The basilica itself was constructed in the early sixth century, being consecrated in the year 549, and dedicated to the first Bishop of Ravenna, St. Apollinaris -- who, according to tradition, was a disciple and envoy of the Apostle St. Peter himself. As for the mosaics, they are dated slightly later, coming from the sixth and seventh centuries respectively.
Now mosaics are quite impressive works to behold, but they can also be quite overwhelming for reason of the plethora of details that are typically found within them -- and those at the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare are certainly no exception. Frequently these works are filled with all sorts of details and these can be quite easy to miss -- essentially we have the inverse of the problem of 'not being able to see the forest for the trees'; we tend to see the proverbial forest just fine but what we miss out on are the particular details. This is no criticism of these mosaics themselves of course; it only speaks to their particular richness -- a richness that was likely intended to be savoured, revealing themselves to the observer over extneded periods of time.
Fortunately, we live in a time where we can zero in on some of these details using photography and so that is what we are going to do today. This is primarily intended to be a visual meditation, though some basic commentary will be provided beneath each photo.
I hope you will savour these mosaics as much as I do.
THE APSE
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| The overall imagery of the apse presents us with a beautiful, lush, green garden, likely representing paradise, the new Eden; above weee the glory of heaven. Nearest the bejewelled Cross, representing Christ's Transfiguration, are three lambs representing the three disciplines who were present at that event, Peter, James and John. |
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| St. Apollinaris of Ravenna, a bishop and martyr who originally hailed from Antioch and is thought to have been a disciple and emissary of St. Peter himself. |
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| The bejewelled Cross with the text "salus mundi" (salvation of the world); to either side you can better see the figures of Moses and Elijah. |
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| Detail from the Cross showing an image of Christ |
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| The Prophet, St. Elias (Elijah) |
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| Moses |
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| Decorative detail showcasing various flora, fauna and birds. |
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| Around the sanctuary are found two larger mosaics and, between the windows, are four smaller one's depicting saintly bishops of Ravenna. |
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| St. Ursicinus of Ravenna |
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| St. Severus of Ravenna |
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| St. Ecclesius of Ravenna |
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| St Ursus of Ravenna |
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| The Granting of Imperial Privileges to the church. This mosaic is thought to depict various Byzantine emperors, presenting privileges to the church in Ravenna. |
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| Decorative detail. |
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| The Sacrifices of Abel, Melchizedek and Abraham. Abel offers a lamb, Melchizedek bread and wine, and Abraham his own son, Isaac. |
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| Detail of Melchizedek |
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| The triumphal arch is crowned by a depiction of Christ with symbols of the four evangelists as well as twelve lambs. |
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| Christ Pantocrator |
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| St. Mark and St. Luke. Beneath, six of the twelve sheep proceeding from a city (likely representing Bethlehem or Jerusalem) |
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| Symbols of St. John and St. Matthew. Beneath, six of the twelve sheep proceeding from a city (likely representing Bethlehem or Jerusalem) |
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| Symbol of St. John |
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| Symbol of St. Matthew |
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| Symbol of St. Mark |
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| Symbol of St. Luke |
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| The Archangel Gabriel |
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| Detail of the Archangel Michael |
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| St. Luke |
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| St. Matthew |
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| Palm trees are found to either side. |
For those who might be interested in reading an interesting, in depth symbolic accounting of the various details of this mosaic, rather than re-inventing the wheel for my own part, I'd invite you to read British iconographer Aidan Hart's account.
