Mosaics in Sant’Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy, and the religious conflict between the Ostrogoths and the Byzantines.
Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, built c. 500, renovated 560s, Ravenna, Italy. Speakers: Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker
[0:00] [music]
Dr. Steven Zucker: [0:04] We’re in Sant’Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, and we believe this is where the Ostrogoth king Theodoric worshiped. In fact, his palace was next door.
Dr. Beth Harris: [0:14] These were foreigners, they were not Romans, but in the 5th century they occupied Italy, and Ravenna was their capital.
Dr. Zucker: [0:22] The Goths were Arian, and the emperor in Constantinople was Orthodox. We have this church as evidence of these two different beliefs and their confrontation.
[0:33] When the church was first built by Theodoric to be his palace chapel the name was different. This was a church that was dedicated to Christ the Redeemer.
Dr. Harris: [0:42] The church began its life as an Arian church. Then, when Justinian, the emperor in Constantinople, sent his general to get rid of the [Ostro]goth king and to take this back for the Orthodox faith, he rededicated this church. Many of the mosaics were changed at that point to reflect Orthodox beliefs and to erase what was felt to reflect Arian beliefs.
[1:08] Unlike perhaps the most famous church in Ravenna, San Vitale, which is a central plan, Sant’Apollinare Nuovo is a basilica plan. When we look down the nave, we see fabulous mosaics.
Dr. Zucker: [1:21] In fact, this is one of only two churches in the world that retain its nave wall decorations. The other one is in Rome, Santa Maria Maggiore.
[1:29] On the west side of the church, we see the palace of Theodoric. This is the palace that would have been right next to this church. We don’t know how accurate a depiction it is. Then, across from that, we can see the port city of Classe, which is just south of Ravenna.
[1:43] In the southeast corner, you have Christ on a throne surrounded by four angels. Opposite that is another mosaic representing Christ, this time as a child on his mother’s lap, also surrounded by four angels.
Dr. Harris: [1:57] The processional figures that we see down the center of the nave, on one side male and the other side female, replace the mosaics created during the time of Theodoric. Some art historians conjecture that what was here had to be replaced specifically had to do with Arianism, which was now heretical, or perhaps with Theodoric and his family. We just don’t know.
[2:20] On one side, female figures, virgin martyrs, emerge from that port city of Classe at the west end and make their way, led by the Three Magi, toward the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child surrounded by four angels.
Dr. Zucker: [2:37] Their outfits are spectacular. This tremendous detail in the pattern of these textiles.
Dr. Harris: [2:43] The female virgin martyrs that we see all carry crowns. They each have halos around their heads. Although there is that green landscape that they’re standing in, with flowers and palm trees between them, there is no sky. There’s that flat gold background that is typically Byzantine in style.
Dr. Zucker: [3:02] On the south wall, a long line of male martyrs parallel the female martyrs on the other side. They’re also holding crowns, which they’ll be offering to Christ. At the front of the line is Saint Martin, to whom this church was rededicated after the Ostrogoths were vanquished.
[3:19] There’s another frieze of large figures that are interrupted by the windows on the side of the church. These figures hold books and scrolls. They may well be saints. They may well be prophets. We’re not sure who they are. Above that are smaller scenes of the life of Christ.
Dr. Harris: [3:34] The mosaic that we see furthest toward the east end of the church, furthest toward the apse where the Eucharist would be performed, is a scene of the Last Supper. We see Christ with his 12 apostles. This would be the moment when Christ announced, “One of you will betray me.”
[3:49] He also would’ve said, “Here’s the bread. This is my body. Here’s the wine. This is my blood. And remember me.” This is the institution of that sacrament of the Eucharist that would’ve happened here at the east end of the church.
[4:00] We’re used to seeing the Last Supper because we’re familiar with Leonardo’s “Last Supper,” but this is so different in how the artist represented the story.
Dr. Zucker: [4:09] Well, this is a thousand years earlier than Leonardo. What we see are figures that are seated around a table that are almost lying on their sides, the way that the ancient Romans used to dine. We see on the table two large fish, loaves of bread, and the largest figure, Christ, dressed in imperial purple.
Dr. Harris: [4:28] He’s larger than everybody else because he’s more important. You can see this Byzantine medieval way of representing in a symbolic way but in a way that’s legible and clear so that anyone here would’ve known and been able to identify the story.
Dr. Zucker: [4:43] Just imagine the scene for a moment. The Ostrogoth king Theodoric has taken Italy. He’s made Ravenna his capital. He’s built a fabulous palace. He’s built this extraordinary church, and here he would pray. Here he would take communion. Just to the right, up at the highest level, we have a mosaic that shows the institution of that very act.
[5:03] [music]
