Byzantine mosaics of Ravenna

In a provincial town located on the Adriatic Sea, rulers often changed, and each of them tried to decorate Ravenna with new palaces and temples, as a result of which the Italian pearl becomes the main center of the country's architectural art. Located between East and West, it is a real treasure trove of unique historical monuments, eight of which are protected by UNESCO.

However, the main attraction of the blessed Ravenna is the most valuable mosaic that you observe literally everywhere. The quality of its performance surprises and fascinates everyone who touches the cultural heritage of the city with a rich past.

The Art of the Byzantine Empire

In the Byzantine Empire, the production of the mosaic was put on stream, and all temples and royal palaces were decorated with colored glass canvases. Of course, this is not quite a correct name, because such an art is not a painting. The creators of the greatest works wrote them not with colors, but were typed from slices of smalt.

The flowering of mosaic art falls on the V-VI centuries, called the golden age. The most famous masterpieces in the world are the mosaics of Ravenna and the images of Hagia Sophia (Constantinople). The historical temple in Istanbul still preserves all the power and greatness with which it was endowed with its creators - the creators of Ancient Byzantium. The most beautiful works, of great value for world culture, have been preserved in good condition.

Temples and mosaics of Ravenna: inexpressiveness and luxury

Early Christian cult buildings, dating back to the V-VII centuries, when Ravenna was the capital of the Western Roman Empire, will not surprise anyone with architectural solutions and special beauty. Guests of the ancient city admit that outwardly it does not produce any impression: inexpressive streets, inconspicuous areas, lack of a fabulous atmosphere and special color. However, behind the gray facades of the temples and thick brick walls is the mosaic heritage of the city. Genuine works of art are hidden from the eyes of others and, in order to find them, you will have to get a map of the settlement, located in the north-east of Italy.

The mosaics of Ravenna are so famous all over the world that other cultural sites remain unnoticed by tourists. Priceless treasures, which are not equal in any city in the world, are hidden behind the faceless facades of historic buildings. Before you talk about the main pride of Ravenna, you need to pay attention to the features of such paintings.

Mosaics from smalt

Mosaic is a favorite kind of decoration of Christian churches, in which the aesthetic ideals of a religious outlook are most fully embodied. This painting was developed by the Byzantines, who created a special technology for the production of smalt. In an easy-to-handle glass, they added a wide variety of metals (gold, mercury, copper, and others) and got shades of different colors. The main element of the mosaic canvas was the same in size and neatly laid out cubes.

Byzantine mosaic in Ravenna has become the main component in the decoration of tombs, temples, basilicas, where visual tasks come to the fore. The main theme of the monumental paintings were Christian stories and biblical subjects. The technique of laying smalt was improved every year, and the authors of wonderful compositions developed new compositions and colors.

Features of technology

What is the difference between the Byzantine mosaic and the Roman one? The main feature is the use of a golden background, on which cubes with an unpolished surface were laid, differing in their position relative to other elements. In addition, the masters used smooth contours of the boundaries when depicting bodies or objects that gave the composition on a radiant background a clarity. This created a single canvas, beautifully shimmering in the reflections of candles and in natural light. A delightful game of color and reflections created the effect of the movement of a painting living its life.

The artists of the Renaissance school of mosaic painting, who worked in the period from the 5th to the 7th century, worked with a palette consisting of smalt of the main tones and not distinguished by a variety of shades. Most often cubes had a rectangular, square shape, although in some paintings you can see round and oval elements of large sizes - from 7 to 15 mm.

Heritage and modernity

The mosaics of Ravenna, which became the western capital of the Roman Empire, were not inferior to the amazing works of Constantinople. The city, which bore the title of a fount of art and culture, keeps a rich heritage that has become a source of inspiration for famous writers and artists. The modern city has not forgotten the ancient skill: in one of the academies there is a mosaic department that is visited by both Italian and foreign listeners. Symposiums and seminars are held here, gathering specialists from all over the world.

Demanded Renaissance talents perform restoration work, create stunning copies of the most famous works that can be purchased in the art galleries of the city. The authorities of the capital of the mosaic realize that the main task is not only to save national treasures, but also to make them public.

Mausoleum of Galla Placidia

The oldest architectural monument is the mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna. The mosaics made in the 5th century were created by Byzantine masters, who were brought from Constantinople by the daughter of Emperor Theodosius the Great. In fact, as scientists have established, this is not a real tomb, since Galla is buried in Rome, and this structure, looking rather unattractively, was a small chapel dedicated to St. Lawrence, the patron of the family dynasty.

In a building that has grown into a brick for several centuries, a real treasure hides, from the view of which every visitor's spirit captures. Through the narrow windows, laid by the plates of jasper, penetrate the rays of the sun, and in the meager light poured into the cubes of the mosaic of Ravenna, like precious stones. This miracle has an explanation - so plays smalt, transmitting various shades of color. Ghost light, falling on a rough surface, is reflected at different angles, and the vaults and walls of the mausoleum seem to dissolve in the eyes of admiring visitors.

