Its appearance is not particularly striking. A sober brick construction in an octagonal shape, reinforced by large flying buttresses and of modest height. Its windows do not allow us to guess what is hidden inside. But as soon as you enter the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, you are dazzled by gold: brightly colored Byzantine mosaics with golden elements depicting natural motifs, biblical scenes, saints and emperors. Light seems to emanate from the walls. Would the Austrian painter Gustav Klimt feel the same impression when he discovered the temple 120 years ago?
In the course of 1903, Klimt visited the city twice: first in May and then in December. The artist traveled around Italy in search of stimuli that would inspire him. The truth is that at that time he had already worked with gold pigments. But it was after knowing San Vital that his golden stage was consolidated. Among the most representative paintings of that period are The Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, also known as The Golden Lady (1907), and The Kiss (1907-1908).
From his postcards, we know that Ravenna seemed very miserable to him. However, he praised its mosaics “of incredible splendor”. They may have reminded him of the activity of his father, a goldsmith by profession. From then on, Gustav Klimt began to use gold leaf extensively in his works. He also used small silver leaves.
The church is an open book on the history of the city. Construction began in 527, when Ravenna was under Ostrogothic rule. But it was not consecrated until after two decades, in 547, already being the second capital of the Eastern Roman Empire (previously it had been the capital of the Western Roman Empire. Archbishop Maximilian officiated at the consecration ceremony. And who The banker Juliano Argentario financed the works on the temple. Well, the faces of both are part of the mosaics. There are also images of Justinian I the Great, the emperor who ordered the construction of a church worthy of the splendor of Byzantium in Ravenna, and his wife Teodora, who died just as the decoration was finished.
Next to the emperor, you can see the most famous general of the Byzantine empire. It is about Belisarius, who expelled the Ostrogoths after capturing King Vitiges in the year 540. His wife Antonia and his daughter Juana appear among the procession of Empress Theodora. What the mosaics do not tell is the end of what seems to be an idyllic relationship between Justiniano and his hero. The emperor, jealous of the general’s victorious aura, would end up accusing him of conspiring against him and confiscating all his property…
But going back to the decoration of the basilica, it also shows Vital. The saint receives a model of the temple from Bishop Ecclesio, who sponsored its construction in 527. In addition, next to the twelve apostles, the two sons of the martyr can be seen: the also saints Gervasio and Protasio.
The mosaics are completed with scenes from the Old Testament –the appearance of the Lord before Abraham, the sacrifice of Isaac, etc.– and representations of nature –flowers, birds, fountains, cornucopia overflowing with fruit…–. In short, San Vital de Ravenna is one of the most splendid and best preserved churches of Byzantine art.
Klimt visited Ravenna attracted by its rich heritage of mosaics, particularly from the 5th and 6th centuries. In fact, it is known as “the city of mosaics”. And the church of San Vital is just one of its pearls. To visit it, you must purchase a combined ticket that gives access to other unique monuments.
For example: the mausoleum of Empress Galla Placidia, next to the same gardens that surround the basilica. Built between the years 425 and 430, it preserves the oldest mosaics in Ravenna. Inside, barely lit by small yellow windows, deep blue dominates. The apse is studded with stars with angels at its corners.
The Basilica of San Apollinaris el Nuevo, like that of San Vital, hides some spectacular mosaics under its discreet architecture. Some belong to the time of the Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great, at the beginning of the 6th century, and the rest are of Catholic worship, after the Byzantine conquest of the year 540. Thus, the episodes from the life of Christ and the figures of prophets and saints coexist with a representation of Theodoric’s palace. Here also gold predominates.
In the chapel of the Archbishop’s palace, you can admire a private oratory from the beginning of the 6th century. The only primitive Christian oratory, in fact, that has been preserved to this day according to Unesco. The mosaic of a warrior Christ who with his feet crushes the heads of a lion and a serpent, symbols of power and evil, stands out.
Finally, it is worth noting the neonian baptistery, the oldest baptismal building from the end of the 4th century – the beginning of the 5th century, best preserved in the world. It owes its name to Bishop Neón, who ordered the decoration of the mosaics, of Greco-Roman influence. The dome represents the baptism of Christ submerged in the waters of the Jordan River.
