Raven­na was the seat of the Roman Empire in the 5th cen­tu­ry and then of Byzan­tine Italy until the 8th cen­tu­ry. It has a unique col­lec­tion of ear­ly Chris­t­ian mosaics and mon­u­ments. All eight build­ings — the Mau­soleum of Gal­la Placidia, the Neon­ian Bap­tis­tery, the Basil­i­ca of Sant‘Apollinare Nuo­vo, the Ari­an Bap­tis­tery, the Archiepis­co­pal Chapel, the Mau­soleum of Theodor­ic, the Church of San Vitale and the Basil­i­ca of Sant‘Apollinare in Classe — were con­struct­ed in the 5th and 6th cen­turies. They show great artis­tic skill, includ­ing a won­der­ful blend of Grae­­co-Roman tra­di­tion, Chris­t­ian iconog­ra­phy and ori­en­tal and West­ern styles.