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Province of Ravenna
Ravenna
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Archiepiscopal Museum
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Archiepiscopal Museum

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See all things to do
Archiepiscopal Museum
4.5
859 reviews
#9 of 121 things to do in Ravenna
Speciality Museums
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10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
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About
Archiepiscopal Museum and the Chapel of St. Andrew The Archbishop's Chapel of St. Andrew is guarded as a gemstone inside the Bishop's Palace. It was the private chapel of the bishops of Ravenna and it was built and decorated with mosaics from 494 till 519. Set up inside the rooms of the Bishop's Palace, the collection of the Archiepiscopal Museum contains epigraphs, the Cathedral treasure, remains of mosaics from the ancient Basilica of Ursus and above all the ivory throne of the bishop Maximian (6th century).
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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Attractions
99 within 6 miles
Battistero Neoniano (Battistero degli Ortodossi)
1,491
0.1 miHistoric Sites • Religious Sites
Istituzione Biblioteca Classense
30
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Tamo Museo del Mosaico
151
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Cappella Arcivescovile Di Sant'andrea
2
393 ftPoints of Interest & Landmarks
Duomo di Ravenna
319
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Basilica di San Francesco
884
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Chiesa di Santa Giustina
8
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117
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
859 reviews
Excellent
392
Very good
330
Average
115
Poor
16
Terrible
6
PavlaPavla
Chrudim, Czech Republic6,185 contributions
Small museum
Jul 2022
This museum is very small. You can see there exhibits of early Christian Ravenna. I think the rarest and most interesting exhibit here is the Throne of Archbishop Maximian, which is richly decorated with ivory.

I found interesting the marble rosette which is a Paschal calendar of the 6th century. Its purpose was to fix the movable feast of Easter in such a way that it might be celebrated everywhere in Christendom on the same day.
Written July 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
greenpanther30
Camberley, UK1,140 contributions
Worth the visit, but other sights are better
May 2022 • Couples
Small museum work many Roman remains and artifacts found around the city. The ebony throne and small Chapel are the two most significant parts of this visit. The rest felt a little disjointed and was hard to follow. Would still recommend visiting though.
Written May 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Asiyah Noemi K
Pula, Croatia4,972 contributions
Beautiful Museum with magnificant chapel of Sant'Andrea
Nov 2019
The significant and rich Archiepiscopal Museum here in Ravenna shows us the historical sequence of events and life in the city itself. It is located immediately next to the Baptistry of Neon and behind the Duomo of Ravenna, on the first and second floor of the Archiepiscopal Palace. The museum is very interesting with its artifacts and we are especially impressed with the chapel of Sant'Andrea, an early Christian oratory with Greek cross plan built between 494 and 519 AD in the time of Theodoric and decorated with wonderful mosaics. Archiepiscopal Chapel is the only existing archiepiscopal chapel of the early Christian era that has been preserved intact to the present day. It was erected by Bishop Peter II as a private oratory for Catholic bishops when Arianism was the main religion of the court. Originally dedicated to Christ, the chapel was then renamed and dedicated to Saint Andrew, whose relics were transported from Constantinople to Ravenna around the mid-6th century AD. Beautifully decorated chapel with extremely beautiful mosaics. Also of interest to us was the ivory throne of Maximian, one of the most famous carved ivory works of all times executed in the 6th century by Byzantine artists. Very interesting museum with valuable details.
Written January 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KatrinaMolini
Corciano, Italy7,512 contributions
Don’t skip it
Sep 2022 • Couples
The museum itself was not entirely our thing. We loved the ivory throne of Maximian, the silver cross of Bishop Agnellus and a few other things, but the chapel of Sant’Andrea with the mosaics was wow and what we came for. It’s tiny and beautiful and classed by UNESCO as a world heritage site. Don’t miss it.
Written October 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wil r
Tacoma, WA140 contributions
Some interesting content but unwelcoming
Oct 2022
There is considerable staff guarding unspectacular holdings. A wing was closed, supposed to open at 11 AM. Still closed well after that. Unpleasant staffer offered no further info, Restrooms closed. For maintenance during my entire visit.
Written October 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mihaela J
Bucharest, Romania107 contributions
Smiley angel
Apr 2016 • Friends
The Chapel is the smallest of Ravenna’s UNESCO sites and the only Early Christian private oratory preserved to our days, now part of the Archbishop Museum. A rare depiction of a warrior Christ presides over the entrance door (in the vestibule of the chapel), while the same symbol of the golden cross over a starry night (inspired from the mausoleum of Galla Placidia) catches the eye on the apse of the altar.
The dome of the chapel is home to four angels who, alternating with the symbols of the four evangelists, hold the Monogram of Christ. While three of them are observing the solemnity of their function, the fourth greets the visitor with a cute smile on his face.
No pictures are allowed to be taken inside the Archbishop Museum, but one can buy postcards at the museum shop.
Written May 15, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
trooper92
St. Gallen553 contributions
Our no. 5 in Ravenna
Oct 2020 • Couples
There is a reason that the palace/museum is on the 5-site visitor’s ticket. The small chapel has nice mosaics (though not as impressive as in the other 4 sites) - but our highlights were the ivory bishops throne and the +/- 1000 year old ceremonial artifacts exhibited in the museum. Not a big museum and a small chapel -> can be experienced in 30-60 minutes depending on your historic curiosity.
Written October 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
g w
52 contributions
Unique collection and mosaics
Feb 2020
Don't miss the Paschal calendar, the magnificent Ivory Cathedra and, of course, the Chapel of Sant'Andrea
Written March 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
greenmind0428
College Park, MD403 contributions
For Fans of Roman Era Artifacts
Nov 2019
While it's included in the UNESCO combo ticket, this is the one stop of the five not devoted to mosaics. The museum is devoted to a collection of the remains of churches that did not make it through like the more famous ones in Ravenna, and that are even older. I found myself reminded of the Capitoline Museum in Rome with the fragments of the Roman settlement in the area.

They say there is no photography of the mosaics in a small chapel that is part of the museum but I snapped a shot or two and nobody said anything.

This is a massive collection and I only wish I had not done it last. It might have been better to go out of the "recommended" order of the UNESCO combo ticket and see this one with more energy.
Written December 7, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AllanJGJ
Wellington, New Zealand3,701 contributions
Mosaics and more
Sep 2019
This is a smallish museum just behind the Duomo and the Neonian Baptistry and is well worth visiting, particularly as it is part of the Ravenna multiticket. The St Andrews Chapel is a particular highlight but there are a number of interesting artifacts including the ivory throne of Maximian from the 6th century. Definitely worth a stop.
Written September 30, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Archiepiscopal Museum (Ravenna) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Frequently Asked Questions about Archiepiscopal Museum
Archiepiscopal Museum is open:
  • Sun - Sat 10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
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We recommend booking Archiepiscopal Museum tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 8 Archiepiscopal Museum tours on Tripadvisor