Ravenna

Ravenna
Ravèna, Ravêna (Romagnol)
Flag of Ravenna
Coat of arms of Ravenna
Location of Ravenna
Map
Ravenna is located in Italy
Ravenna
Ravenna
Location of Ravenna in Emilia-Romagna
Ravenna is located in Emilia-Romagna
Ravenna
Ravenna
Ravenna (Emilia-Romagna)
Coordinates: 44°24′58″N 12°12′06″E / 44.41611°N 12.20167°E / 44.41611; 12.20167
CountryItaly
RegionEmilia-Romagna
ProvinceRavenna (RA)
Frazioni
(subdivisions)
  • Casalborsetti, Lido di Savio, Lido di Classe, Lido di Dante, Lido Adriano, Marina di Ravenna, Punta Marina Terme, Porto Corsini, Porto Fuori, Marina Romea, Ammonite, Camerlona, Mandriole, Savarna, Grattacoppa, Conventello, Torri, Mezzano, Sant'Antonio, San Romualdo, Sant'Alberto, Borgo Montone, Fornace Zarattini, Piangipane, San Marco, San Michele, Santerno, Villanova di Ravenna, Borgo Sisa, Bastia, Borgo Faina, Carraie, Campiano, Casemurate, Caserma, Castiglione di Ravenna, Classe, Coccolia, Ducenta, Durazzano, Filetto, Fosso Ghiaia, Gambellara, Ghibullo, Longana, Madonna dell'Albero, Massa Castello, Mensa Matellica, Osteria, Pilastro, Roncalceci, Ragone, Santo Stefano, San Bartolo, San Zaccaria, Savio, S. Pietro in Trento, San Pietro in Vincoli, San Pietro in Campiano
Government
 • MayorMichele De Pascale (PD)
Area
 • Total652.89 km2 (252.08 sq mi)
Elevation
4 m (13 ft)
Population
 (1 January 2014)[2]
 • Total158,784
 • Density240/km2 (630/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Ravennate, Ravennese[3]
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
48100
Dialing code0544
Patron saintSaint Apollinaris
Saint dayJuly 23
WebsiteOfficial website
Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Mosaic of the Emperor Justinian I from the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna
CriteriaCultural: i, ii, iii, iv
Reference788
Inscription1996 (20th Session)
Area1.32 ha

Ravenna (/rəˈvɛnə/ rə-VEN; Italian: [raˈvenna], also local pronunciation: [raˈvɛn(n)a] ; Romagnol: Ravèna, Ravêna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century until its collapse in 476, after which it served as the capital of the Ostrogothic Kingdom and then the Byzantine Exarchate of Ravenna.[4]

Historical population
YearPop.±%
186155,973—    
187158,544+4.6%
188159,696+2.0%
190162,723+5.1%
191169,802+11.3%
192170,502+1.0%
193176,335+8.3%
193680,658+5.7%
195191,248+13.1%
1961114,854+25.9%
1971131,176+14.2%
1981137,375+4.7%
1991135,844−1.1%
2001134,631−0.9%
2011153,740+14.2%
2021155,836+1.4%
Source: ISTAT

Initially settled by the Umbri people, Ravenna came under Roman Republic control in 89 BC. Octavian built the military harbor of Classis at Ravenna, and the city remained an important seaport on the Adriatic until the early Middle Ages. The city prospered under imperial rule. In 401, Western Roman emperor Honorius moved his court from Mediolanum to Ravenna; it then served as capital of the empire for most of the 5th century.

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Ravenna became the capital of Odoacer until he was defeated by the Ostrogoth king Theodoric. In 540, Belisarius conquered Ravenna for the Byzantine Empire, and the city became the capital of Byzantine Italy. After a brief Lombard control, Ravenna came under the authority of the Papacy and, save for minor interruptions, remained part of the Papal States until the mid-19th century when it was incorporated into the newly unified Kingdom of Italy.[5]

Although it is an inland city, Ravenna is connected to the Adriatic Sea by the Candiano Canal. It is known for its well-preserved late Roman and Byzantine architecture, with eight buildings comprising the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna".[6] Because of the high concentration of mosaics, the city has been associated with workshops and schools teaching mosaics, and is often given titles like the "capital of mosaics".[7][8][9]

  1. ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ^ GeoDemo - Istat.it
  3. ^ Generally speaking, adjectival "Ravenna" and "Ravennate" are more common for most adjectival uses—the Ravenna Cosmography, Ravenna grass, the Ravennate fleet—while "Ravennese" is more common in reference to people. The neologism "Ravennan" is also encountered. The Italian form is ravennate; in Latin, Ravennatus, Ravennatis, and Ravennatensis are all encountered.
  4. ^ "Storia dell'Esarcato d'Italia". www.homolaicus.com. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  5. ^ "Ravenna - Treccani". Treccani (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  6. ^ "Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna".
  7. ^ "Day Trip to Ravenna: What to See in Italy's Mosaic Capital". ITALY Magazine. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  8. ^ Franceschini |, Giulia (2023-04-24). "Ravenna, the capital of Italian mosaic". L'Italo-Americano – Italian American bilingual news source. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  9. ^ Fiorentino, Sara; Chinni, Tania; Vandini, Mariangela (2020-11-01). "Ravenna, its mosaics and the contribution of archaeometry. A systematic reassessment on literature data related to glass tesserae and new considerations". Journal of Cultural Heritage. 46: 335–349. doi:10.1016/j.culher.2020.06.003. hdl:11585/764608. ISSN 1296-2074. S2CID 225764842.