La bellezza ch’io vidi. The Divine Comedy and the mosaics of Ravenna

In the exhibition spaces of the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, the permanent exhibition “LA BELLEZZA CH’IO VIDI: THE DIVINE COMEDY AND THE MOSAICS OF RAVENNA” is displayed. This compelling journey sheds light on the extraordinary connections between the mosaics of Ravenna and Dante Alighieri’s work.
The mosaics had a significant influence on Dante’s masterpiece, inspiring many of the paradisiacal visions recounted in the Divine Comedy. The exhibition consists of 20 illuminated panels that illustrate the numerous references between the mosaics and the verses of the Divine Comedy, featuring explanatory texts from Iconografie Dantesche by Laura Pasquini (Longo Editore) and evocative commentary from Il Vangelo secondo Ravenna by André Frossard (Itaca Edizioni).
From Justinian in the sixth canto of Paradiso to the procession in the twenty-ninth canto of Purgatorio, reminiscent of the procession of saints in Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, and on to the stars that close each of the three canticles of the Divine Comedy, echoing those that shine in the sky of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia.
The exhibition is the result of the curation of a commission of experts and academics, including Laura Pasquini, professor at the University of Bologna, and Giuseppe Ledda, professor at Bologna and member of the exclusive National Committee for the Dante Celebrations in 2021.
Closed days: December 25 and January 1
Note: Entry is reserved for holders of a combined ticket for the diocesan monuments of Ravenna.