ravenna

last weekend rebecca and i took a day trip to ravenna. a small town (we actually walked from one end to the other in about 15 min) on italy's eastern coast that was the seat of byzantine rule after it was captured by general belisarius in 540. so it has a few remarkable byzantine churches with lovely mosaics. ever since i studied the byzantine empire in high school, i've really wanted to see these churches in person. the first stop: san vitale.

the colors are even more stunning in person. above, justinian, one of the most important byzantine emperors, is depicted surrounded by generals, including general belisarius, and priests, symbolizing his military/political and religious power.  on the wall opposite is a scene showing justinian's wife theodora and her attendants. theodora is a rather colorful character; she was an actress and a prostitute before converting to christianity and becoming a wool spinner. justinian was not allowed to marry her because government officials were forbidden by law from marrying actresses (aka prostitutes...bad example, ya know), but apparently he was so in love with her that he had the law changed.

as empress she wielded a surprising amount of power for a woman of that time and did much to further women's rights in the byzantine empire.  as a side note, justinian and theodora are the ones who built hagia sophia. i'm just dying to go to istanbul to see it. someday...

ravenna is also home to dante's tomb. although dante is known as the greatest florentine poet, he was exiled from the city so he was not allowed to be buried here. now of course florentines love dante. my host mom was slightly horrified when i told her i'm reading him in english and not the original italian for my divine comedy class.

above, the ceiling of the battistero neoniano from 430. in the center is the baptism of christ by st. john the baptist and the surrounding figures are the apostles. below are photos from sant'apollinare nuovo.

one of the reasons i love byzantine art is i find it charming. the bright colors and rhythmic repetition of forms give the mosaics a playful energy. you can't help but smile :)