RAVENNA

Who wouldn’t want to see Ravenna? Everyone does! But especially Teodora, who wrote an email to Zuzana, informing her that she was enrolling in an excursion to Ravenna. Such an excursion didn’t exist at that time, but why not go? That is how it happened that, on 10 July, 12 people met at the Vienna train station and set off towards knowledge and beauty.

The night spent in the tight train compartment was the first intense experience. It brought us all close together and, after that night, we felt like one family. This feeling lasted through the whole field trip. Our accommodation in Ravenna was run by a lady from Slovakia and the owner of our favorite “every-evening” pub was from Prague.

Our first stop was the Orthodox baptistery. There, we were almost completely immersed into a picture of what the ritual of baptism looked like in the 5th and 6th centuries. We debated the complexity of the space, the original and later added decorations, the bodily proportions of Christ in the cupola, and many other topics. Full of impressions from the Orthodox baptistery, we continued on to its brother – the Arian Baptistery. The key topic of our discussions there was Ravenna as a space where two Christian identities met. The final stop of that day was the Mausoleum of Theodoric. After a pleasant walk, we reached this building of Syrian masonry – the only stone building in Ravenna. Some of us gained not only new knowledge but also new experiences, such as resting in the emperor's porphyry bath.

Our second day began in Sant'Apollinare Nuovo. Once again, some of us gained a little extra here: for example, a topic for a master's thesis. It’s no wonder, because Sant'Apollinare Nuovo is full of objects worthy of our attention. We examined fenestelle confessionis, two Christological cycles, two processions, two faces of Christ, ambon and our favorite “hands” (remnants of previously depicted and later “erased” figures).

Our next stop, after a half day in Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, was the Basilica of San Vitale. Before entering the church, we discussed many topics related to it – from its bricks to the distribution of reliquies, cultural transfer and the Chalcedonian versus non-Chalcedonian approach. And then, finally, the moment came: we entered the church and were enraptured by the extraordinary atmosphere of a monument built as a manifest of luxury. Light entering the space through the exedra, images of paradise on the floor and walls, and marble cladding all around us – all these elements took our breath away. After leaving San Vitale, we continued to the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, only to be enchanted all over again. We were extremely lucky – the security guard allowed us to switch off the modern lights and we were astonished. Mosaics in lunettes – spirals of golden stars on dark blue background – shined softly and, together with the alabaster window panels, created a truly unique dreamy atmosphere. As the final stop of the day, we saw the remnants of Santa Croce.

We started the third day of our excursion with a walk to Sant'Apollinare in Classe. In the area behind the walls, where it stands, there were initially tombs of martyrs along with basilicas. To date, a church from the 6th century built on the tomb of Bishop Apollinare survives. The power of the episcopate was the central theme of our discussions inside the church. All the questions exhausted us so much that we had to take a break in a nearby restaurant. With our strength renewed, we returned to Sant'Apollinare in Classe and discussed the Chalcedonian council, the concept of autocephaly, marble sarcophagi, and a lot more. In the afternoon, we went to the Museo Arcivescovile and later to the Archbishop Chapel. At the end of the day, we visited the Museo Nazionale di Ravenna, where we focused especially on late antique ivories.

After Saturday evening’s tasting of wine and Aperol Spritz, singing in an underpass and dancing in the square, came the time to say goodbye. Part of our group went back to Rome, the other part back to Brno, and some of us stayed in Ravenna. Even though it was only 3 days, saying farewell was quite sad! The mixture of beautiful weather, feeling the forthcoming holidays, and the breath-taking places we saw created an unforgettable experience, which everyone wishes to have. And what kind of experience would it have been without the people who were part of it… Thanks!