Basilica of San Francesco, Ravenna

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	The basilica was erected shortly after the mid-fifth century by Bishop Neon, who dedicated it to SS. Apostles. The original walls no longer exist, because the church was completely rebuilt in the tenth or eleventh century. Shortly before this reconstruction is the square bell tower nearly 33 meters high. In 1261 the church was entrusted to the Conventual Friars, and then took its present name. In it, in 1321, the funeral took place of Dante, who was buried near the church. The building promises on a small square and is simple and straightforward; front, exposed brick in the poor, is moved to the center of a small lancet window. The interior is divided into three naves by two rows of ancient marble columns and a ceiling covered with medieval ship keel down, stands out for its simplicity and harmony of its architectural lines. These lines do meet the visitor's gaze toward the apse window, under the chancel floor where it carries out a niche in the crypt chapel, shortly before the year 1000. Visible through a number of openings, the crypt is constantly invaded by the waters. Its floor is made from the ancient building of the fifth century, so much so that one can see the remains of mosaics, including one that bears a Latin inscription on the tomb of the founder, Bishop Neon. The altar consists of a sarcophagus of the fifth century. Inside the church are preserved two ancient sarcophagi, marble, attributed to the late fourth century or the first half of V.

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Città di Palermo
Thursday, 02 September 2010 | redazione