basilica di san francesco, ravenna

After the magnificence of the World Heritage Sites this church gives one the chance to reflect. A supply of Euro coins to take in the submerged mosaics and gold fish in the flooded crypt

You might think it tacky, but there is an illuminated and animated nativity scene towards the front of the church that is probably better value than paying to see a pool of water. It lasts over 5 minutes. It is technologically quaint, but engaging. Why not spend your euro on that?

Due to changing water levels, it is now under water with gold gush swimming around. Drop a euro in the box and the lights go on so you can see it. Reminds me of the cisterns in Istanbul.

Visited here as we were in the area anyway. Nice little church. There are some stairs leading to a window which overlooks the crypt. It was quite dark, but with the flash of your camera you can see underwater mosaics and large goldfish. Next to the opening is a slot in which to deposit a €1 coin. This lights up the crypt. Unfortunately the couple in front of us insisted in staying at the window until the lights went off - making sure no-one else got the benefit of their coin!! This resulted in a massive queue behind us!!

The outside of the church is very impressive and it appears to be in good shape. The really interesting thing to see is how the original floor of the church is now under water. Some of the old floor is still visible and a hint of what the old mosaics were like can be glimpsed.

Find the machine to put in your euro to see the old floor that is now under water. Don't just toss the coin in the water. It looks like lots of people try that. The building itself is not as wonderful as the other sites in town but if you are there I would stop here too.

This basilica would be pretty, but no so much so in comparison to the other beautiful wonders in Ravenna. The sunken crypt is, however, interesting. And, yes, worth paying a euro to light up the situation. Most disappointing was the outside courtyard and common area in front. It was strewn with trash and graffiti on walls of neighboring buildings. The outside area was sad. Our guide apologized when she noted I was surprised at how the area looked and she said they have tried to work with officials to clean up the area.

Other reviews explain why the fish - fascinating to think of the land subsiding so much but being in constant use for so many centuries. Easily located, costs a Euro for the lights, takes only a couple of minutes, plus queue time.

The Basilica de San Francesco is more a curiosity than anything else. The interior of the church is rather simple and the real reason to go is to see the unusual, permanently-flooded sunken crypt. Put a Euro in to light it up and you will see large goldfish swimming around the columns with an interesting mosaic floor underneath the water. It all has a greenish tint and an eerie glow, until the lights go out. Worth a visit if you have time.

I found this Basilica fascinating. The interior is rather plain, but beautiful in its own way, as they all are. The sunken crypt is certainly worth seeing - but don't forget to put in a Euro so that the lights will light up the watery grave of the original floor with fish swimming around the columns. Quite incredible to see that the original floor has sunk more three meters over the millennia - a problem that Ravenna continues to fight.

Well worth a visit to see all that it has to offer. One of many churches worth visiting in Ravenna. Very close to Dante tomb and museum.

As a testament to the subsidence (i.e. sinking ground) problem Ravenna battles with over the millenia, this church waas completely rebuilt in 10-11 century from a 5th century structure. Amazingly the crypt is flooded naturally to about a meter deep with live gold fish swimming around to help us see the mosaics from the original church which was otherwise lost.

This church has at the front stairs that if you walk down and deposit Euro1 it lights up the lower level to view mosaics that are under water. There are gold fish swimming. I didn't even know until the light went off and saw a tour guie deposit another Euro. Very interesting.

This church dates back to the 5th century AD, although very few parts of the original early church remain, except for the 9th century bell tower. It is has been modified extensively over the years. The interior of the church is very plain and unremarkable except for one incredible feature, a flooded crypt. This church like most of the others in Ravenna is effected by subsidence. The subsidence of the church relates to Ravenna's ancient past as the capital of the Western Roman Empire. Like Rome, over time, the ground level has been elevated several times and treasures of ancient history lie beneath ground level. The original floor level of this church is now situated 3.6 m below street level. As a result, the crypt is filled with water. The benefit of this is that the ancient mosaics on the floor of the crypt are preserved and you can see them through the water when the crypt is illuminated. Many people visit this church for its association with Dante Alighieri. His tomb and memorial is right near the church. Dante lived his final years in Ravenna and when he died here in 1321 his funeral was held in this church. The first sarcophagus containing his remains was located under one of the side arches in the church. Our guide told us that during the second world war the Franciscans were so concerned about bomb damage that they secretly removed his remains and buried them in the grounds of the adjacent monastery for safe keeping. Whilst many cities in Italy lay claim to at least a part of him, apparently his remains now rest in his tomb, a rather grand memorial next to the church and widely reviewed on this site. You will need to pay 50c Euro to illuminate the crypt but it is worth it. You can view the crypt for free without illumination but you won't see the effect of the mosaics. The children love spotting the large goldfish that swim around the crypt (obviously not an original feature of the church!). Otherwise, it is free to enter.

Da visitare, oltre che per i mosaici, per la bella cripta in cui nuotano tranquilli dei pesciolini rossi!