Theodora, Empress of the Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire, holds a communion chalice as she stands with her retinue. Byzantine mosaic in the Basilica di San Vitale at Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The mosaic was created in the 500s AD, a few years after Ravenna was captured by the Byzantine Empire from the Ostrogoths.
Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy: Theodora, Empress of the Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire, holds a communion chalice as she stands with her retinue facing her spouse, Emperor Justinian I, across the apse of the 6th century AD Basilica di San Vitale. To the right, five ladies of the court stand wearing vivid silk robes beneath an orange-red, white and blue curtain. The mosaics on either side of the apse celebrate the earthly domain of Justinian and his wife. Theodora (c. 500-548 AD), rose from a humble background to marry Justinian (c. 482-565 AD) in the year 525 and she became Empress two years later when Justinian succeeded to the throne. Some sources refer to her as empress regnant, a female monarch jointly ruling the empire with her husband. This mosaic was created after the Byzantine Empire seized Ravenna from the Ostrogoths in 540 AD and shortly before Theodora’s death in 548. The ancient city on Italy’s northern Adriatic coast had previously served as the capital of the Western Roman Empire. Its Byzantine rule lasted into the 8th century, when it became the capital of the Lombard kings. Ravenna is now renowned as Western Europe’s greatest centre for the study of Byzantine art and architecture and it is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Size: 4288px × 2848px
Location: Basilica di San Vitale, Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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