basilica of sant'apollinare in classe

The virgins have kept their chastity for over 1,500 years, and the martyrs have not turned from their fate in just as long.

This is one of the mosaic decorated churches for which Ravenna is renowned. The mosaics are lovely.Ravenna is the site of several UNESCO sites, several of them being associated with beautiful mosaic art. There is a multi-site ticket available for €9.50.

Superb Church dated back in 540 d.c. where the mosaics are impressively laid on top and in tha back of the altar. It is in Ravenna, the last capital of the Roman Empire.

We caught the No 4 bus from outside Ravenna station (get return tickets at the bus office in the station and cross over the road to the stop and remember to validate them in the machine on the bus!), and had a pleasant and cheap 20minute journey out to Classe. We were the only visitors in the Basilica at 10am and marvelled at the wonderful detail of the mosaics, breathtaking when one realises how old they are. Our top place in the Ravenna district.

This is just another in Ravenna's lovely spots. The beauty of the mosaics plus the age of them make it a wondrous place to visit.

The church lays on a huge green park where you'll see five real size buffaloes made of bronze, a real impressive modern art installation. This was the ancient place of a huge pinewood forest, on the border of the sea. Now the sea is really far from here, but at the time of Emperor Augustus this was the very place in which was keeped the imperial fleet (classis, in latin, from this the name of Classe). Inside the atmosphere is impressive, with a brilliant mosaic on the back and a collection of ancient marble tombs on the two sides. The building itself is really inspiring.

The church is a bit far off Ravenna, actually, it's in another city called Classe, the ancient Classis, a Roman town with a small port. The building itself is great and what can I say about the mosaics? the best image of the Three Wise Men I have seen. Outside you can have fun with the sculptures of bulls in the grass and, perhaps next year, you will be able to enjoy the archaeological park dedicated to the ancient city.

This is a genuinely beautiful piece of sixth century art preserved fir us. Like all great art it is truly affecting.

This review should have been for Sant'Appolinare in Classe. Sorry for the mix up.That's the problem with two Sant'Apollinares.

The church in Classe is available by a twenty minute ride on a city bus. Once again, the mosaics are spectacular. I got great pictures and a souvenir book to remember my visit there. The books were very inexpensive.

This is the most beautiful church I have ever been in, utterly stunning.The church is a short bus ride out of Ravenna (but I think that just reduces the number of visitors, which was good!). Others mention hordes of school kids, but we visited on a saturday afternoon, and we were lucky enough to have the place to ourselves for about 10 minutes before another couple arrived.Yes, it's 5 Euros to get in, but worth every penny. It is breathtaking. If you are visiting the mosiacs, make the effort and visit here.

Another great place in Ravenna where could experience the brilliant mosaic work and best of byzantine art culture. The whole mosaic work and the interiors of the place make it definitely a worthy visit and I also like the garden with those statues. In whole the place is beautiful and in my experience does not have too many crowds so you can enjoy the place at your pace at least I was able to do so.

Last stop of our Byzantine tour in Ravenna. Visiting the Basilica at the end of the day was an excellent choice since we found few other tourists and we were so lucky they had a guide. Great mosaic with a lot of early christianity symbols. The most fascinating thing is that those symbols have still a lot in common with previous pagan cults and, in this context the mosaic itself works like a rite of passage between the cults. A must see!

This exceptional example of early christian art is about 5 kilometres outside Ravenna, but is essential viewing. We went by the frequent bus service from outside the train station.Of all the churches we visited this is perhaps the most impressive.

Loved the Mosaics....the blues and gold I can never get enough of ....but the line ups of school children that push and create a rushed experience of this timeless art is bothersome. I think Ravenna has to rethink this...The Basilica was disrespected for such a sacred place of art and prayer. Having soooo many school children make their way through it should be allocated to a certain time of day thus allowing the prayerful who want to sit in quiet repose that time to do so.