BASILICA OF SANT'APOLLINARE IN CLASSE, Interior And Side Naves

As you walk down the two side aisles of the basilica, I suggest you pause to admire the ten ancient sarcophagi placed along the walls.

You should know that nine of these held the remains of important archbishops of Ravenna who lived between the 6th and 9th centuries A.D., while one, found in 1909 under the floor of the basilica, bears the name of a little Roman girl engraved on it: Licinia Valeria.

Along the right aisle there is also a very important marble slab which indicates the place where St. Apollinaris was originally buried when this area was used as a necropolis. The dedication on the slab also explains that it was Archbishop Maximian who had this basilica built and dedicated to the saint, as we read from the text, which means: "In this place is the sarcophagus of Blessed Apollinaris, priest and confessor... thanks to the blessed man, Archbishop Maximian...".

Another artifact of great beauty and importance is the Ciborium of St. Eleucadius, located to the left of the altar, just where the left aisle ends.

Now press pause and press play again when you reach there.

The term ciborium denotes a small temple with four columns, which usually towers above the altar in Christian basilicas. The one in front of you, perfectly preserved, dates to the 9th century and was built for the church of St. Eleucadius, the second successor of St. Apollinaris. The ciborium was later moved here around 1400.

Below the small temple you can see the small altar dedicated to St. Felicula, a fourth-century martyr whose relics were given to the bishop of Ravenna by Pope Gregory I around the year 592.

Let me leave you with an interesting fact: you should know that the sarcophagi used for the burial of archbishops were not made expressly for them. In fact, these are artifacts from earlier times that were reclaimed and recycled.