Which Byzantine church in Ravenna was originally built as Theodoric the Great’s Arian palace chapel?

Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna was originally built as Theodoric the Great’s Arian palace chapel.

The Ostrogothic king Theodoric commissioned the church in the early sixth century, when Ravenna was his capital. It was dedicated to Christ and served the Arian court before Byzantine rule returned to the city.

After Emperor Justinian’s forces captured Ravenna, the church was reconsecrated for Catholic worship. Its extensive mosaics were altered over time, but long processions of saints, martyrs, and biblical scenes remain among the finest surviving examples of late antique and early Byzantine mosaic art.

The word “Nuovo” distinguishes it from Sant'Apollinare in Classe, a separate Ravenna basilica outside the ancient city. The two churches are often confused because both preserve important mosaics and bear the name of Saint Apollinaris.