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San Vitale is an Early Byzantine centrally planned, octagonal church, used initially as a martyrium for the local martyr Vitalis. It is the most elaborate interlinking of the strands of politics, church, and art in Ravenna in Italy. Ravenna was the seat of Byzantine Italy until the 8th century. The basilica of San Vitale was built as part of the Justinian project to reform the Empire.
Justinian’s major aim was the restoration of the former Empire. He inaugurated new programs in the fields of administration, army, justice, and architecture. His ambition was to fill the Empire with grand religious and civil buildings (Rodley 132). Ravenna was conquered by Justinian in 540. San Vitale was dedicated by the Archbishop Maximian in 548. Its sponsor was a local banker named Julius Argentarius and its construction began under Bishop Ecclesius in 522. Ecclesius appears in the apse mosaic offering a model of the church and Julius in a Latin inscription and monograms. Apart from San Vitale, Justinian program included the construction of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Saint Apollinare Nuovo, and Saint Apollinare in Classe. For its construction worked local groups of masons and local materials were used. Its floor plan is octagonal and is based on eight piers. The internal octagon in higher and appears as a dome. There is, also, a narthex, atrium and an ambulatory which leads to side chapels. It combines Roman elements such as the stepped towers and Byzantine such as polygonal arches (Krautheimer 291).
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The mosaics of San Vitale are the best measure of the art complexity reached under Emperor Justinian. They are limited to the sanctuary and eastern apse. Although the decoration can be read as a unified theme, it has been suggested that the vault, apse, and imperial panel were designed under Victor in 544 and completed by Maximian (Cormack 58). At the center of the vault the Lamb of God, symbolizing Christ is held up by four angels. The Lamb instead of Christ is a common Early Christian depiction, found also in the Rotunda at Thessaloniki. The theme of sacrifice is found in the semicircular tympana with the figures of Abraham and Isaac, Abel, and Melchizedek. This combination of scenes from the Old and New Testament in observed in Santa Maria Maggiore. The two imperial panels depicting Justinian and Theodora are located on opposing walls under the conch of the apse, where Christ is seated on the globe with the four rivers of paradise beneath his feet, surrounded by the Archangel Michael and Gabriel. The group of Justinian is ready to walk in procession into the church as part of the ceremony of the Little Entrance. He holds a paten of bread for the Eucharist. Empress Theodora holds a chalice for the Eucharist. She stands at the courtyard ready to process through the door. The people around them can be identified in terms of dressing as court, clergy, and army (Cormack 61).
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The basilica of San Vitale is the most important monument in terms of Early Byzantine mosaic decoration. Its function had both religious and political affiliations, as for Justinian there was never a separation between them. With its erection, he wished to celebrate the return of Ravenna from the Ostrogoth. His appearance in one of the sanctuary mosaics along with his wife in representations surrounded by halos underlines this belief. The Early Byzantine monument of San Vitale belongs to the World Heritage Sites protected by UNESCO and it is subject to the Italian legislation.
Multiple Choice Questions:
Who was the sponsor of San Vitale?
Justinian
Ecclesius
Julius
Maximian
Where are the mosaics located?
Narthex and ambulatory
Sanctuary
Sanctuary and eastern apse
Sanctuary and western apse
Resources
Cormack, Robin. Byzantine Art. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. Print.
Krautheimer, Richard. Early Christian and Byzantine Architecture. New Haven: Yale
Rodley, Lyn. Byzantine Art and Architecture: An Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994. Print.
Schug-Wille, Christa. Art of the Byzantine World. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1969. Print.
