Church of San Vitale, church in Ravenna, Italy, that was built in the 6th century and is considered a masterpiece of Byzantine architecture.

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.In ancient times the Adriatic lay nearer Ravenna, which rested on coastal lagoons that later silted up.

Enjoy the monument in peace when the group moves on.Great care is taken in writing these articles but no responsibility is taken for errors or omissions. At times, usually March to mid-June, a €2 surcharge is payable to see the The National Museum in the San Vitale complex uses a separate ticket (€6).The UNESCO-listed sites outside central Ravenna can be seen on individual or combination tickets.Expect sites to be closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day and some other holidays. The earliest inhabitants of Ravenna were probably Italic peoples who moved southward from As the capital of the Exarchate of Ravenna, the city was the administrative centre of Byzantine government in Italy. Then, in the mid-500s A.D., the Byzantine emperor Justinian decided that Ravenna would be the westernmost pillar of the Holy Roman Empire.

Long opening hours and cheap combination admission tickets make seeing the early Christian monuments and Late Antiquity (and Byzantine) mosaics in Ravenna easy.Ravenna in northeastern Italy between Venice and Bologna has some of the most splendid monuments from the Late Antiquity period.

Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. Search Britannica See More Ravenna Tours and Activities at Get Your Guide« See Top UNESCO-Listed Mosaics and Early Christian Monuments in Ravenna, ItalyOpening Hours and Tickets for Visiting Ravenna’s UNESCO-Listed Churches and Mosaics The fame of Ravenna rests instead on the quality and quantity of its 5th–8th-century Christian monuments.

Byzantine Architecture Influences .

Bridges and ferries provide the

Ancient Ravenna lay much closer to the coast than it does today, the sea now having receded approximately six miles.

Eight sites have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list as superb examples of early Christian monuments and Late Antiquity and Byzantine mosaics. ... Italy is a testament to the Byzantine influence on the Ravenna area, which remains a great center of Italian Byzantine architecture.

Opening hours are generally long without a closing day.

Opening hours are generally long without a closing day.

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Eight sites have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list as superb examples of early Christian monuments and Late Antiquity and Byzantine mosaics. Features  Ravenna (/ r ə ˈ v ɛ n ə / rə-VEN-ə, Italian: , also locally (); Romagnol: Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy.It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 402 until that empire collapsed in 476.

The exarchate was broken up by revolts and invasions after 726.