Divine Beauty

The mosaics of Ravenna, whose photos evoke delight even among people far from art, are immediately evident. The dome of the UNESCO-protected mausoleum is a blue starry sky, in its center a golden cross is directed to the east, and four Byzantine vaults were adorned with the symbols of the evangelists - bull, lion, eagle and angel. Here you can see the outgoing world of antiquity, and the masters displayed on the canvases a completely different beauty - the divine.

Symbolism

The young Jesus Christ is depicted here as a Good Shepherd, surrounded by a herd of sheep. This is the image of our Savior, widespread for early Christianity, only whose purple-gold clothes speak about who is really in front of us. Figures of saints appear on a blue background, recalling the ancient characters in Roman togas, and the grapes of grapes - about pagan bacchanalia.

However, the artists who performed the mosaics gave each symbol a symbolic meaning: the sheep who listen to Christ are the flock, drinking pigeons and deer from the transparent stream, Christians absorbing the new teaching, and the brushes of the grapes are the Garden of Eden into which the believers fall.

Mosaics of the Basilica of San Vitale

Near the mausoleum is the famous church of San Vitale in Ravenna. The mosaics of the basilica, made by Byzantine masters, are the main wealth of the ascetic-looking architectural monument, where the relics of the patron saint of the blessed city - St. Vitalius are buried. Christians who thought about the beauty of the spiritual, and not external, did not decorate their temples, saving luxury for interior decoration. Completed in the VI century Byzantine mosaic of San Vitale in Ravenna, which was considered the most beautiful outside of Constantinople, adorns the altar part, the apse and the altar at the altar. Scenes from the Old Testament, the images of Jesus with the saints, the Emperor Justinian and his wife are very different from the paintings in the mausoleum.

The main background in the pictures is a golden color, and the figures look as if they have lost their material. They turned into flat silhouettes and seem to be ethereal. Even in spite of the heavy drapery of clothes under their folds, physical bodies are not felt. Fascinating gaze of huge eyes on the detached faces.

Spiritual essence

On the canvases the brilliant masters displayed not the momentary masters, but turned to the eternal, showing not the material shell, but the divine essence, and the motion is replaced by frozen images and a clear contour instead of volume. There are no smooth transitions of shades, and the mosaic of San Vitale in Ravenna are large color spots.

Byzantine nameless authors have never seen the Emperor's spouse and tried to convey not a portrait resemblance, but a spiritual essence, embodying their own notions of beauty. Her husband, the great monarch, is depicted at the moment when he gives the church a golden vessel as a gift. The head of Justinian, who did not take any important decision without his wife, is decorated with a halo. It is impossible to see a hint of personal qualities: everything carnal and momentary remained outside the temple, and the emperor with the second half are portrayed as ideal rulers.

The main colors of the panel, which emphasizes the solemn atmosphere of the basilica - white, blue, gold and green. Slices of smalt are stacked at different angles, and the light emitted by them creates the impression of a wonderful atmosphere, permeated with warm sunlight. It is not known what strikes most: a thoughtful composition, finely worked details or an ideal selection of colors.

Canvases of the Baptistery of the Orthodox

In the fifth century, an architectural object, recognized as one of the most significant monuments in the world, appeared - the urban baptistery. The mosaic of Ravenna, supplemented by marble inlays and stucco molding, is as if inscribed in the dome of the building intended for baptism and is the same age as the mausoleum of Galla Placidia.

Masters used a unique method: all the figures and the elements separating them are a kind of radius, and golden rays are flowing from the central disk. On the dome panel you can see the scenes of the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist, a dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit, 12 apostles bearing martyr's crowns. Figures of God's messengers, depicted on a dark blue background, are shown in motion, and the surface on which they step looks lighter. The colors of Jesus' disciples are dominated by two colors - golden and white, embodying spirituality. The faces of the apostles, who have a distinct personality, are solemn.

Theme of Heavenly Jerusalem

The disciples of Christ are shown as bearers of the light of Christian enlightenment. The Savior receives baptism, and the outgoing grace through the apostles is transferred to the earthly church, which is symbolized by the depicted altars. And the fruit trees on the dome of the baptistery are associated with the Christian soul, which brings good fruits. Such a rich decoration of the religious structure emphasized for the believers the special significance of the rite of baptism, and the whole general composition is connected with the theme of the New Jerusalem - the city sent by Jesus the victor to the Earth.

One can only admire the special gift of nameless talents that modern Ravenna is proud of. Mosaics and frescoes of the baptistery, laid out of small stones with a rich color palette, with jeweler precision were made by local, not by Byzantine masters. They created delightful compositions, dazzling with juicy colors.

Priceless works

Ancient Ravenna, which has evolved from a great capital to a provincial town, enjoys incredible popularity among tourists. Many years passed, it changed, but its priceless masterpieces, survived by their creators and perfectly preserved, remained eternal. The amazing mosaics of Ravenna, from which it is difficult to tear off the views, are of interest to all tourists who value the beautiful.