The Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe ("Saint Apollinaris in Classe") is a church in Classe,
Ravenna
Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century until its Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...
,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, consecrated on 9 May 549 by the
bishop Maximian and dedicated to
Saint Apollinaris, the first bishop of Ravenna and
Classe.
An important monument of late
Ancient Roman architecture
Ancient Roman architecture adopted the external language of classical ancient Greek architecture for the purposes of the ancient Romans, but was different from Greek buildings, becoming a new architectural style. The two styles are often consi ...
,
early church architecture and
Byzantine art
Byzantine art comprises the body of artistic products of the Eastern Roman Empire, as well as the nations and states that inherited culturally from the empire. Though the empire itself emerged from the decline of Rome, decline of western Rome and ...
, in 1996 it was inscribed with seven other nearby monuments in the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage List
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...
, which described it as "an outstanding example of the early Christian basilica in its purity and simplicity of its design and use of space and in the sumptuous nature of its decoration". (See:
Church architecture
Church architecture refers to the architecture of Christian buildings, such as Church (building), churches, chapels, convents, and seminaries. It has evolved over the two thousand years of the Christian religion, partly by innovation and partly ...
.)
History
Work on Sant'Apollinare in Classe started at the beginning of 6th century by order of Bishop
Ursicinus, using money from the Roman banker
Iulianus Argentarius.
It was certainly located next to a Christian cemetery, and quite possibly on top of a pre-existing pagan one, as some of the ancient tombstones were re-used in its construction.
At that time, Classe was located on the shore and was the ancient home port of the Roman fleet which gave its name to the town. Due to the accumulation of silt, the coastline has since moved to the east.
The imposing brick structure was consecrated on 9 May 549 by Bishop Maximian and dedicated to Saint Apollinaris.
The Basilica is thus contemporary with the
Basilica of San Vitale
The Basilica of San Vitale is a late antique church in Ravenna, Italy. The sixth-century church is an important surviving example of early Byzantine art and architecture, and its mosaics in particular are some of the most-studied works in Byzan ...
of Ravenna. The relics of Saint Apollinaris are today in the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe.
In the 15th century,
Sigismondo Malatesta
Sigismondo Malatesta (November 1498 – December 1553) was an Italian condottiero.
Biography
The son of Pandolfaccio Malatesta, Sigismondo strove for his whole life to reconquer the ancestral seat of the Malatesta seignory, Rimini, annexed by t ...
stripped the church of the marble covering the walls of the side aisles, to use it for the construction of the
Tempio Malatestiano
The Tempio Malatestiano () is the Unfinished building, unfinished cathedral church of Rimini, Italy. Officially named for Francis of Assisi, St. Francis, it takes the popular name from Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, who commissioned its reconstr ...
of San Francesco in Rimini.
[
]
Architecture
Exterior
The exterior has a large facade with two simple uprights and one mullioned window with three openings. The narthex
The narthex is an architectural element typical of Early Christian art and architecture, early Christian and Byzantine architecture, Byzantine basilicas and Church architecture, churches consisting of the entrance or Vestibule (architecture), ve ...
and building to the right of the entry are later additions, as is the fine 9th century round bell tower
A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...
with mullioned window
A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid sup ...
s.
Ravenna’s tallest campanile was added to the church in the late 10th century.
Interior
The church has a central nave with two side aisles, a standard basilica
In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...
design. An ancient altar in the mid of the nave covers the place of the saint's martyrdom. The church ends with a polygonal apse, sided by two chapels with apses.
The nave contains 24 columns of Greek marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...
. The carved capitals of the columns depict acanthus leaves, but unlike most such carvings the leaves appear twisted as if being buffeted by the wind. The faded fresco
Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...
s depict some of the archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
s of Ravenna, and date to the 18th century. The lateral walls are bare, but were certainly once covered with gorgeous mosaics. These were likely demolished by the Venetians in 1449, although they left the mosaic decoration in the apse and on the triumphal arch
A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road, and usually standing alone, unconnected to other buildings. In its simplest form, a triumphal ...
, the church's most striking features.
The upper section of the triumphal arch depicts, inside a medallion, Christ. At the sides, within a sea of clouds, are the winged symbols of the four Evangelists: the Eagle (John), the Winged Man (Matthew), the Lion (Mark), the Calf (Luke). The lower section has, at its two edges, the walls showing precious gems from which twelve lambs (symbols of the Twelve Apostles) exit. The sides of the arch show two palms which, in the Bible's symbolism, represent justice; under them are the archangels Michael and Gabriel, with the bust of St. Matthew and another unidentified saint.
