guidebook. We mention that her light is affecting everyone else's viewing and photography. She looks at us annoyed and goes on reading.
By contrast, the geometry in the presbiterio is straight forward: a double-height, cross-vaulted rectangular extension from the inner octagon ends at a single-story, semi-circular apse with a half-dome.
At the altar, the triumphal arch has a stack of
intradosso, which resemble stone oculi. Classical dolphins with entwined tails separate the
rings. There are fifteen images, seven on each side and
Cristo Redentore over head. The portraits represent the
Twelve Apostles plus two saint:
Gerbasius and Protasius (thought to be the twin sons of
San Vitale).
Just behind this arch, the ambulatory and the gallery end at stacked tripartite openings. Over the lower opening on the right (south) side is a lunette with the
Offerta di Abel e Melchisedec, the lamb and the tithe to the Hand of God. Just above them, closer to the altar, is
Mosè nel roveto ardente; he ties his sandal in the burning hills. On the opposite side,
Isaias stands next a crown and prophesies the arrival of Christ. Next to the gallery opening are two of the
Four Evangelists; above
Mosè is St John with the symbolic angel, and opposite him is St Mark with the lion.
Over the lower opening on the left (east) side is a lunette with the
Ospitalità di Abramo e Sacrificio di Isacco. On one side,
three angles sit at a table as Abraham offers them a meal; on the other, God gives Abraham a sacrificial lamb, biting at his hem,
in place of Isaac. Atop the lunette is
Mosè sul Monte Sinai, as Mose receives the word from God. Opposite this, is
Ieremia, another Old Testament prophet who foresees the events of Christ's life. The other two Evangelists are by the gallery opening; St John is above
Ieremia with the eagle, and St Luke is above
Mosè with the ox.
The edges of the arches have familiar red borders. These reach up to the vault, where they intersect with peacocks at the base of the diagonal ribs, and a flow of flowers, fruits, and fowl continues to the medallion at the top. This is supported by the four archangels, Michele, Gabriele, Raffaele, and Uriele; each stands on a blue orb and inhabits a brilliant field of swirling tendrils and animals. At the center, amongst white and gold stars, is L'Agnus Dei, the mystic lamb of God, looking tough and angry.
The half-dome of the altar is the Basilica's focal point. A young Jesus, attended by two archangels, sits on the universal sphere, and passes the crown of martyrdom to
Scs Vitalis, on His right. While on His left, the bishop,
Eclesius epis, holds the church. The
Four Rivers of Paradise nourish the green landscape below the golden sky of heaven.
A tripartite window is centered below the half-dome, and on either side of the windows are two iconic mosaic panels. On the left (east) side is
Giustiniano I, the
Byzantine emperor who, in the mid-sixth century, reclaims Ravenna from the
Ostrogoths (
Arianism). Joining him is
Maximianus, the bishop whose
cattedra (chair) is in
the Museo Arcivescovile. On the right (south) side is the empress
Teodora with her retinue of attendants, all bejeweled and finely dressed.
Giustiniano and
Teodora bear the
paten and
chalice for the
Eucharist. These panels are
pivotal in art history for the preservation of the Byzantine mosaics and the quality of the portraiture.
We make one more stop before our train, the
Domus dei Tappeti di Pietra (house of stone carpets). The Domus is several meters below the
Chiesa di Sant'Eufemia (eighteenth century), discovered just thirty years ago during the construction of a parking garage. It consists of fourteen rooms with floor mosaics from the fifth and sixth centuries.
The signature pice of the Domus is the Danza dei Geni delle Quattro Stagioni (dance of the four seasons). Figures representing Primavera (left, in red with crown of roses), Inverno (top, wearing a dark cloak), Autunno (bottom, dressed in white) hold hands and dance, while Estate is in the missing potion of the mosaic. In the back, a musician plays the flauto di carne (pan flute).
The last mosaic is the Buon Pastore (good shepherd), a male figure, casually crosses his legs, with two fawn and two large birds. The quality of the color is spectacular, and the shepherd's gesture to the deer is delightful.
We return to the
Mercato Coperto and buy sandwiches for the train ride. The quality of the food in
Emilia-Romagno is unmatched; even the sandwiches are special. The logistics of transferring to the airport train (
Marconi Express) are painless, and we are soon flying home. We edit our photos and relive the trip.
(UPDATE, November 5): The
iPhone 15 Pro Max survives the trip, and proves to be a true asset. Photos taken with both the main camera (with
24MP resolution) and the telephoto (with
120mm focal length) give amazing detail. We see things we previously missed, which is the whole point of the upgrade.
Thanks to our niece for the delivery.
