Sant'Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna

The church, despite repairs in the 8th and 9th centuries, has preserved its original internal design and much of its sculptural and wall-mosaic decoration. The nave’s colonnades feature 12 Proconnesian marble columns with acanthus capitals, while the apse displays marble revetment and mosaic, the design of which was altered in the 7th century. Triumphal arch mosaics depict Christ Pantokrator, Evangelist symbols, and 12 lambs. The apse’s upper half showcases a large blue disc with a bejeweled cross and 99 stars, symbolizing the Transfiguration, with St Apollinaris depicted below in prayer amidst lambs and representations of SS Peter, James, and John. The composition’s green and gold zones create a balanced, two-dimensional surface with abstract design principles. Portraits of bishops and mosaic panels added by Bishop Reparatus in the 7th century adorn the apse, depicting scenes of sacrifice and Constantine IV Pogonatus conferring privileges on the church.