Art Pursuits 2022 brochure

ITALY
RAVENNA
Early Christian & Byzantine Marbles & Mosaics
San Vitale
In Ravenna we see proof that although the Western Roman Empire weakened, and ultimately collapsed in the late 5th-
Century, incomparable artistic achievement continued into the mid-6th Century. By the time Alaric, the Visigoth, sacked
Rome, the Eternal City, in 410, Ravenna had been the imperial capital for eight years. Its 5th-Century Roman buildings,
including the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, are consequently among the finest that survive, an unlikely patrimony for what
had been a marshy, malarial garrison town. Ravenna’s
strategic and political importance has been established;
the Ostrogoths and in 540, the Byzantine army, fought
hard to capture it. The Ostrogothic king Theodoric and the
Byzantine Emperor Justinian made Ravenna their Italian
capital, and both endowed it with treasures unparalleled
in 6th-Century Italy. Most glorious are the mosaic and
marble filled interiors of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo and San
Vitale. Join Dr Sally Dormer on this tour, which explores
how Ravenna became one of the greatest cultural centres
Ravenna
in Italy, a rival to Rome and Milan.
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To book call 01280 736 115 or visit artpursuits.com