photo 121 of 201
Sant'Apollinare in Classe: Byzantine Capital

Byzantine Capital

The basilica has a tall and wide nave with side aisles, supported on two dozen slender marble columns topped with Byzantine carved capitals. These are not ancient spoils, but a perfectly matched set made specifically for the church in the 6th-century imperial workshop of Proconnesos. The beautiful capitals are known as the "butterfly" or "leaves blown by the wind" type.

Credit: Holly Hayes