Mausoleo di Galla Placidia
Church
Mausoleo di Galla Placidia
Mausoleo di Galla Placidia
Probably the city's oldest mosaics
The tomb for Empress Galla Placidia can be found on the lawn behind Basilica San Vitale. She had it built from 425 after taking over the affairs of state from her underage son Valentin III, yet she was buried in Rome. The three marble sarcophagi that were to be the eternal resting places of Galla Placidia, her second husband Konstantin III and her son Valentin III, only were transferred to the mausoleum between the 9th and 14th century.
Late Antiquity mosaics on cyan background
The UNESCO World Heritage Site mosaics are probably the oldest in all of Ravenna. Their cyan background covers the vault and the inner wall. The sarcophagi rest below a mosaic night sky adorned with stars in the cupola. Depictions of the apostles can be found below the sky on the side. Deer grace the aisles. The entrance features a mosaic of the "Good Shepherd" in the midst of his sheep.
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