The City of Mosaics

The second part of our weekend trip was in Ravenna, Italy. On Saturday, after our time in Venice, we took a bus from Mestre to Ravenna, driving along the Adriatic Sea and through traditional Italian villages. After we arrived in Ravenna, my roommates and I walked into the center square of the town in order to find somewhere to eat dinner. During dinner, we belatedly celebrated my roommate's birthday with traditonal Ravenna cappelletti and  Ravenna custard for dessert.

The Streets of Ravenna

                                                                                                                                                                              After breakfast at the hotel on Sunday morning, we traveled to Classe, where the Basilica of San Apolinaris is located. Not only were we able to see the famous mosaics of this sixth century church, we also had the amazing opportunity to sit for part of the 10:30am Sunday Mass. I am  Catholic, so it was a very humbling experience to be sitting in a sixth century Basilica surrounded by the mosaics of all the previous Bishops of Ravenna, while the Mass was performed. The mass was in Italian, which made it harder to follow, but I knew the structure of a Catholic Mass enough to be able to follow along and recite in English. For me, part of the beauty of attending this Mass was the lack of barriers during the service. The language did not serve as a barrier, as faith served as a common bond and the sanctity of the space was present even to those who weren't practicing Catholics. We had to leave during the homily, in which the priest was interacting with his Parrish (which I have never seen before), and it was weird leaving the church in the middle of the Mass. I have never left during the middle of a service before and I would have enjoyed receiving communion in the sixth century Basilica of San Apolinaris as thousands have done over the centuries.

Christ and His Flock at the Basilica of San Apolinaris in Classe

After leaving the Basilica we returned to Ravenna, where we toured both the Mausoleum of Gala Placidia and the Basilica of San Vitale. I have studied Gala Placidia in passing during courses on Byzantine history, but because her influence extended over the Western portion of the empire, not much time was spent on her life. Let me tell you, she was awesome. Not only did she politically maneuver her second husband onto the throne of the Western part of the Empire and serve as regent for her son upon the death of her husband, she also maintained the Western part of the empire, strengthening its economic and political structures. She was so influential in fact, that within her mausoleum (which is shaped like a cross) her tomb is in the position of central importance and she is flanked by two emperors. The mosaics of the Mausoleum are absolutely incredible and definitely denote her power within Byzantine society. The gold tesserae used in the mosaics for the mausoleum are made with up to sixteen layers of gold foil, whereas the tesserae used in the Basilica of San Marco only have two layers. My professor, who guided the tour, spoke a lot about the process being undertaken by the students at the University of Bologna at Ravenna to refurbish and preserve the mosaics in their original form. This process of reconstructive archeology again peaked my interest. I never really considered graduate school after my bachelors degree, but after seeing the work in Epidauros and Ravenna, I have starting researching reconstructive archeology programs. 

Entrance Vault to the Mausoleum of Gala Placidia

Central Dome and surrounding Apse of the Mausoleum of Gala Placidia

From the Mausoleum of Gala Placidia, we proceeded to the Basilica of San Vitale. Though it is called a basilica, it is not actually a basilica, instead, San Vitale is octagonal in shape with one central dome. The central dome and the upper levels are decorated with sixteenth century frescoes, but the mosaics applied to the main apse are originals from the sixth century. Mosaics served as literacy for the illiterate, who could "read" the narratives portrayed in the mosaics.

Outside view of the "Basilica" of San Vitale

Sixteenth Century Dome Decorations

Due to the fact that I had previously been to Venice, the reason I went on this trip was to see the mosaics of the Imperial Couple, Justinian I and Theodora. Theodora is my favorite Byzantine Empress (which might be cliche because she is the most famous Byzantine Empress) and when asked my senior year of high school who I would wish to have dinner with from history, my answer was Theodora. For me, Theodora embodies the essence of Byzantine society. She has a rags to riches story in which she begins life as a prostitute and is buried in purple and gold. She was ambitious and beautiful, but most of all she was smart. Within Byzantine society there were windows of opportunity for social elevation - a prostitute could become an empress and a stable boy could found a dynasty - if one seized the opportunities presented to them. That is exactly what Theodora did. She found a love match in her marriage to Justinian I, which brought her into the imperial court, she also maintained property in her own name, and she used her political acumen to defend her place on the throne, preserving her husband's reign. I was so excited to see the mosaic of Theodora in all of its magnificence, and I was not let down. Justinian's mosaic is technically impressive, but Theodora exudes power. Theodora's presence commands the room as if her spirit lives on in this icon. It is even rumored that the halo surrounding Theodora is larger than that of Justinian. 

Justinian I and Retinue

Theodora and Retinue

Even without the portraits of Justinian I and Theodora, the mosaics of San Vitale are impressive. The colors are so vibrant and lifelike, telling the story of the Old Testament and the history of the Christian religion. The gold is stunning and the people depicted remain immortal through these tiny pieces of stone that together form masterpieces.

Mosaics of Abraham and the Twelve Apostles

After San Vitale, we were given two hours to explore Ravenna, which proceeded to revolve around food. After lunch at a hot sandwich restaurant where the employees were so excited to practice their English, we sought out a gelato shop, so that we could eat gelato in Italy. My roommate Amy also wanted to get some fresh, homemade, Italian pasta to bring home to Greece. The pasta shop was run by a women who spoke no English and we spoke no Italian. By using a mixture of Spanish (Amy) and Latin (me) we were able to communicate with the woman and buy a half-kilo of cappelletti! Whoever said Latin is a dead language is wrong...its immortal.

Caramel and Cinnamon Gelato

Not only were the mosaics of Ravenna incredible but so was the street art. One street had a series of famous historical figures associated with Ravenna depicted riding bikes, which provided a quirky timeline of the history of Ravenna.

Theodora

Gala Placidia

Saint Vitale and Oscar Wilde

The mosaics of Ravenna were everything I had imagined them to be and more. I am so glad I was able to see these mosaics, especially because I will be studying a lot of them in my Byzantine Art and Architecture class this semester. I have to admit, after three days of Italian, it was really nice and comforting to see the Greek alphabet again in the Athens airport upon arrival.