Ravenna

Ravenna is a city and commune in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. It rose to power in the 1st century BC under the Emperor Augustus. The Roman emperor built a port and naval base at nearby Classe, which is currently undergoing archaeological excavation [1]. Ravenna was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 402 AD until 476 AD (V century); the capital of the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy (476-540), and later the seat of Byzantine government in Italy.

> A little journey outside Ravenna to the church of Sant' Apollinare in Classe will enable the student to bring his study of early mosaic work and earlier sculpture down to a still later period, as in that church there is the great mosaic erected by Archbishop Reparatus c. 671, the curved throne of St. Damianus (668-705), and the sarcophagi of various archbishops, extending in date to the end of the seventh century, and bearing religious emblems of very considerable importance.[1]

The Basilica of Sant'Apollinare is dedicated to St. Apollinaris, patron saint of Ravenna.

## See also[edit]

* Roman Empire
* Architecture
* Peter Chrysologus

## References[edit]

1. ↑ Ecclesiastical Art