S. Vitale
| Department | Archive |
|---|---|
| Collection | Byzantine Research Fund |
| Reference No. | BRF/01/05/03/003 |
| Level | Item |
| Place |
Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna Ravenna |
| Dates | November 1888 |
| Donor/Creator |
Weir Schultz, Mr Robert Barnsley, Mr Sidney Howard |
| Scope and Content | Detail of marble revetment. The drawing is initialed (RWS) and dated in pencil in the lower right-hand corner. |
| Further information | The church of S. Vitale (546-548) is an octagonal vaulted building with galleries modelled on the Constantinopolitan church of Hagioi Sergios and Bakchos and built exclusively of bricks. Low circular chapels flank the polygonal apse. Worth noting is the interior decoration of the building which consists of richly-veined marble revetments, elaborate capitals, impressive opus sectile on the pavement and lavish mosaics. The architect, although most probably a westerner, seems to have been acquainted with the new Constantinopolitan architecture during the Justinian period. The mosaic decoration of the monument was probably executed by the imperial workshop of the Justinian court. The construction of the monument was financed by Justinian who, soon after the recapture of Ravenna embarked on huge building projects to support the orthodox population in Italy. |