Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna: Justinian and Theodora Mosaics

The Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, northern Italy, is an octagonal church begun around 526–527 and consecrated in 547 or 548. It is famous above all for its glittering mosaics, including the facing portraits of Emperor Justinian I and Empress Theodora with their courts. Together with Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, it is one of the most important surviving monuments of early Byzantine art, and one of the few places where the brilliance of sixth-century imperial imagery can still be seen in its original setting.

Ravenna between Goths and Byzantines

Ravenna had become the capital of the Western Roman Empire in 402, protected by marshes and close to the naval base of Classe. After the end of Roman rule in the West, it served as the capital of the Ostrogothic king Theodoric (ruled Italy 493–526), whose own tomb still stands outside the city (see Mausoleum of Theodoric).

San Vitale was begun under Bishop Ecclesius (in office c. 522–532), shortly after Theodoric’s death. At that time the city was still Gothic, and its Catholic community lived beside Arian Christian rulers. The political situation changed during Justinian’s long war to reconquer Italy (see Gothic War): the general Belisarius entered Ravenna in 540, and the city became the seat of Byzantine government in Italy.

The church was therefore planned under the Goths but completed and decorated under the Byzantines. That shift explains why a church begun by a local bishop ended up as a showcase of imperial power.

Building the church

The project was paid for by Julianus Argentarius, a rich banker whose name means “the silversmith” or “the banker”. The ninth-century historian Agnellus of Ravenna, who wrote a history of the city’s bishops, records that the building cost 26,000 gold solidi, a very large sum.

The church was dedicated to Saint Vitalis, an early Christian martyr whom local tradition associated with Ravenna. It was consecrated by Maximian, the first bishop of Ravenna to hold the title of archbishop, in 547 or 548. Sources and modern scholars differ by a year, and 547 is the date most often cited.

Architecture: an octagon of light

San Vitale is a centrally planned building rather than a long basilica of the kind usual in Italy. Its core is an octagon covered by a dome, surrounded by a two-storey ambulatory with a gallery above. Eight piers support the dome, and between them curved, two-level screens of columns open into the outer aisle.

The dome was built with an unusual technique: interlocking hollow terracotta tubes, which made it light enough to rest on the walls without heavy buttressing. The entrance porch (narthex) is set at an angle to the main axis, a feature that has puzzled architectural historians.

Many scholars compare San Vitale with the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus in Constantinople, built about the same time and now known as the Little Hagia Sophia. Both reflect the experimental architecture of Justinian’s reign, which culminated in the great dome of Hagia Sophia. Columns and capitals in San Vitale were imported from the eastern Mediterranean, including finely carved basket capitals of Proconnesian marble.

The mosaics

The most celebrated decoration is concentrated in the chancel and apse, around the altar. Most of the mosaics there date to the 540s and survive in remarkably good condition.

In the apse vault, a youthful, beardless Christ sits on a blue globe, flanked by two angels. He hands a martyr’s crown to Saint Vitalis, while on the other side Bishop Ecclesius offers a model of the church. Above the chancel, the vault shows the Lamb of God in a wreath, held up by four angels against a background of vines, birds and animals.

The mosaics are made of thousands of small cubes, called tesserae, of coloured glass and stone. Many glass cubes contain a thin layer of gold leaf, and they were set at slightly different angles so that they catch and scatter the light. As the light changes during the day, the gold backgrounds seem to shimmer, an effect that was deliberate and difficult to capture in photographs.

The side walls of the chancel are covered with Old Testament scenes chosen because they foreshadow the Eucharist: the offerings of Abel and Melchizedek, Abraham welcoming three angels, the sacrifice of Isaac, and episodes from the life of Moses. The four evangelists, with their symbols, appear above.

The imperial panels

The two most famous panels face each other on the lower walls of the apse. On the left, Justinian stands in purple robes and a jewelled crown, holding a golden bowl (a paten) for the Eucharistic bread. Beside him, on the viewer’s right, stands Archbishop Maximian, identified by an inscription with his name, together with clergy carrying a cross, a gospel book and a censer. On Justinian’s other side are court officials and soldiers, one bearing a shield marked with the Chi-Rho, the monogram of Christ.

Opposite, Theodora wears a high crown, heavy pearl pendants and a purple cloak whose hem is embroidered with the three Magi bringing gifts. She holds a jewelled chalice for the wine. She is accompanied by two officials and a group of richly dressed women, and stands beside a fountain and a doorway with a raised curtain.

The panels show the emperor and empress taking part in a procession of offerings, as if they were present at the liturgy. Neither ever visited Ravenna, so the images acted as a statement of imperial authority in a newly reconquered city. Theodora died in 548, so her portrait was made very near the end of her life (see Empress Theodora).

Later history

Ravenna remained the centre of Byzantine Italy, the Exarchate of Ravenna, until the Lombards captured the city in 751. San Vitale continued in use as a church and became attached to a Benedictine monastery.

Charlemagne admired Ravenna’s monuments, and his Palatine Chapel at Aachen, consecrated around 805, is widely thought to draw on San Vitale’s octagonal design. He also received permission from the pope to take marble and columns from Ravenna for his new buildings.

The dome’s original decoration has not survived. The paintings visible today were added in the late 18th century in the Baroque style. Restorations since the 19th century have repaired and stabilised the mosaics. In 1996 UNESCO listed San Vitale with seven other buildings as the Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna.

Myths and facts

• Myth: The mosaics are realistic portraits made from life. Fact: The faces of Justinian and Theodora may follow official models sent from Constantinople, but the artists in Ravenna probably never saw them in person.
• Myth: San Vitale was built by Justinian. Fact: It was begun under a local bishop during Gothic rule and paid for by a private banker; Justinian’s role was symbolic.

Timeline

• c. 526–527: Construction begins under Bishop Ecclesius, funded by Julianus Argentarius.
• 540: Belisarius enters Ravenna; the city passes under Byzantine control.
• 546: Maximian becomes bishop of Ravenna.
• 547 or 548: Maximian consecrates the church.
• 548, June: Empress Theodora dies in Constantinople.
• 751: The Lombards capture Ravenna, ending the Exarchate.
• c. 805: Charlemagne’s Palatine Chapel at Aachen is consecrated, partly inspired by San Vitale.
• 1996: UNESCO lists the Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna, including San Vitale.

Why it matters

San Vitale preserves the most famous images of Justinian and Theodora and one of the finest mosaic programmes of the early Middle Ages. It shows how art, architecture and religion were used to project imperial power across the Mediterranean, and its octagonal design influenced church building in the West for centuries.