MAUSOLEUM OF THEODORIC

The Mausoleum of Theodoric, the only evidence in Italy of the funerary art of the Ostrogoths, was built near a necropolis around 520 at the behest of King Theodoric.

He died on August 30, 526, and the ruler was buried here, but it is not known what happened to his remains which were removed before the mausoleum was converted to Orthodox Catholic worship in 561.

Seen from the outside, the building is massive and imposing, but softened by arched niches carved along its sides.

The structure has a ground floor with a decagonal base. The upper level has the same base but a smaller diameter, and a round dome.

A special feature of the entire structure is the absence of any kind of glue between its Istrian stone blocks which are interlocked and held together by the enormous weight of the dome.

The latter consists of a single block weighing over two hundred tons. Apparently, the huge stone block was transported here by sea, but it is still unclear how it was lifted into place.

The mausoleum is quite simple, with few decorative details, although some friezes are visible at the base of the dome.

The interior is divided into two rooms, one on the ground floor, with a cross base, and the other on the upper floor, with a circular base.

Here you can admire a magnificent Roman-style red porphyry basin-shaped sarcophagus, in which Theodoric's remains were likely laid to rest.

There is no certainty about this, but there are documents that attest to the presence of this basin outside the building as early as around the 8th century.

Presumably the burial was on the upper floor, which was more protected from flooding and desecration since originally there was no staircase to reach it.

What is certain is that what has come down to us is an extraordinary work.

Let me leave you with an interesting fact: The clash between Arians and Catholics in the last years of Theodoric's reign was so heated that the king came to a very harsh confrontation with the Church. He even had the then Pope John I imprisoned and left him to die of starvation.