Once upon a time Ravenna was a rich, intrigue-full great imperial power now you can re-discover its ancient, atmospheric basilicas stuffed full of sparkling mosaics – and more. You just have to walk back 1500 years or so.
When Julius Caesar was on his way to cross the nearby Rubicon and capture Rome, he gathered his troops in Ravenna because it was so well sheltered. The small collection of islands that made up the settlement had the sea as a barrier and made it practically impregnable.
Anyway, when Caesar’s heir, Augustus, took over and began to secure and grow the empire, he realized the need for a port to secure the Adriatic and Rome’s eastern conquests, and thought of Ravenna.
So, around the time of Christ, Ravenna became very important as Augustus’ international Roman port.
Augustus had created a great naval dockyard around Ravenna’s biggest island – now called ‘Classis’ or fleet in Latin. Fast growing Maritime Pines had been planted all along the coast, ships were built and a port was created. Eventually the Classe fleet numbered up to 5,000 vessels of which 250 could be moored in the port – and of course there were sailors – Greeks and Egyptians mainly.
Just imagine Classis at that time; an enormous military port, bustling day and night, with a massive ‘Pharos’ – flaming lighthouse – to keep it open all hours. Full of eastern peoples, working, eating, gambling, trading - a frighteningly impressive military power in the Adriatic. And just beside it, the city of Ravenna based on the islands of San Vitale and Caesarea growing in power every year as a result of the port and its massive trade and diplomacy throughout the eastern Roman Empire – all the way across to Hungary and down to Africa.
It was only a matter of time before impregnable Ravenna would come to global power, importance and intrigue, riches and religion and decadence as a great Imperial capital.
When Julius Caesar was on his way to cross the nearby Rubicon and capture Rome, he gathered his troops in Ravenna because it was so well sheltered. The small collection of islands that made up the settlement had the sea as a barrier and made it practically impregnable.
Anyway, when Caesar’s heir, Augustus, took over and began to secure and grow the empire, he realized the need for a port to secure the Adriatic and Rome’s eastern conquests, and thought of Ravenna.
So, around the time of Christ, Ravenna became very important as Augustus’ international Roman port.
Augustus had created a great naval dockyard around Ravenna’s biggest island – now called ‘Classis’ or fleet in Latin. Fast growing Maritime Pines had been planted all along the coast, ships were built and a port was created. Eventually the Classe fleet numbered up to 5,000 vessels of which 250 could be moored in the port – and of course there were sailors – Greeks and Egyptians mainly.
Just imagine Classis at that time; an enormous military port, bustling day and night, with a massive ‘Pharos’ – flaming lighthouse – to keep it open all hours. Full of eastern peoples, working, eating, gambling, trading - a frighteningly impressive military power in the Adriatic. And just beside it, the city of Ravenna based on the islands of San Vitale and Caesarea growing in power every year as a result of the port and its massive trade and diplomacy throughout the eastern Roman Empire – all the way across to Hungary and down to Africa.
It was only a matter of time before impregnable Ravenna would come to global power, importance and intrigue, riches and religion and decadence as a great Imperial capital.
It happened like this…
As the Italian peninsula, from the Alps to Rome, was ravaged by the Barbarians, and Rome and Milan were under threat, the emperor Honorius took shelter in impregnable Ravenna. Not that he’d got away from the Huns, the Ostrogoths, the Vandals etc, but at least he was pretty safe from them.
Honorius’ half-sister Galla Placidia had been taken hostage in Rome, then married her captor Ataulf king of the Ostrogoths. When he had been slaughtered she’d been taken hostage again and Honorius had brought her back to Ravenna to be married to the then General Constantius, later to be Constantius III.
Thrown out by the people of Ravenna she fought her way back to the city and was acclaimed Roman Empress-Consort on behalf of her baby-son Valentinian III.
So, in 425 Ravenna’s second flush began. An immensely strong city with a powerful port and enormous international connections – it became Imperial Capital, later the Gothic Capital in Italy and later capital of the western Byzantine Empire. In the next 200 years some of the world’s great treasures of Byzantine Christian art and architecture were created.
Even after Galla Placidia’s reign, the city was still an icon of power, art and decadence. The Gothic ‘Ruler of the People’ Theodoric stormed it with hundreds of thousands of his people and began a reign of openness and harmony with rights granted to all religious faiths – including his own Christian Arian religion.
As the Italian peninsula, from the Alps to Rome, was ravaged by the Barbarians, and Rome and Milan were under threat, the emperor Honorius took shelter in impregnable Ravenna. Not that he’d got away from the Huns, the Ostrogoths, the Vandals etc, but at least he was pretty safe from them.
Honorius’ half-sister Galla Placidia had been taken hostage in Rome, then married her captor Ataulf king of the Ostrogoths. When he had been slaughtered she’d been taken hostage again and Honorius had brought her back to Ravenna to be married to the then General Constantius, later to be Constantius III.
Thrown out by the people of Ravenna she fought her way back to the city and was acclaimed Roman Empress-Consort on behalf of her baby-son Valentinian III.
So, in 425 Ravenna’s second flush began. An immensely strong city with a powerful port and enormous international connections – it became Imperial Capital, later the Gothic Capital in Italy and later capital of the western Byzantine Empire. In the next 200 years some of the world’s great treasures of Byzantine Christian art and architecture were created.
Even after Galla Placidia’s reign, the city was still an icon of power, art and decadence. The Gothic ‘Ruler of the People’ Theodoric stormed it with hundreds of thousands of his people and began a reign of openness and harmony with rights granted to all religious faiths – including his own Christian Arian religion.
But every great story has to come to an end and three hundred years and much blood and conspiracy later in 761 the city fell to the Lombards and its downward spiral began.
But the story of Ravenna and its glory is easy to see behind the façade of a serenely beautiful Italian city you can go through ancient doors and arrive in a magnificent 1500-year-old glorious imperial capital.
Ravenna is still full of sensational treasures. Amongst the 8 places listed by UNESCO as of being of outstanding universal value of global importance are the light-filled, sixth century basilica of Sant Appolinaris in Classe with its twenty four columns of Greek marble leading to the apse and triumphal arch with the most stunning mosaics. The stunning Mausoleum created by Galla Placidia is one of Europe’s gems. Totally bare outside and totally encrusted inside with the most amazingly colourful mosaics. They stunned Gianni Versacci, Freud and Jung, Byron and JRR Tolkien amongst many others.
Find out how you can discover this amazing treasure at www.BestofRomagna.com
Or ask us: Welcome@BestofRomagna.com
But the story of Ravenna and its glory is easy to see behind the façade of a serenely beautiful Italian city you can go through ancient doors and arrive in a magnificent 1500-year-old glorious imperial capital.
Ravenna is still full of sensational treasures. Amongst the 8 places listed by UNESCO as of being of outstanding universal value of global importance are the light-filled, sixth century basilica of Sant Appolinaris in Classe with its twenty four columns of Greek marble leading to the apse and triumphal arch with the most stunning mosaics. The stunning Mausoleum created by Galla Placidia is one of Europe’s gems. Totally bare outside and totally encrusted inside with the most amazingly colourful mosaics. They stunned Gianni Versacci, Freud and Jung, Byron and JRR Tolkien amongst many others.
Find out how you can discover this amazing treasure at www.BestofRomagna.com
Or ask us: Welcome@BestofRomagna.com
