oct 22, 527 - San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy
Description:
The finest examples of early Christian Architecture in the West are found in Ravenna. The church of San Vitale is the only major church from the time of Justinian I to survive intact thus making it extremely important in the study of Byzantine Art. In San Vitale the central circular space is surrounded by an octagon and the vertical walls are broken down into apses and columns creating a more intricate interior space from what was previously built by the Romans. The interior surfaces are clad in marble and in exquisite gold-leaf mosaics. The Justinianic domed church influenced the later Byzantine churches of Russia and the Balkans, as well as the future mosques of Islamic Persia, North India and Turkey.Added to timeline:
Date:
oct 22, 527
Now
~ 1498 years ago