Space, Sound, and Senses The Design of Liturgical Experience in Sant’Apollinare in Classe and its Landscape

The sixth-century basilica of Sant’Apollinare in Classe, one of the Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna inscribed in UNESCO World Heritage List, is among the most spectacular examples of historical architecture that survived from late antiquity. Although the building has been the object of important studies and archaeological investigations for decades, a significant number of questions remain unanswered about its design, chronology and transformations, liturgy and rituals, relations with the surrounding landscape and with the cities of Ravenna and Classe.
The monument has been recently surveyed with a 3D laser scanner by Newcastle University’s McCord Centre for Landscape in collaboration with the National Museum of Ravenna. The first analyses of the 3D digital models obtained from the survey reveal an unexpected level of accuracy and sophistication in the entire design of the church. The modular system of the building indicates that its construction resulted from an outstanding 
investment in technology, committed to the highest scientific standards of that time. Furthermore, the survey provides a significant amount of other data that needs to be analysed and integrated using a wide range of 
approaches and methods.
The aim of this workshop is to define a multidisciplinary methodology to investigate Sant’Apollinare in Classe and acquire new insights on the architectural design of the complex, on its chronology and transformations, on 
its impact on the landscape, and on the rituals that were performed inside and outside the church. This approach will also consider the artistic and historiographical views that conditioned the interpretations and modifications of the complex. The event brings together academic and professional expertise to establish and nurture international partnerships and launch pioneer investigations on Ravenna.