Sant'Apollinare in Classe
Sant'Apollinare in Classe is one dedicated to St. Apollinaris of Ravenna church in Classe , a fraction of Ravenna , Italy south of the main town . It is especially famous - like the other Byzantine churches of Ravenna - for the wall mosaics inside. Together with seven other late antique buildings in Ravenna, Sant'Apollinare in Classe was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO .
history
The construction of the church began under Bishop Ursicinus; on May 9, 549 it was inaugurated by Bishop Maximian . The rich banker Iulianus Argentarius financed the construction. The name in Classe comes from the ancient Roman city of Civitas Classis at the then (later silted up) port of Ravenna , which was expanded under Emperor Augustus to defend the entire Adriatic to become the second largest naval port of the Roman Empire. The city had a heterogeneous population with many immigrants from the eastern provinces of the Byzantine Empire. This is how St. Apollinaris came here from Antioch towards the end of the 1st or beginning of the 2nd century. He started the first Christian community in Ravenna and became its first bishop. The basilica was built over his grave. In the middle of the 9th century his bones were transferred to the church of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo , as it was located in the center of Ravenna and not in the more remote port area and was thus easier to protect against looting.
Outdoor area
The outer walls of the church are simple and consist of an arrangement of narrow red bricks (48 × 4 cm) on a white lime bed (4 cm), which makes the church appear lighter or darker depending on the light conditions. The apse is encased polygonally on the outside. A possibly subsequently added entrance hall ( narthex ) is in front of the actual portal; Above this there is a triple-arched window with set marble columns.
Campanile
The multi-storey bell tower built in Lombard style over a round floor plan with two- and three-arched window and sound openings dates from the 11th or 12th century and can only be compared with the also free-standing round tower of the former cathedral of Uzès ( Languedoc ). The basement only has loopholes like light openings.
inner space
The interior (55.58 × 30.30 m) consists of three naves, which are separated from each other by two rows of twelve columns each made of striped Greek marble with Byzantine capitals . The elongated church is - as was customary in late antiquity - not arched, but covered with wooden roof trusses ; the original coffered ceiling is no longer preserved. Only remnants of the formerly mosaic-decorated floor have survived.
The east-facing apse can be reached by a wide staircase; in or under the altar was originally the grave of St. Apollinaris. The mosaic of the apse shows a representation of the Transfiguration ; it is the first representation of the transfiguration in which Christ is symbolized by a cross. The three lambs on a green meadow possibly symbolize Peter and the apostle brothers James and John . Under the cross is a lush green, flower-strewn landscape with sheep and St. Apollinaris in the middle. The bishop is dressed in a chasuble and the bishop's pallium; in prayer he raises his arms to heaven in an ornamental position . He is surrounded by 12 lambs, representing the believers following their Shepherd.
The great triumphal arch of the gable was designed last (some date it back to the 7th century, others to the 9th century). In the middle is a medallion with an image of Christ - blessing with a frown. In the background with a reddish and blue sky float the symbols of the four evangelists , the eagle (symbol for John ), the winged man (symbol for Matthew ), the lion (symbol for Mark ) and the bull (symbol for Luke ). In the lower area, twelve lambs representing the apostles leave the holy cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem and ascend to Christ. In the arch, two palm trees laden with dates stand out against the night sky. Like the archangels Michael and Gabriel, this scene is dated to the 6th century, while the evangelists Matthew and Luke were probably not added until the 12th century.
crypt
The crypt is semicircular and adheres to the apse wall. The two entrances are each provided with grilles. A central cell under the main altar contains a sarcophagus made of Greek marble that contains the bones of St. Apollinaris, but they now rest in the main altar of the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna. Next to a chapel on the left is a marble ciborium (or canopy ) from the 9th century, which was dedicated to St. Eleucadius , an early bishop of Ravenna, the four columns, the decoration of the capitals and the arches show classic Byzantine motifs, but also already Lombard influence.
Furnishing
On the inner walls of the aisles are ten sarcophagi made of Greek marble, all of which are empty and most of which were used for the burial of the bishops of Ravenna from the 5th to the 8th centuries. Below are
- the former burial place of Bishop Theodor (688) with motifs such as grapevines from a vase , peacocks , pigeons , crosses and monograms of Christ
- the 12 apostles sarcophagus showing Christ handing a scroll of law to Paul, and Peter crucified lifting up the keys and other apostles
- the sarcophagus of Archbishop Grazioso (788), who had received Charlemagne , decorated with crosses ; Above it, a tombstone from the first half of the 6th century is embedded in the wall and says: This is where the ark of Blessed Apollinaris was before Archbishop Maximilian received it in the basilica (since 856 the Bones of the meanwhile canonized no longer buried in this, but in the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna)
- the fourth sarcophagus, which is decorated with reliefs of shells and date palms, as well as with reliefs of peacocks drinking from the source of eternal life.
A wide plaque from the former monastery in Classe is embedded in the inner wall of the left aisle, on which the German-Roman Emperor Otto III was present in Latin for 40 days . is remembered during Lent in 1001.
There are five more sarcophagi on the inside wall of the right aisle. The last sarcophagus in the right aisle is dedicated to Licina Valeria, Faustina Italica, who rests in peace and was only one year, six months and six days old, the sweetest daughter of her painful parents .
Apse with mosaic
Altar and apse
Representations of bishops on the aisles
Canopy with twisted column shafts and remains of the mosaic floor
Late antique sarcophagus with a round lid
Not entirely restored frescoes
Mosaic on the side wall
literature
- Erich Dinkler : The apse mosaic by S. Apollinare in Classe , Scientific Treatises of the Working Group for Research of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Volume 29. Westdeutscher Verlag, Cologne / Opladen 1964.
- Angelika Michael: The apse mosaic by S. Apollinare in Classe: its interpretation in the context of the liturgy , Lang, Frankfurt am Main etc., 2005, ISBN 3-631-53488-4 .
- Jutta Dresken-Weiland : The early Christian mosaics of Ravenna - image and meaning , Schnell & Steiner Verlag, Regensburg 2016, ISBN 978-3-7954-3024-5
Web links
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 44 ° 22 ′ 49 ″ N , 12 ° 13 ′ 59 ″ E