RAVENNA, ITALY - JULY 22, 2014: interior of the medieval church of Sant'Apollinare in Classe, built from 6th century.

©Claudio Giovanni Colombo/Shutterstock

Basilica di Sant'Apollinare in Classe

Top choice in Ravenna


This signature early Christian basilica, lighter than Ravenna's other churches, is situated 5km southeast of town in the former Roman port of Classe. Its magnificent central apse mosaic, featuring Ravenna's patron Sant'Apollinare flanked by sheep and juxtaposed against a stunningly green landscape, is surmounted by a brilliant star-spangled triumphal arch displaying symbols of the four evangelists.

Other mosaics in the apse depict Byzantine Emperor Constantine IV (652–685) and biblical figures such as Abel and Abraham. The basilica – architecturally the city's most 'perfect' – was built in the early 6th century on the burial site of Ravenna's patron saint, who converted the city to Christianity in the 2nd century.

To get here, take a local train to Classe (€1.50, five minutes), one stop in the direction of Rimini, or catch bus 4 opposite the train station. There's free admission on the first Sunday of the month.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Ravenna attractions

1. CLASSIS Ravenna

0.25 MILES

Ravenna's new city museum, located in an 1899 sugar-extraction plant just down the road from Basilica di Sant'Apollinare in Classe, welcomes you with its…

2. Museo d'Arte della Città di Ravenna

2.65 MILES

Arranged in a converted 15th-century monastery abutting a public garden, Ravenna's permanent art collection is backed up by regular temporary expos. The…

3. Museo TAMO

2.83 MILES

This newer museum doubles-down on Ravenna's extraordinary history of mosaic work by chronicling 12 centuries of history, using technology and multimedia…

4. Basilica di Sant'Apollinare Nuovo

2.88 MILES

An old legend states that Pope Gregory the Great once ordered the Apollinare's mosaics to be blackened as they were distracting worshippers from prayer. A…

5. Tomba di Dante

2.93 MILES

A son of Florence, Italy's Sommo Poeta (supreme poet), Dante Alighieri, was expelled from the city of his birth in 1302 for political reasons and spent…

6. Museo Arcivescovile

2.97 MILES

A museum with a difference, this religious gem is on the 2nd floor of the Archiepiscopal Palace. It hides two not-to-be-missed exhibits: an exquisite…

7. Battistero Neoniano

3.01 MILES

Roman ruins aside, this is Ravenna's oldest intact building, constructed over the site of a former Roman bathing complex in the late 4th century. Built in…

8. Duomo

3.02 MILES

Consecrated in 1749, Ravenna's baroque cathedral was built atop the remains of a much earlier church. Artefacts from the original 5th-century cathedral…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "italy/emilia-romagna-and-san-marino/ravenna/attractions/basilica-di-sant-apollinare-in-classe/a/poi-sig/462570/359890",
      "destination": "Ravenna",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Italy",
      "city": "Ravenna",
      "position": "superzone"
    }