Dante & Ravenna - By Elena Gigli
DANTE & RAVENNA
Dante Alighieri, the great Italian poet, in 1304 was accused of corruption , but he did not accept this accusation and spent the rest of his life as an exile.
During his exile Alighieri travelled to many Italian cities where he was haused by th most important italian courts sich as Scrovegni family in Padova.
In 1318 Dante came to Ravenna with his sons Pietro and Jacopo and his daughter Antonia, the family was hosted by Guido Novello Da Polenta (the Lord of Ravenna).
Unfortunately the city was the last refuge for the poet who died here in 1322.
SO WHAT’S LEFT OF DANTE ALIGHIERI IN RAVENNA ?
1. A MONUMENTAL TOMB FOR THE GREAT POET
First of all Ravenna preserves the remains of Dante Alighieri in a monumental chapel built in 1732.
Inside there is the marble sarcophagus which houses Dante's bones.
Moreover chapel is situated in the center of the city behind the church of S. Francesco where the funeral of the great poet was celebrated.
DANTE’S TOMB
2. THE SECRET
After Dante’s funeral, Florence did not stand by and began to claim the remains of its illustrious citizen, especially when the Florentines Leone X and Clemente VII were appointed popes.
So Pope Leone X and the great artist Michelangelo went to Ravenna in order to take Dante’s body back to Florence, but they didn’t obtain what they wanted because the sarcophagus was empty.
In fact, the Franciscan friars had moved the poet's remains to the cloister in order to hide and protect them.
The same situation also happened in 1810, during the Napoleonic period, friars removed the bones from the urn and took them into a box. The box was walled up in the adjacent oratory, and no one knew anything about it.
For many years people visited the tomb not knowing that the sarcophagus was empty .
Until May 27 1865 a worker found out the urn and a student translated the inscription on it.
At the end, Florence had to surrender and built a neoclassical temple in Santa Croce where there is the personification of Italy that raises Dante who is thinking, and at his left, there is Poetry crying on his empty sarcophagus.
DANTE’S TOMB IN FLORENCE
3. RAVENNA IN DIVINA COMMEDIA
Dante mentions the city of Ravenna several times in the Divina Commedia but maybe the most important passage is in the 5th Canto of the Hell, also known as Paolo and Francesca’s canto.
The story takes place in the circle of people damned for lust. In this passage Francesca is talking. She says that she was born in Ravenna and then she starts explaining her tragic story.
Francesca Da Polenta from Ravenna married Gianciotto Malatesta from Rimini , an old noble man.
Then she felt in love with Paolo (Gianciotto’s brother) because ,while they were reading the story of Geneva, Arthur’s wife and Lancillotto (the most trusted knight of Arthur) they kisssed each other.
Gianciotto found out the betryal and killed them.
CANTO V
II CERCHIO
LUSSURIOSI
Amor, ch'al cor gentil ratto s'apprende,
prese costui de la bella persona
che mi fu tolta; e 'l modo ancor m'offende.
Amor, ch'a nullo amato amar perdona,
mi prese del costui piacer sì forte,
che, come vedi, ancor non m'abbandona.
Amor condusse noi ad una morte.
Caina attende chi a vita ci spense».
Queste parole da lor ci fuor porte.
4. DANTE & STREET ART
This is probably the most famous murals of Ravenna created by Ericailcane, an international street artist who drew a colorful version of the thinking poet.
At the end, this picture represents also the past and the present link between the city of Ravenna and the great poet Dante Alighieri.
Michaella's Note:
Per saperne di più di Dante, clicca qui per un video su YouTube (e un piccolo ripasso dei verbi passato remoto! 😉)
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