Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo

Ravenna, Italy

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

Wheelchair access: Accessible

From OpenStreetMap — confirm before travelling

Find out more

The Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna was erected by Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great as his palace chapel during the first quarter of the 6th century, originally dedicated to "Christ the Redeemer" in 504 AD. Following Byzantine reconquest, Emperor Justinian I reconsecrated it in 561 AD under the name "Sanctus Martinus in Coelo Aureo" and suppressed its Arian liturgy, rededicting it to Saint Martin of Tours. The basilica received its current name in 856 AD when relics of Saint Apollinaris were transferred here from the coastal basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe to protect them from Adriatic pirate raids. The interior retains its early Christian and Byzantine character: twenty-four columns with simplified Corinthian capitals, an ambo, and significant portions of lateral-wall mosaics survive, though figures of Theodoric's court and overtly Arian imagery were destroyed in the Byzantine period. The 16th-century façade features a portico, while the adjacent tower dates to the 10th century. The apse was reconstructed following World War II damage. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the basilica preserves crucial evidence of Ravenna's complex religious and political transitions.