Flooded crypt, Basilica of San Francesco, Ravenna, Italy Jan 6, 2025

Flooded crypt, Basilica of San Francesco, Ravenna, Italy

In the Italian province of Ravenna lies the Basilica of San Francesco, recognised for its beauty and historical significance. This Romanesque church, originally built in 450 CE, features a sturdy square bell tower added in the 9th century, enhancing the basilica"s exterior. Its design features three naves, divided into two rows of 12 columns each. Featured in today"s image is the basilica"s real showstopper: the basement crypt, or burial chamber is a stunning model of early religious design. Complete with vaulted ceilings that slope down into rows of stone columns, its floor is a work of art itself. It"s inlaid with beautifully intricate mosaic tiles that have withstood the test of time.

© Andrea Pucci/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

‘The hills have a power to soothe and heal...’
Jan 6, 2024A male chaffinch in a crab apple tree
Jan 6, 2026Nuuk, Greenland

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jul 19, 2024A young jaguar on a riverbank, Pantanal, Brazil
Sway with the Amazonian canopy
Mar 22, 2024World Water Day
Oct 24, 2024Bodie State Historic Park, California, United States
When only a hug will do
Peek-a-boo, I see you!
Dec 16, 2023Guild houses of Grand-Place, Brussels, Belgium
Reflecting on Christmas
Jun 5, 2024World Environment Day
Remembering the Mahatma
Straight out of a fairytale
Jan 23, 2024Maldives
Mar 14, 2025Lathmar Holi
Feb 25, 2026Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska, United States
A cantilevered window to the past
May 5, 2025Dunluce Castle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Oct 17, 2025Rock River Falls, Upper Peninsula, Michigan, United States
When landscape met wilderness
Oct 7, 2024The Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg, Germany
Sep 15, 2025Black-winged stilts, France
We can all just get along
A beach of many colours
Colours of Colorado
Dec 29, 2023Oud-West neighbourhood, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Mar 27, 2026World Theatre Day
Jun 23, 2025Elbe river in Dresden, Saxony, Germany
Jan 20, 2026Penguin Awareness Day
Aug 27, 2025Ganesh Chaturthi
May 21, 2025International Tea Day
Jul 29, 2024International Tiger Day