Ravenna Ravenna is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, population 134,631 (2001). The city is inland, but is connected to the Adriatic Sea by a canal. Ravenna once served as the seat of the Roman Empire and later the Ostrogothic kingdom. It is presently the capital of the province of Ravenna. Early history Nowadays the city is land-locked, but Ravenna was an important seaport on the Adriatic, as well as an administrative center of the Roman Empire and the early Middle Ages. When Ravenna was settled, it was on a coastal lagoon (which still appeared on 16th century maps), and the city in Antiquity was traversed with canals. Ravenna was an ancient ally of Rome against the Gauls, and kept its identity as an ally until it sided with Marius in the Civil Wars of the 1st century BC. Sulla annexed it to the province of Cisalpine Gaul. It was an important station of the Roman imperial fleet ("classis") which gave a name to Classis the dockyard port city of Ravenna, protected at first by its own walls. The imperial Porta Aurea of Classis was not demolished until the 16th century, the last of the standing remains. Columns from Classis were scattered as trophies among Christian churches in Ravenna, and even shipped to Venice. Roman sculptures were built into churches such as San Giovanni in Fonte or San Vitale. Thusnelda, widow of Arminius, and Marbod, King of the Marcomanni, were confined at Ravenna. After 404 when Ravenna was the imperial residence, the city gained its most famous monuments, both secular (demolished) and Christian (largely preserved). The 18th century cathedral occupies the site of the 4th century basilica, Christianized by Bishop Ursus about 380 AD. No vestige remains however of the secular palaces of Honorius. The earliest churches have scarcely fared better: Sant' Agata, a basilica of three naves, (San Pietro in Classis was torn down in the 16th century, to make room for fortifications); San Giovanni Evangelista, (largely rebuilt in Gothic style and stripped of its mosaics in 1747); part of Santa Croce; some columns in San Giovanni Battista. The most important is the square chapel of the archiepiscopal palace (dedicated to San Pietro Crisologo) with its mosaics The "tomb" of Galla Placidia, preserved by being made the church of Santi Nazario e Celso, which contains the finest mosaics of Ravenna, deserves special mention. It is built in the shape of a Latin cross, and has a cupola that is entirely in mosaics, representing eight apostles and symbolical figures of doves drinking from a vessel, a Roman motif; the other four apostles are represented on the vaults of the transverse arm; over the door is a representation of Christ as the Good Shepherd, young, beardless, with flowing hair, and surrounded by sheep; opposite, there is a subject that is interpreted as representing St. Lawrence. There are three sarcophagi; the largest is said to have been that of Galla Placidia, and that her embalmed body was deposited there in a sitting position, clothed with the imperial mantle; in 1577, however, the contents of the sarcophagus were accidentaly burned. San Giovanni in Fonte was the baptistery of the Orthodox, dedicated by Archbishop Neon (449-52), built over the calidarium of public baths on the same site. It is of octagonal shape, with the interior walls and vault adorned with mosaics. In the centre of the cupola is the baptism of Christ, on a golden field, with a personification of the River Jordan; around are grouped the twelve Apostles on a blue field; and below are other figures, possibly of the prophets; there are also arabesques, etc. The marbles of the socle were taken from secular buildings. Contemporary mosaic of the Palace of TheodoricAfter 493, Ravenna was the capital of the Ostrogothic kingdom of Italy. Here the kingdom was ruled by Theodoric the Great. After the battle of Verona, Odoacer retreated to Ravenna, where he withstood a siege of three years by Theodoric, until the taking of Rimini deprived Ravenna of supplies. Archbishop Joannes served as the peace mediator (493). Theodoric employed Roman architects for secular and religious structures, including the lost palace near San Apollinare Nuovo; the "Palazzo di Teodorico" was an outbuilding. The palace itself was sacked by the Byzantines in 539, became the seat of the exarchs and of the King of the Lombards. Charlemagne appropriated columns of this palace for his own palace at Aachen. The last tower that remained of the palace of Theodoric was destroyed in 1295. Theodoric's Arian bishops had their seat in the cathedral close to the palace. It was rededicated in the 9th century as Sant' Apollinare Nuovo when relics of Saint Apollinaris were transferred there. Its apse and atrium underwent modernization at various times, but the mosaics of the lateral walls, twenty-four columns, and an ambo are preserved. The mosaics of the right side represent a scheme of twenty-six saints going to receive their crowns, towards a group representing Christ, beardless, enthroned amid four angels; which lattter group is the best. This picture contains a schematic representation of the palace of Theodoric. The Catholics had to revise some of the more Arian of the mosaics, as is shown by some hands that remain near a column. On the left are the virgins moving from the city of Classis towards the group of the Madonna and Child surrounded by four angels; on the two sides are the lines of windows, between which are mosaics representing sixteen saints (Doctors of the Church?) that have much more individuality than the figures already mentioned. On the third story are represented twenty-six scenes of the life and passion of Christ, in which latter, however, the crucifixion is lacking; between each two scenes there is the image of a saint. In another part of the church there is a rough mosaic containing the portrait of the Emperor Justinian. Exarchate of Ravenna Following the conquests of Belisarius for the Emperor Justinian I in the sixth century, Ravenna became the seat of the Byzantine governor of Italy, the