Because Ravenna is situated on the Adriatic coast, it was an essential port for controlling trade between the east and the west. After Justinian reclaimed Ravenna for the Byzantine Empire, it became the Italian center of his Eastern empire and the focus of his artistic patronage in Italy. Justinian wanted to restore Christendom to the west, ravaged by northern pagans, and this can be seen in his building programs. Ravenna was the site of the development of the aforementioned centrally planned church.
The city's most important Justinian church was dedicated to St. Vitalus (San Vitale in Italian). He was a Roman slave and Christian martyr who became the object of a growing following from the end of the fourth c.
San Vitale, Ravenna, 526-47 A.D.
The building symbolizes the achievements of Emperor Justinian, representative of the First Byzantine Golden Age. The focus of Justinian architecture had been the elevated central pavilion or dome. An architectural campaign had been set upon perfecting the formula for a domed centralized space.
The plan of San Vitale consists of an octagonal domed core, vaulted and resting on eight piers and arches, then encircled by an ambulatory and a gallery.
The longitudinal axis of he basilica is forsaken in San Vitale, to create a greater emphasis on heaven above. At first the plan seems unified and simplified, easily read. But this is undermined by the narthex being placed off axis, making the vistas (views) become extremely complex, the visitor remains uncertain of his position with regard to the chancel and altar. All views are complex, angled, unmeasurable.
The load of support is unclear. From the interior, the viewer sees little support for the weight of the dome, making him unsure, perhaps God is holding up the structure. In fact, all of the buttressing is done from the exterior.
While the exterior is plain brick and blocky, rather massive, the interior begins to break up, become mystified, spiritual. This is enhanced by the overlay of marble and mosaic on the walls, obscuring the mass of the walls.
This plain exterior and ornate spiritual interior is carried over from the Christian basilical church. Both expounded an exterior of this world, with an interior of the spiritual. The dome of San Vitale only further enhances the essence of heaven. The interior is light and airy, the large windows in the ambulatory, galleries, and dome create an aureole of bright light about the central core, furthering the spiritual quality.
Plan and Transerve section
of San Vitale
