Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe in the context of "Apse"

Play Trivia Questions online!

or

Skip to study material about Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe in the context of "Apse"

Ad spacer

⭐ Core Definition: Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe

The Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe ("Saint Apollinaris in Classe") is a church in Classe, Ravenna, Italy, consecrated on 9 May 549 by the bishop Maximian and dedicated to Saint Apollinaris, the first bishop of Ravenna and Classe.

An important monument of late Ancient Roman architecture, early church architecture and Byzantine art, in 1996 it was inscribed with seven other nearby monuments in the UNESCO World Heritage List, which described it as "an outstanding example of the early Christian basilica in its purity and simplicity of its design and use of space and in the sumptuous nature of its decoration". (See: Church architecture.)

↓ Menu

>>>PUT SHARE BUTTONS HERE<<<

👉 Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe in the context of Apse

In architecture, an apse (pl.: apses; from Latin absis, 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek ἀψίς, apsis, 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; pl.: apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an exedra. In Byzantine, Romanesque, and Gothic Christian church (including cathedral and abbey) architecture, the term is applied to a semi-circular or polygonal termination of the main building at the liturgical east end (where the altar is), regardless of the shape of the roof, which may be flat, sloping, domed, or hemispherical. Smaller apses are found elsewhere, especially in shrines.

↓ Explore More Topics
In this Dossier

Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe in the context of Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo

The Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo is a basilica church in Ravenna, Italy. It was erected by the Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great as his palace chapel during the first quarter of the 6th century (as attested to in the Liber Pontificalis). This Arian church was originally dedicated in 504 AD to "Christ the Redeemer". It's present dedication dates only from the 9th century. The basilica's current façade, which features a portico, dates to the 16th century, while the adjacent tower dates to the 10th century.

It was reconsecrated in 561 AD, under the rule of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I, under the new name "Sanctus Martinus in Coelo Aureo" ("Saint Martin in Golden Heaven"). Suppressing the Arian church, Justinian rededicated the church to Saint Martin of Tours, a foe of Arianism. According to legend, Pope Gregory the Great ordered that the mosaics in the church be blackened, as their golden glory distracted worshipers from their prayers. The basilica was renamed again in 856 AD when relics of Saint Apollinaris were transferred from the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe because of the threat posed by frequent raids of pirates from the Adriatic Sea.

↑ Return to Menu