Exarch, and was known as the Exarchate of Ravenna. Catholic and modern history After the Byzantine withdrawal Ravenna was ruled by legates of the Pope as one of the Papal States. It became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Sights Numerous beautiful late Roman and Byzantine mosaics remain to this day in the following: Arian baptistry Baptistry of Neon Church of S. Vitale Church of S. Apollinare in Classe Mausoleum of Theodoric Mausoleum of Galla Placidia More on Ravenna Area 652 km² Altitude 4 m Location 44°25'N 12°12'E Population 146,989 Population density 221,56 /km² Province Ravenna Region Emilia Romagna Mayor Vidmer Mercatali Official Site www.comune.ravenna.it Ravenna is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The city is inland, but is connected to the Adriatic Sea by a canal. Ravenna once served as the seat of the Roman Empire and later the Ostrogothic kingdom. It is presently the capital of the province of Ravenna. Early history The origins of Ravenna are uncertain. The first settlement is variously attributed to the Tyrrhenians, the Thessalians, or the Umbrians. Ravenna consisted of houses built on piles on a series of small islands in a marshy lagoon - a situation similar to Venice several centuries later. The Romans ignored it during their conquest of the Po River Delta, but later accepted it as a federated town into the Roman Republic in 89 BC. In 49 BC, it was the location where Julius Caesar gathered his forces before crossing the Rubicon. Later, after his battle against Mark Anthony in 45 BC, Emperor Augustus founded the military harbor of Classe. This harbor, protected at first by its own walls was an important station of the Roman imperial fleet. Nowadays the city is landlocked, but Ravenna remained an important seaport on the Adriatic until the early Middle Ages. During the German campaigns, Thusnelda, widow of Arminius, and Marbod, King of the Marcomanni, were confined at Ravenna. Ravenna greatly prospered under Roman rule. Emperor Trajan built a 70 kilometer long aqueduct at the beginning of the 2nd century. In 402, Emperor Honorius tranferred the capital of the Western Roman Empire from Milan to Ravenna. The transfer was made primarily for defensive purposes: Ravenna was surrounded by swamps and marshes and had ease of access to Imperial forces of the Eastern Roman Empire. However, in 409, King Alaric of the Visigoths simply bypassed Ravenna, and went on to sack Rome and to take Galla Placidia, daughter of Emperor Theodosius I, hostage. After many vissitudes, Galla Placidia returned to Ravenna with her son, Emperor Valentinian III and the support of her uncle Theodosius II. Ravenna enjoyed a period of unprecedented peace, during which time the Christian religon flourished, and the city gained its most famous monuments, both secular (demolished) and Christian (largely preserved). Contemporary mosaic of the Palace of TheodoricIn 476, the Western Roman Empire fell. Eastern Emperor Zeno sent Ostrogoth King Theodoric the Great to re-take the Italian peninsula. After the Battle of Verona, Odoacer retreated to Ravenna, where he withstood a siege of three years by Theodoric, until the taking of Rimini deprived Ravenna of supplies. After Theodoric slew Odoacer, Ravenna was the capital of the Ostrogothic kingdom of Italy. After 493, Theodoric employed Roman architects for secular and religious structures, including the lost palace near San Apollinare Nuovo; the "Palazzo di Teodorico" was an outbuilding. Theodoric and his followers were Arians, but co-existed peacefully with the Latins. Theodoric died in 526 and was succeeded by his daughter Amalasunta, who was killed in 535. However, Byzantine Emperor Justinian I was fanatically orthodox, and opposed both Ostrogoth rule and the Arian cult. In 535 AD he invaded Italy and in 540 conquered Ravenna. Ravenna became the seat of Byzantine government in Italy. Exarchate of Ravenna Following the conquests of Belisarius for the Emperor Justinian I in the sixth century, Ravenna became the seat of the Byzantine governor of Italy, the Exarch, and was known as the Exarchate of Ravenna. It was at this time that the Ravenna Cosmography was written. Medieval and Modern history The Lombards, under King Liutprand, occupied Ravenna in 712, but were forced to return it to the Byzantines. However, in 751 the Lombard king Aistulf succeeded in conquering Ravenna, thus ending Byzantine rule in northern Italy. King Pepin of France attacked the Lombards under orders of Pope Stephen II. Ravenna then became territory of the Papal States in 784. In return, Pope Adrian I authorized King Charlemagne to take away anything from Ravenna that he liked. Charlemagne made three looting expeditions to Ravenna, removing a vast quantity of Roman columns, mosaics, statues and other portable items to enrich his capital of Aachen. Ironically, under Papal rule, the archbishop of Ravenna enjoyed autocephaly from the Roman Church - a privilege obtained under Byzantine rule. Due to donations by the Saxon emperors, the archbishop of Ravenna was the richest in Italy after the Papacy, and was thus successfully able to challenge the temporal authority of the Pope on occasion. At the end of the 12th century, with the rise of the free cities, Ravenna lost its hinterland. Power rotated among the influential local families: the Traversarys, Rasponis and Polentarys. One of the most illustrious residents of Ravenna at this time was the exiled poet Dante. In 1512, during the Holy League wars, Ravenna was sacked by the French. From 1441-1509, Ravenna was ruled by Venice. After the Venetian withdrawal, Ravenna was again ruled by legates of the Pope as one of the Papal States. The city was damaged in a tremendous flood in May 1636. Over the next 3 centuries, a network of canals diverted nearby rivers and drained nearby swamps, thus reducing the possibility of flooding and creating a large belt of agricultural land around the city. Ravenna and the surrounding Romagna area became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861.