Mausoleum of Theodoric

It stands, white and solemn, in a splendid park of 14 hectares – an enchanting and much-visited place. It is the most important Ostrogothic funerary building. Commissioned by Theodoric and begun in 520 AD, it stood in an area called Camp Coriander, a district near the coastline reserved for the Goths of the Aryan religion . It is formed of large blocks of Aurisina marble, shaped and laid dry. It is crowned by an immense monolithic dome (10.76 meters in diameter and 3.09 meters high) a true colossus and miracle of engineering. The dome is decorated with 12 handles that recall the shape of a crown, and in the band just below we find “pincers” decorations that echo refined Gothic goldsmithery. The plan is decagonal and has two orders: the base, internally in the shape of a Greek cross, was probably dedicated to ceremonies and burials of members of the royal family. The upper floor, originally without entrances and internally circular, was instead intended to house the burial of the ruler. Today, we can admire a large red porphyry basin in the center. The interior is with exposed marble – according to some, it may have originally featured a mosaic decoration on the dome, with a large cross surrounded by stars. From 561 AD, under Byzantine rule, the building was transformed into an Orthodox oratory and dedicated to St. Mary.