Ravenna Cathedral

Ravenna Cathedral tickets: which one to buy

Ravenna Cathedral, the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, stands on the Piazza Duomo in the centre of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and entry to the cathedral is free, while the Neonian Baptistery beside it and the Archiepiscopal Museum behind it are visited with a ticket, usually a combined ticket that also covers other monuments of the city. Ravenna was the capital of the Western Roman Empire, the Ostrogothic kingdom and the Byzantine exarchate, and its early Christian monuments, with their glittering mosaics, form a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The cathedral itself was rebuilt in the eighteenth century, so most visitors come for the baptistery and the museum's chapel, but the cathedral's older treasures are worth seeing too. Ravenna is about an hour from Bologna by train, and the old town is compact and flat, ideal for walking or cycling. Visitors combine the cathedral with the Basilica of San Vitale, the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, the Arian Baptistery and Dante's Tomb. The cathedral is active, and visiting pauses during services. The square in front is quiet, a short walk from the Piazza del Popolo.

Visiting Ravenna Cathedral: what to see

The first cathedral was founded by Bishop Ursus around the beginning of the fifth century, when Ravenna became the imperial capital, and it was a large basilica with five aisles. In the eighteenth century the old building was considered unstable, and it was demolished and replaced by the present cathedral, built between 1734 and 1749 to a design by Gian Francesco Buonamici in the baroque style, with a dome and a portico. A few elements of the earlier cathedral survive: the round bell tower, from around the tenth century, typical of Ravenna, stands beside the church, and inside, the marble ambo of Bishop Agnellus, from the sixth century, is carved with rows of animals, birds, fish and deer in small panels.

The cathedral also holds early Christian sarcophagi reused as tombs for bishops, and the Chapel of the Madonna del Sudore, with a venerated image. The Neonian Baptistery, the oldest monument in Ravenna, from the fifth century, has a dome mosaic of the baptism of Christ in the Jordan, surrounded by the twelve apostles on a deep blue ground. The Archiepiscopal Museum holds the Chapel of Saint Andrew, with mosaics from around 500, and the ivory throne of Bishop Maximian, carved in the sixth century with biblical scenes.

Ravenna Cathedral opening hours and the best time to go

The cathedral is open daily, and the baptistery and museum have their own hours, longer in summer. Ravenna is pleasant in spring and autumn, and summer is hot and humid but brings the Ravenna Festival, with concerts in the city's churches and monuments from June to July. The anniversary of Dante's death in September brings readings and events. Weekday mornings are quietest. Allow about twenty minutes for the cathedral, and an hour for the baptistery and museum.