Aquileia, Italy - Basilica of Aquileia

This quiet and sleepy town that lies in Friuli Venezia Giulia close to the Adriatic was once a powerful Roman city, a center of trade and a military stronghold. One of the main sights besides the ruins is the Cathedral, Basilica of Aquileia. It's one of the most important edifices of Christianity. It's a flat-roofed basilica erected by Patriarch Poppo in 1031 on the site of an earlier church, and rebuilt about 1379 in the Gothic style by Patriarch Marquad.

The Basilica complex lay somewhat outside the center of Aquileia in Roman times. The main body of the church is made up of two Paleochristian Halls, erected during the 4th century BC by the bishop Teodoro. These halls are both linked to a central corridor that was originally used for baptismal ceremonies. A baptistery was a later addition complete with baptismal font. The Basilica is a must for mosaic lovers as this church houses the largest and oldest Christian mosaic floors still in existence - dating from the 4th century. The mosaic's consist of The Good Shepherd, Jonah and the whale, and various fish related motifs. The Basilica is laid in the shape of a Latin cross that is elongated as far as the remains of the baptistery. The interior houses three naves divided by a colonnade that continues as far as the transept that opens on to three apses that are beautifully decorated with frescoes. You can enter the “Crypt of the Frescoes” from the Basilica and find wonderful Byzantine works of art. You can also access the “Crypt of the Excavations” that runs from the Basilica to the ground beneath which the Poppone Bell Tower was erected. Here we can find remains dating back to three different periods, one pertains to a 1st century private residence, the second to a Paleochristian meeting room and the third to a sizeable Paleochristian Basilica that was destroyed during the Hun invasion.

The Campanile (bell tower), tradition would have it, was built by the Patriarch Poppone in 1031 as a watchtower. The bell is 73 metres (240 feet) tall and preserves the remains of a mosaic from the Paleochristian meeting room. Near the Monastery is the “Museo Paleocristiano” that houses the remains of floor mosaics from a local Paleochristian Basilica. Among the numerous artefacts on display are funerary inscriptions, mosaic shards and relics that date back to a period between the 4th and 5th centuries and Mediaeval times. The Museo Civico del Patriarcato, near the Piazza del Capitolo houses wonderful wood and precious metal relics, sculptures, inscriptions, holy vestments and liturgical scripts. Every year, historical and archaeological exhibitions are hosted on the top floor of the building.

The facade, in Romanesque-Gothic style, is connected by a portico to the Church of the Pagans, and the remains of the 5th century Baptistery. The interior has a nave and two aisles and t The local museums span the areas history from the Roman and Paleo-Christian times to the Patriarchate. The wooden ceiling is from 1526, while the fresco decoration belongs to various ages: from the 4th century in the St. Peter's chapel of the apse area to the 11th century in the apse itself. The amazing frescoes in the church's crypt tell of the legend of St. Mark preaching here at the request of St. Peter.