Basilica of Santa Maria in Porto

The Basilica of Santa Maria in Porto is a Baroque church in Ravenna, located in Via di Roma, in the southeastern part of the historical center of the city.

SHORT HISTORY OF THE BASILICA OF SANTA MARIA IN PORTO

In the first half of the 15th century, the Canons Regular of Santa Maria in Porto decided to build their own monastery in Porto Fuori, a village located about 4 kilometers from the walls of Ravenna.

However, the Venetian rulers of Ravenna decided that the monastery will be built within the city walls. Therefore, a piece of land near Porta Nuova was purchased in 1496.

The canons settled there in 1503, and the construction works on the monastery were completed in 1509. In 1511, the project for a new church was presented by the architect Bernardino Tavella.

The construction of the church, however, began only in 1553, and continued in the following decades.

On October 8, 1606, the archbishop of Ravenna together with the cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini consecrated the Basilica of Santa Maria in Porto.

In 1710, the high altar was built and, in 1784, the facade was completed by the architect Camillo Morigia.

In 1797, the French plundered the church and the monastery, and the monks were expelled. The following year, both the monastery and the church were closed and used as military barracks.

In 1828, the monastery was reopened, but it was definitively closed in 1886 due to the laws on the liquidation of the ecclesiastical axis.

At the end of the 19th century, the Basilica of Santa Maria in Porto was handed over to the diocesan clergy, becoming a parish seat.

The church was damaged by a bomb on July 24, 1944, but was later restored.

ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF THE BASILICA OF SANTA MARIA IN PORTO

The church, which overlooks a large rectangular open space with flower beds, is preceded by a staircase, completed in 1783.

The white facade in Istrian stone is divided in two orders by a high cornice. The lower order, in Ionic style, corresponds to all three naves. The upper one, in Corinthian style, corresponds only to the central nave.

The lower order is divided in three sectors by double semi-columns with niches between them. Inside the niches, there are statues of saints, created by the sculptor Diomiro Cignaroli.

Each of the three main sectors houses a portal, with a broken pediment supported by two Ionic columns. The central portal, larger than the other two, is surmounted by the statue of the Greek Madonna, from 1689.

The upper order has in the center a large rectangular window with a balustrade, surmounted by the coat of arms of the Monastery of Santa Maria in Porto.

On each side of the window, there are pairs of semi-columns, with niches between them, which house the statues of San Lorenzo, on the left, and Pietro degli Onesti, on the right.

At the two ends of the facade, there are the statues of Sant’Agostino, on the left, and Sant’Ubaldo, on the right.

The facade ends with a triangular pediment with the Marian monogram.

Inside, the basilica of Santa Maria in Porto has a Latin cross plan, with three naves covered with a ribbed vault.

Along the aisles, there are six chapels on each side. All the side chapels have a rectangular plan, with a barrel vault and a Baroque marble altar.

The two arms of the transept consist of a square with a ribbed vault and a semicircular apse, bordered by a marble balustrade and with a marble altar.

On the left altar, there is the Greek Madonna, a 9th century marble bas-relief from the East depicting the praying Madonna with a large cloak.

According to tradition, on April 8, 1100, the bas-relief appeared to a group of religious people on a beach south of Ravenna.

In correspondence with the central nave, beyond the cross vault, is the apse. In the center of the apse, there is the main altar. Above the altar, there is a beautiful polychrome marble ciborium.

Behind the altar, close to the semicircular wall, is the 16th-century wooden choir by Marino Francese. Composed of 75 stalls, it is divided into two superimposed orders, of which the upper one has sculpted decorations.

HOW TO GET TO THE BASILICA OF SANTA MARIA IN PORTO

The Basilica of Santa Maria in Porto is located about 1 kilometer away from the Ravenna railway station. The closest bus stop is right in front of the church, on the bus Lines 1, 4, 147, 149, 156 and 176.