The decoration of the apse date to the 6th century, and can be divided into two parts:
*in the upper one, a large disc encloses a starry sky in which is a cross with gems.[ Over the cross is a hand protruding from the clouds, the theme of the Hand of God. At the side of the disc are the figures of ]Elijah
Elijah ( ) or Elias was a prophet and miracle worker who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Ahab (9th century BC), according to the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible.
In 1 Kings 18, Elijah defended the worsh ...
and Moses
In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...
. The three lambs in the lower sector symbolize the saints Peter, James and John, alluding the Transfiguration of Jesus
The Transfiguration of Jesus is an event described in the New Testament where Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is Transfiguration (religion), transfigured and becomes radiant in Glory (religion), glory upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels (, , ) r ...
on Mount Tabor
Mount Tabor ( ; ; ), sometimes spelled Mount Thabor, is a large hill of biblical significance in Lower Galilee, Northern District (Israel), northern Israel, at the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley, west of the Sea of Galilee.
In the Hebrew Bi ...
.
*in the lower one is a green valley with rocks, bush, plants and birds. In the middle is the figure of Saint Apollinaris, portrayed in the act of praying God to give grace to his faithful, symbolized by twelve white lambs.
The choice of the subject is closely linked to the fight against Arianism
Arianism (, ) is a Christology, Christological doctrine which rejects the traditional notion of the Trinity and considers Jesus to be a creation of God, and therefore distinct from God. It is named after its major proponent, Arius (). It is co ...
, as it restates both the divine and human nature of Christ, the former negated by the Arians. In addition, the representation of Apollinaris among the apostles was a legitimization of Maximian as the first bishop of the diocese.
In the spaces between the windows are the four bishops who founded the main basilicas in Ravenna: Urscinus, Ursus, Severus and Ecclesius, all with a book in a hand. At the sides of the apse are two 7th-century panels: the left one, which has largely been restored, portrays the Byzantine Emperor Constantine IV
Constantine IV (); 650 – 10 July 685), called the Younger () and often incorrectly the Bearded () out of confusion with Constans II, his father, was Byzantine emperor from 668 to 685. His reign saw the first serious check to nearly 50 years ...
granting privileges to an envoy of the Ravenna's archbishop. In the right panel are Abraham, Abel and Melchisedek around an altar, on which they offer a sacrifice to God.[
The Basilica's walls are lined by numerous ]sarcophagi
A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek σάρξ ' meaning "flesh", and φ� ...
from different centuries. They attest the changes of style from the 5th to the 8th centuries: from reliefs with human figures of the Roman sarcophagi, to Byzantine symbolism, to the increasing abstraction and simplification of these symbologies.
StappoclasseInner1.jpg, Image from the nave
2012 ravenna 138.jpg, Altar with apse
Ravenna SantApollinare Classe 0115.jpg, Apse with semi-dome and mosaic "Transfiguration of the Lord"
Sanapolinclasse04.jpg, Christ preaching, Triumphal Arch
Ravenna BW 4.JPG, The apse is lavishly decorated with mosaics, such as the Crux Gemmata
A (Latin for jewelled cross) is a form of cross typical of Early Christian and Early Medieval art, where the cross, or at least its front side, is principally decorated with jewels. In an actual cross, rather than a painted image of one, the rev ...
Saint Apollenaris.jpg, Saint Apollenaris
Privil classe.jpg, Mosaic panel of Emperor Constantine IV
Constantine IV (); 650 – 10 July 685), called the Younger () and often incorrectly the Bearded () out of confusion with Constans II, his father, was Byzantine emperor from 668 to 685. His reign saw the first serious check to nearly 50 years ...
granting privileges to the Church of Ravenna
Interno Sant'Apollinare in Classe 11.JPG, Canopy with twisted column shafts and remains of the original mosaic floor
Sarcophagus in Sant'Apollinare in Classe.jpg, A bishop's late antique sarcophagus
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
Photos of the Basilica
"Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe"
''Ravenna Tourism''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Basilica Of Sant'apollinare In Classe
549 establishments
540s establishments
6th-century churches
Palaeo-Christian architecture in Ravenna
Apollinare in Classe
Byzantine art
Early Christian art
Ravenna