The Ravenna mosaics (Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna) form one of the most extraordinary ensembles of ancient Christian art and architecture in the world. Nestled in Ravenna, these eight monuments – built between the 5th and 6th centuries AD – exemplify the height of early Christian and Byzantine mosaic art and reflect the city’s pivotal role as capital of the Western Roman Empire and later of Byzantine Italy.
In 1996, UNESCO inscribed the Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna on the World Heritage List because they represent masterful mosaic artistry, unique artistic exchanges between East and West, and outstanding witnesses to religious, political, and cultural transformations in late antiquity.
