Ravenna - San Vitale

The "Basilica di San Vitale" was erected on an octagonal plan from 526 on, when Ravenna was under the rule of the Ostrogoths, followers of the Arianism. It was completed and got consecrated in 547, when Ravenna was part of the Byzantine Empire.

The church combines Roman with Byzantine elements. It is most famous for its wealth of Byzantine mosaics, the largest and best preserved outside of Constantinople. It is one of the most important examples of early Christian Byzantine art and architecture in Europe.

The impact, that this church had on the Wesern European architecture, can hardly be overestimated. The Palatine Chapel in Aachen, commisioned by Charlemagne, has strong parallels to San Vitale.

The mosaic of the apse depicting the garden Eden (watered by four rivers), in which (young and beardless) Christ, seated on a blue sphere and holding seven seals, is flanked by two angels. To the right is Bishop Ecclesius offering a model of the church, to the left Vitalis who is about to be crowned by Christ as a martyr.