Basilica of Sant' Apollinare Nuovo

Basilica of Sant' Apollinare Nuovo

As part of our tour of the mosaics in Ravenna, Italy we visited the Basilica of Sant' Apollinare Nuovo which was originally consecrated in 504. This church has a rich history which you can read on Wikipedia at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Sant%27Apollinare_Nuovo . One thing that really interested me was the fact that Pope Gregory the Great ordered the mosaics in this church to be blackened because the "golden glory distracted worshippers from their prayers". I photographed most, if not all the mosaics as well as other art in this church and will share a few of them over the next few days.

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Basilica di San Vitale 4

Basilica di San Vitale 4

This will be the last of the photos I took in the Basilica di Sam Vitale in Ravenna, Italy. I've uploaded ten additional images to my blog this morning for those of you who wish to view more of the art in this beautiful church.

The second shows another angle of the image with a beardless Jesus. The second last image is a close view of the floor in one part of the church. You can see the individual pieces of glass that make up the floor. Imagine how many pieces it took to create all the art in that church! The last photo shows a baptismal font near the exit. The open door provided ample light to make this image.

Photos of the Day are for sale as stock photographs
and photographic enlargements.

They can also be purchased as slide shows
and/or wallpapers/screensavers.

Basilica di San Vitale 3

Basilica di San Vitale 3

Today I am sharing more photos of the mosaics in the Basilica di San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy. The first photo shows Jesus, in the middle, without a beard, the way he was portrayed in art in those days. Apparently the custom of showing Jesus with a beard became established later in the 6th century because there is a depiction of him with a beard in that church as well, which was finished in 546 AD.

Photos of the Day are for sale as stock photographs
and photographic enlargements.

They can also be purchased as slide shows
and/or wallpapers/screensavers.

Basilica of San Vitale 2

Basilica of San Vitale 2

The Basilica di San Vitale is an impressive church because of the early Christian Byzantine art and acchitecture. It houses some of the best preserved mosaics east of Constantinople. It is amazing that they could make such beautiful art with small coloured pieces of glass and that it would last virtually unchanged for 1500 years. Of course the art illustrated stories from the Bible to teach the masses since most could not read in those days.

Photos of the Day are for sale as stock photographs
and photographic enlargements.

They can also be purchased as slide shows
and/or wallpapers/screensavers.

Basilica di San Vitale 1

Basilica di San Vitale 1

For the next few days I wish to share photos of the Basilica di San Vitale, one of the most important examples of early Christian Byzantine art and architecture in Western Europe. My wife and I took a tour of the famous mosaics in Ravenna, Italy that date back to the 500s and that included a tour of two churches and a walking tour through the Old Town.

As we walked into the building there were may sculptures that dated back to the 300s and I photographed a few before I lost sight of the group. I would have liked more time there but was not disappointed when inside the basilica. It is hard to describe the beauty of the architecture and artwork but you will see some of it in the next few days. I plan to upload ten or so to my Blog each day.

The first photo I took inside the building shows an interesting cross. The second image shows a view of the beautiful artwork on the ceiling. The others show some of the artwork and interesting architecture.

Photos of the Day are for sale as stock photographs
and photographic enlargements.

They can also be purchased as slide shows
and/or wallpapers/screensavers.