One of the most important patrons of art who was portrayed at san vitale. who was this emperor?

The major theme of this mosaic program is the authority of the emperor in the Christian plan of history. The mosaic program can also be seen to give visual testament to the major ambitions of Justinian's reign: As heir to the tradition of Roman Emperors, Justinian sought to restore the territorial boundaries of the Empire.

Latin has remained the official language of the Roman Catholic Church and as such has been in constant use by most Romance speakers; it was only within the last half of the 20th century that church services began to be conducted in the vernacular