Theodoric, known as The Great, on the 1500th anniversary of his death
"16 Possible Uses of a Mausoleum"
the comic book story that Giuseppe Palumbo set in the Mausoleum of Theodoric
from August 29 to September 10, 2026
The Exhibition
During Theodoric Week, on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at 6:30 PM, at the Pallavicini 22 Art Gallery in Ravenna, the comic book "16 possible uses of the Mausoleum" will be presented. The winner of the MiC "Comics in Museums" competition, the comic book story that Giuseppe Palumbo set in the Mausoleum of Theodoric will be shown. The author will present his creative journey, and his sketches and preparatory studies will be on display. This will be a unique opportunity to experience firsthand the work of an internationally renowned comic book artist, who will present his texts and sign the comic book.
The event is part of the "Theodoric Celebrations 526-2026. RAVENNA IN THE SIGN OF THEODORIC."
The Artist
Giuseppe Palumbo (Matera, 1964) has been publishing comics since 1986, for magazines such as Frigidaire and Cyborg, where he created Ramarro, the first masochistic superhero.
He has drawn Martin Mystery, Tex, and most notably Diabolik (Astorina).
He has created novels (including "Tomka - The Gypsy of Guernica," with Massimo Carlotto, and "A Turkish Dream" with Giancarlo De Cataldo, Rizzoli, and "The Only Cure," Oblomov) and graphic essays (including "The Helmet and the Revolt," with Luciano Curreri, Comma22, and "Pasolini 1964," "Costellazione Basaglia," and "Carlo Levi 1973," Action30). He has collaborated with Italian and international publishers, including Sergio Bonelli, Rizzoli, Mondadori, Kodansha, and Dargaud.
Some of his books and his Diabolik comics have been translated into several languages.
He has won numerous awards in Italy, from the Yellow Kid to the Micheluzzi, to the Romics d'Oro and the Cygne d'Or in Lugano.
He has been a long-time illustration teacher at the ISIA higher education school in Urbino.
Theodoric (Pannonia, 454 – Ravenna, August 30, 526)
Theodoric was born in 454 AD in Pannonia, a region which we can today place between Austria and Hungary. Son of the Ostrogothic King Thiudimer, at 8 years of age he was sent as a hostage to the court of the Emperor of Constantinople, Leo I, where he lived for ten full years in order to serve as a peace guarantee between the Ostrogoths and the Byzantines.
At the time, Constantinople was the most educated and enlightened city, and Theodoric was instructed by the best teachers of his day, even if he never dedicated himself to his studies with great enthusiasm.
Upon the death of his father he succeeded him to the throne, and maintaining the policy of alliance with the Byzantine Empire, supported Zeno in his military campaigns.
Zeno, in order to avoid dangerous power struggles, permitted Theodoric to depart for Italy in order to put an end to the reign of Odoacer.
In 488 AD Theodoric departed for Italy with his army, composed of more than one hundred thousand people. The undertaking was by no means a simple task: first he had to cross the Alps during a very difficult winter and then, when he reached his destination, despite the victories against Odoacer he was not able to put an end to the war.
Odoacer was forced to retreat to Ravenna, and after a three-year siege, Theodoric’s barbarians were stricken with malaria.
Victory was achieved in 493 AD, after the capture of Rimini, when Odoacer and his followers were finally confined to Ravenna, where they died of hardship and pestilence.
In February of 493 a peace treaty was signed but, during the celebration banquet, Theodoric had Odoacer killed.
Having become the master of Italy, Theodoric governed trying to convince the two souls of his Kingdom to live together peacefully, the two souls being the Gothic and the Roman components.
Theodoric did not impose his religious beliefs upon the orthodox Romans, and actually was quite annoyed when somebody would convert to his religion with the sole purpose of gaining his favor.
The city of Ravenna flourished once again. Agrarian production and building projects had a new flowering as did the development of the arts.
The Arian Baptistery, the Basilica dello Spirito Santo, and the Basilica di Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, along with its Mausoleum, all owe their existence to Theodoric.
Despite having governed in times of peace for the majority of his reign, during the final years of his life he became gloomy, and the climate of harmony which characterised his reign until that point was finally broken.
The image of his reputation began to show cracks when he condemned Albinus, a roman consul, to death for his supposed involvement in a conspiracy.
Justinian I, the new Byzantine emperor, exacerbated the situation when he began a bitter campaign against Arianism, and so Theodoric sent Pope John with orders to convince the Emperor to retract his edicts against the king’s religious creed.
The Pope, having returned in Italy empty-handed, was punished by Theodoric, who let him die miserable and neglected.
Theodoric died on August 30th 526 in Ravenna. There are many legends that detail his death. …
From https://www.turismo.ra.it/en/myravenna/stories/history-and-legend-of-theodoric-king-of-the-goths/
