RAVENNA, an ancient city of Italy, in the states of the Church, is situated on the river Mentone, near the Adriatic. Although the streets are tolerably straight and spacious, yet the town has a gloomy and ruinous aspect. The principal public building is the Cathedral, which is modern, and has its nave sustained by four rows of columns, of Greek marble. The church of St Vitale, which has the shape of au octagon, is likewise supported by columns of Greek marble, and contains various objects of antiquity. The church called the Rotunda, without the town, was built by Amalansda, in honour of her lather Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths. Besides these and some other churches, there are twenty-four convents in Ravenna.
Among the antiquities of Ravenna, we may enume rate the Porta Aurea, a fine marble gate, built by the Romans; and the palace of Theodoric. The mausoleum of this sovereign is still to be seen, covered with a stone twenty-eight feet in diameter, and fifteen feet thick. _Mosaics, basso-relievos, and different pieces of sculpture occur in various parts of the city. Ravenna contains also the tomb of the celebrated Dante.
In the time of the Romans, this city stood in a sort of bay, formed by the Adriatic, and had the advantage of a good harbour. The port, however, is now filled up with the mud and sand thrown up by the tide, which has formed a tract of land of three miles in extent, which separates the town from the sea. Owing to the marshy nature of the ground, the climate of Ravenna is insalu brious, but this evil has been considerably removed, by conveying the rivers Mentone and Romeo along the skirts of the city, for the purpose of carrying off the stagnant waters from the marshy grounds. Ravenna has no fortification, but is encircled with a mound.
A Roman colony is said to have been established in this city by Augustus. Tiberius repaired its walls, Trajan erected a fine aqueduct. Honorius and Octavius made it successively the place of their residence ; and Theodorie having fixed the seat of his empire in this city, endowed it with fine churches and palaces.
Population about 12,000. East long. 10' 51"; and North lat. 44" 25' 5".