Church of San Vitale, Research Paper Example

San Vitale Basilica in Ravenna, Italy was constructed around the mid 500’s. It was inspired by Byzantine architecture after the reigning bishop of the town, visited Istanbul. The mosaic, the saints and front facing characters on the walls, all point to this inspiring trip. Typical of Byzantium architecture, the Basilica hosts a large dome on top (although the inside matches a more 18^th century art motif with its murals). The placement of the Basilica at that specific geographical point is that the martyr, St. Vitalis, perished there.

The most notable item inside the church is the many arabesque motifs: there are a plethora of them inside the Basilica representing different saints and stories from the bible. These motifs are found around the choir and apse where spectators may see Christ and the 12 apostles. The left wall mosaic has Emperor Justinian. The emperor was a great “lawgiver” and was “one of the most powerful Byzantine emperors.” Since he was the most powerful he stands in the most powerful position in the mosaic: at the center. Here he stands wearing purple. This was important as only royalty wore purple as the die was hard to attain (coming from shrimp in the Mediterranean Sea) and thereby only someone with wealth could afford to wear purple.  In front of him is a golden plate (again pointing to his wealth) and bread on the plate (an allusion to Christ feeding a mass with fish and bread). To the emperor’s left is Maximian (Archbishop of Ravenna) which signifies the archbishop’s power because of his proximity to Justinian. This power and wealth is further exemplified by the archbishop holding a jeweled cross. The other men around the emperor are also holding wealthy items (ornate books, soldier’s shield, etc.) all bedazzling in the wealth they represent (both secular and worldly).

On the south wall apse is Empress Theodora, Justinian’s wife. She holds the communion cup signifying her ties with the church (holy mother effect). Her robe is adorned with embroidery that represents the Three Magi, which further ties into her importance with the church (saying that they’re bringing gifts –Basilica—to Christ). The positioning of the windows of either mosaic reflects their importance as they are always in a state of light at some point during the day (relating God with the sun).

Works Cited

“San Vitale Basilica, Ravenna.” Sacred Destinations. 2014. Web. 26 June 2014.