Mausoleum of Galla Placidia: description, history. Ravenna: attractions

This provincial city in Italy in the V century adopted the imperial court and for several centuries was the capital of the Western Roman Empire. Located near the Adriatic Sea, Ravenna is incredibly rich in architectural monuments of the early Christian and Byzantine eras. Especially it is famous for its mosaic art. Fascinating pictures of slices of smalt, which adorn the famous buildings of the city, surprise with special beauty.

The main cathedral of the capital of mosaic

The UNESCO-protected San Vitale Cathedral in Ravenna is considered the main temple of a small village. About him wrote that the most beautiful and majestic religious monument in Europe is no longer to be found. Founded in 525 BC, the basilica is famous for Byzantine mosaics that do not break down from time. It is curious that on one of them Christ, sitting on a blue ball symbolizing our planet, depicts a young man without a beard. On the other mosaics you can see the emperor and his family.

When the city passed to the Byzantines, they did not begin to destroy the temple of San Vitale in Ravenna, but supplemented with drawings on which the masters laid out a new ruler and his wife. It is believed that the mosaics at that time were analogues of the photographs, and the talented authors recreated to the smallest detail all the features of man and displayed the nuances of costume and ornaments.

Mausoleum dedicated to the daughter of the emperor of the Roman Empire

The authentic masterpieces of the city-treasury, considered unsurpassed throughout the world, surpass many of the sights in terms of artistic value. In the city is a UNESCO-protected mausoleum, striking in contrast with an ascetic exterior and charming interior decoration.

The structure built of red brick bears the name of the daughter of the last emperor of the Roman Empire. Theodosius the Great, who received his nickname from Christian writers, banned pagan cults. The ardent champion of Orthodoxy did everything to determine the direction of religious development in Europe. Under his rule, Christian postulates were approved by decrees. Canonized in the face of St. Theodosius the Great put an end to the Roman-Gothic war.

Not a mausoleum, but a chapel?

His daughter was raised in Constantinople, from where she brought Byzantine masters. A well-known mausoleum, located not far from San Vitale, was erected on her orders. However, she found the last shelter not in the majestic structure, which is dedicated to her, but in the family crypt, located in Rome, in 450. Scientists believe that the mausoleum of Galla Placidia was the chapel of St. Lawrence, who patronized the imperial family, and, most likely, the Visigothic Queen here only prayed.

Contrast between appearance and interior decoration

Historians studied the architecture of the building and the theme of the mosaics and found out that the mausoleum is very similar to martyria - the cult buildings erected over the graves. Located near the Ravenna basilica, the monument looks very modest and is an example of the architecture of early Christian churches. It is a Latin cross with a tower resembling a cube, in which the invisible dome is inscribed by ingenious architects. The ascetic look of the building contrasts sharply with the luxury of the interior.

The mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna, which looks like a mausoleum in Ravenna, is intentionally fenced off from the outside world by powerful walls and narrow embrasures, through which narrow light penetrates.

For the Christians of that time, outer beauty meant nothing compared to the spiritual, and art historians even compared such works to the unremarkable shells that keep precious pearls inside.

Mosaic decoration

The lower part of the walls is lined with transparent marble, creating a feeling of lightness and airiness. The dome of the mausoleum is decorated with mosaics with wonderful patterns in blue and gold shades, and in its center shines the east-oriented bright cross - a symbol not only of Jesus' torment, but of his victory over death. This achieves the illusory effect of the starry sky, against which the figures of saints soar in the air. The magic drawing is applied to silk handkerchiefs sold in every souvenir shop, and tourists take with them a piece of the famous monument to Ravenna.

A scene with the Good Shepherd, surrounded by a flock of sheep, where the sitting Christ is depicted as a heavenly king leaning on a cross, many researchers attribute not to the shepherd's idyll, but to the funeral cult, and here one can feel the spirit of solemnity. Mosaics, in which the apparent influence of Constantinople can be traced, was fulfilled a hundred years after the Byzantine Empire adopted Christianity.

Uniqueness of mosaics

The famous mausoleum of Galla Placidia stands out among the remaining monuments of Ravenna by a mosaic ensemble, the paintings of which are completed paintings. Researchers pay attention to the amazing talent of the master who created the stunning works. It can be noted that the saints have classically correct facial features, their poses are lively and unclouded, the author draws attention to the effects of lighting and treats the air environment in his own way.

The uniqueness of the gift lies in the special technique of laying the mosaic. The mausoleum of Galla Placidia stands out among the rest of the architectural ensembles with stunning masterpieces made by an unnamed master. They excel other works preserved in Ravenna. Smalta of different shapes fit at a special angle with small gaps, which increased visual perception: due to the optical refraction of light, the color palette expanded.

With scant lighting, the images flickered, and it seemed that the walls of the structure were lined with precious stones shimmering with different colors. In a small space, the colors of the mosaics sparkle with an unearthly brilliance, which expresses the inner awe of all visitors admiring bright artistic images.

One of the researchers of Byzantine art, admired by the greatness of the miracle of Ravenna, said that everyone who enters the meagerly lit mausoleum of Galla Placidia is transferred to another world where everywhere and everywhere there is a seal of the unusual.