Page:History of Architecture in All Countries Vol 1.djvu/454

422 half the evidence: but taken in conjunction, the paintings go far to explain, and also to redeem, many points in which the architecture is most open to criticism.

During the whole period when the Romanesque style was most flourishing, the city of Ravenna almost rivalled in importance the old capital of the world, and her churches were consequently hardly less important either in number or in richness than those we have just been describing. It is true she had none so large as the great metropolitan basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul. The one five-aisled church she possessed—the cathedral—has been entirely destroyed, to make way for a very contemptible modern erection. From the plans, however, which we possess of it, it seems to have differed very considerably from the Roman examples, most especially in having no trace of a transept, the building being a perfectly regular parallelogram, half as long again as its breadth, and with merely one great apse added at the end of the central nave. Its loss is the more to be regretted, as it

was, besides being the largest, the oldest church in the city, having been erected about the year 400, by Archbishop Ursus. The baptistery that belonged to it has been fortunately preserved, and will be described hereafter.

Besides a considerable number of other churches which have either been lost or destroyed by repair, Ravenna still possesses two

first-class three-aisled basilicas—the San Apollinare Nuovo, originallv an Arian church, built by Theodoric, king of the Goths ( 493-525); and the S. Apolllinare in Classe, at the Port of Ravenna, situated about three miles from the city, commenced 538, and dedicated 549. Of the two, the first named is by far the more considerable, being 315 ft. long by 115 in width externally, while the other only measures