SAN VITALE 

     The church of San Vitale is a central structure, meaning that it is focused on the center, unlike a basilica that is focused on one end of a long rectangular structure. Basilicas are long rectangles that can sometimes be seen as a cross-like shape. Instead, the central structure is made of on octagon surrounded by an even larger octagon. The area surrounding the central area is called an ambulatory. “Here, the structural function of the architecture is fully brought out by the mosaics, which, except for a socle, cover the whole interior.” [2] San Vitale is a centralized dome structure with surrounding apse and smaller domes. It is an octagon shape, supported by large piers. There are many arches and columns, which give the open space its structure and strength.

     Architecturally, San Vitale fits into the style “characterized by the use of a central feature which may or may not be covered by a vault, constructed on a floor plan composed either of a regular polygon or of a combination of rectangular and circular components…” [3] Spaces in San Vitale, along with other churches of the same time period and style, are not completely separated, but instead are drawn together with areas that can be seen by both sides. “Instead of the logical relationships between support, arch lintel and wall… a magical relationship between load and support is suggested, in which the weight of the load is denied.” [4] The beautifully structured columns and arches support the building without closing off the building and denying the beautiful open floor plan. The arches and columns not only support the building, but are beautifully decorated. Every inch of space in San Vitale is used for a decorative and structural use, if not both.

     The placing of each mosaic tile is done at different angles, which shows off the light from the many windows adorned around the church. This illusion gives the otherwise flat mosaic some movement and allows the artistry to be shown in a new way. 

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2. Otto Demus. Byzantine Mosaic Decoration: Aspects of Monumental Art in Byzantium. 3rd ed. Boston, MA: Boston Book & Art Shop, 1964, 48. 

 

3. Robin Cormack. Byzantine Art. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. Ćurčić, Slobodan, Euangelia Chatzētryphōnos, Kathleen E. McVey, and Hélène Saradi, 205. 

 

4. Richard Krautheimer. Early Christian and Byzantine Architecture, Edited by Nikolaus Pevsner. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1965, 24.