Ravenna

One of the mosaics for which Ravenna is well known, a depiction of the Roman port of Classis, showing the castle battlements and ships in the harbour, 6th century AD (San Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna). Ravenna, occupied by the Byzantine general Belisarius in 540, became the administrative centre of government in Italy during the Byzantine era. The mosaics at San Apollinare Nuovo are among the finest examples of the fusion of classical and Byzantine styles that typify 5th- and 6th-century art in Italy.

Industrial port in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, about 65 km/40 mi east of Bologna; population (2001) 134,600. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea by the Corsini Canal. Industries include oil-refining, and the production of petrochemicals, synthetic rubber, and fertilizers. It lies in a marshy plain and methane deposits have been discovered nearby. The town has several Byzantine churches with superb mosaics.

History Ravenna was situated near the Roman port of Classis, the chief Adriatic naval station under Augustus, although it now stands about 10 km/6 mi from the coast. It was capital of the Western Roman emperors (404–76), initially under Honorius; of the Ostrogoth kings Odoacer (476–493) and Theodoric the Great (493–526); and later (540–750) of the Byzantine exarchs (bishops).

Ravenna was sacked by the Lombards, but in 756 Pepin the Short forced the Lombard king, Aistulf, to bestow the exarchate on the pope. In 1272 the town became a dukedom of the da Polenta family, in 1441 it became subject to Venice, and in 1509 it again became part of the Papal States. In the Battle of Ravenna in 1512 the French defeated the Holy League, but lost their leader, Gaston de Foix. The British poet Byron lived in Ravenna, at the home of Countess Guiccioli, 1819–21.

Religion and culture Ravenna has been an archbishopric since 438. The present cathedral dates from the 18th century. The 6th-century mausoleum of Galla Placidia (sister of Honorius) is decorated inside with some of the mosaics for which Ravenna is known; other buildings renowned for their mosaics are the churches of S Vitale (530), S Apollinare in Classe (549), and S Apollinare Nuovo (526). Beside the church of S Francesco (partly 5th century) is the tomb of the poet Dante, and outside the town is the 6th-century mausoleum of Theodoric. Ravenna has museums, art galleries, and an important library.

Economy The discovery of methane deposits in 1952 and improvements to the canal, caused an expansion of industry in around Ravenna.

Ravenna

Province of north central Italy in eastern Emilia-Romagna region; capital Ravenna; area 1,858 sq km/717 sq mi; population (2000 est) 350,600.

Ravenna

Town and administrative headquarters of Portage County, northeast Ohio; population (1990) 12,100. It is located 24 km/15 mi northeast of Akron. Situated in a lake-dotted agricultural region, it was founded in 1799. Rubber, electric, and plastic products are manufactured in Ravenna. A large US arsenal is to the northeast of the town.