The Mausoleum of Theodoric
Theodoric the Great probably hoped to be remembered as a wise and just king, a defender of Roman civilization who united Romans and Ostrogoths under Roman law.
History had other plans.
His kingdom vanished, his tomb stands empty, and his image was probably erased from the mosaics of a church he built in Ravenna by the rulers who succeeded him.
Yet his mausoleum still stands after 1,500 years, an extraordinary monument, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of the finest surviving examples of Ostrogothic architecture.
Perhaps his most enduring legacy is this silent stone monument...
The Mausoleum of Theodoric
Theodoric the Great probably hoped to be remembered as a wise and just king, a defender of Roman civilization who united Romans and Ostrogoths under Roman law.
History had other plans.
His kingdom vanished, his tomb stands empty, and his image was probably erased from the mosaics of a church he built in Ravenna by the rulers who succeeded him.
Yet his mausoleum still stands after 1,500 years, an extraordinary monument, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of the finest surviving examples of Ostrogothic architecture.
Perhaps his most enduring legacy is this silent stone monument...