Since 1996, the basilica has been one of the eight monuments included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ravenna, recognised for their inestimable historical and cultural value.

This site represents a perfect fusion of architectural and decorative elements from Western and Eastern traditions, hallmarks of Ravenna’s building style. Inside, mosaics from the Gothic period and the Justinian era coexist. On the walls, the theological battle between Arianism and Orthodoxy, fought here tessera by tessera, still resonates!

Simplicity and priceless richness

Arianism, a doctrine considered heretical by the Orthodox Church, denied the divine nature of Christ, while still venerating him as a model of perfection and a guide to eternal salvation. Theodoric, the learned king of the Ostrogoths, had the basilica erected between 493 and 526 AD as a palace church reserved for Arian worship, dedicating it to Christ the Saviour.

The exterior of the basilica is constructed from simple red bricks. The gabled façade is adorned with a 9th-century mullioned window, contemporary with the bell tower, and a marble-clad narthex, added in the 16th century. The building has a longitudinal floor plan and is divided into three naves. The interior is punctuated by twelve columns made of fine Greek marble, with lyre capitals, imported directly from Constantinople.

A solemn interior resplendent with gold

Theodoric commissioned a cycle of mosaics to celebrate his rule over the seas and the land, his court, and the figure of Christ. Inside the basilica, as soon as we enter, we are greeted by mosaic depictions of the city of Classe and the Imperial Palace, which symbolically encompasses the rooftops of Ravenna. Also dating from the same period, in the upper band above the windows along the nave, are episodes from the public and private life of Christ, enclosed within square panels. After the fall of the Ostrogothic kingdom and the Byzantine conquest of Ravenna, from the mid-6th century AD, the church was rededicated to Saint Martin and enhanced with new mosaics of exceptional quality, which replaced the previous ones. Among these is the famous procession of male and female saints, which also inspired Dante Alighieri and which leads us towards the apse. Indeed, the original depiction of men and women from Theodoric’s court was transformed into a celestial procession of blessed men and women, set in a paradise garden, against a sky of a thousand shimmering, eternal gold tesserae.