Art And Architecture 365
different workshops.44 Whatever the case, the programme of the mosaics was
unchanged and remains unified.
Given its close affinity to the mosaics in the Orthodox Baptistery, two obser-
vations may be made. First, there was no prior Arian tradition in baptistery dec-
oration and indeed no other Arian baptistery has been identified.45 Therefore,
it is not surprising that the earlier baptistery should provide the inspiration for
the latter one. Second, nothing in the mosaics suggests a uniquely Arian mes-
sage and therefore nothing was changed after the building later came under
Orthodox control.
To the south was the destroyed Arian bishop’s palace, known in later
sources as the Domus Drocdonis. Agnellus reports that it had a small oratory
on its second floor dedicated to St Apollinaris.46 This would of course have
echoed the palace of the Orthodox bishop, which also has a small oratory on
its second floor.
The Palace Complex at Ravenna
A palace complex had existed in Ravenna from the early 5th century, when
Honorius had made the city the western capital of the Roman Empire. Sources
talk about two palaces, both in the eastern part of the city. The earliest was the
palace “in Laureto”, which has not been excavated except in bits and pieces,
but was located in the south-east quarter of the city. It may have been begun by
Honorius, though Agnellus reports that Valentinian III built “a royal hall” there
and he also seems to have been responsible for building a circus west of the
palace—an arrangement of palace and circus that echoed that of circus and
palace found in Rome and copied in other capitals including Constantinople.47
Odovacer seems to have resided in this palace, which was the place of his death.
The other palace is known as that of Theoderic, located to the north of the
Laureto complex, but in all likelihood together they formed one large palace
complex. Excavations in the early 20th century uncovered a building believed
to be this palace in the area east of the church of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, which
44 Rizzardi, Mosaico, pp. 83–4 sees two phases separated by at least fifteen years.
45 The baptistery found at Ca’ Bianca may have been Arian but it survives only to just barely
above the foundation level.
46 Agnellus, Liber Pontificalis 86, ed. Deliyannis, p. 253.
47 Agnellus, Liber Pontificalis 40, ed. Deliyannis, p. 198; Deichmann, Ravenna, vol. 2.3, p. 50.
For an overview of the history of the palaces in Ravenna see Herrin, “Palace”.