About
Mosaic-lined monument believed to contain the remains of a Roman empress.
The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, which sits in the courtyard of Ravenna's magnificent 6th-century Basilica of San Vitale, is unclearly connected to the basilica. Construction on the mausoleum dates back to sometime in the 5th century, during the last years of the Western Roman Empire. The signature motif of its breathtaking mosaics, described by UNESCO as “among the best surviving examples of this form of art in Europe,” is the starry sky that drapes parts of the ceiling. Elsewhere are grapevines, representing the Eucharist. In the center of the mausoleum’s cross-shaped barrel vaults rests a shallow dome, covered with stars, centered with a cross. Each corner contains a figure of one of the four symbols of Christianity - The Lamb (lamb), The Eagle (eagle), The Serpent (serpent), and The Virgin Mary (virgin).
