Mausoleum of Galla Placidia is yet another beautiful example of Byzantine art. It is located right next to the Basilica of San Vitale and represents one of the must see attractions in Ravenna to most tourists.
Mausoleum Galla Placidia is one of eight sites in Ravenna that is included On UNESCO World heritage list. It is located in the same churchyard together with the Basilica of San Vitale.
The Mausoleum contains three sarcophagus that supposedly contained the remains of Galla Placidia, her husband Emperor Constantius III and either her son Emperor Valentinian III or her brother Emperor Honorius.
Aelia Galla Placidia (388-450AD) was the daughter of Emperor Theodosius I, the last Roman Emperor that held both the Eastern and Western part of the Empire. In case you wish to know more on the argument- Eastern and Western Roman Empire, you may visit the page History of Ravenna.
Even though the story goes that Galla Placidia built this structure to serve as a mausoleum for her and her family, there is no evidence to support this story, nor to correlate Galla Placidia to this building.
The main attractions of this mausoleum are certainly beautiful and colorful mosaics that cover almost the whole interior of the building. These vivid mosaics depict four of Christ’s apostils and together with other decorations symbolize the victory of the eternal life over death.
Above the entrance door, there is a very interesting mosaic of Christ tending his flock. In this early representation, Christ is depicted as what he was, a shepherd, in a more naturalistic environment than it can be found in later representations.
Ticket Prices for Mausoleum Galla Placidia in Ravenna
This ticket type is a cumulative ticket for the following attractions of Ravenna: Basilica of San Vitale, Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Basilica of San Apollinare Nuovo, Neonian Baptistery and Archiepiscopal Museum.
Regular ticket price is 9.5 Euros (€) ($10.94).
Reduced ticket price is 8.5 Euros (€) ($9.79).
During the period from 1st March to 15th June the additional 2€ charge applies for those that want to visit Mausoleum Galla Placidia.
Reduced price is reserved for students.
Free entrance: children under the age of 10 and handicapped individuals.
Before you decide to visit these attractions we advise you to check the prices on the official webpage of Mausoleum Galla Placidia in Ravenna.
Working hours of the Mausoleum Galla Placidia in Ravenna
Throughout the year all of the mentioned sights, included in the cumulative ticket, will be open from 10:00 to 17:00h. Obviously, during the summer time the working hours will be a bit longer (from 09:00 to 19:00h) while during the winter period, working hours will be shorter (from 10:00 to 17:00 or 09:30 to 17:00, depending on the sight)
In order to learn the exact working hours of individual sights (not the same for all attractions) we advise you to visit the official website of Mausoleum Galla Placidia.
