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Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta di Aquileia

Basilica of Aquileia

Largest early Christian mosaic floor, fourth-century carpet of images, crypt frescoes, patriarchal seat.

Photograph · Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta di Aquileia

At a glance

Basilica of Aquileia facts that matter

Names, makers, dates, and context before the story opens up.

Italian nameBasilica di Santa Maria Assunta di Aquileia
What it isChurch
WhereAquileia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Known forLargest early Christian mosaic floor, fourth-century carpet of images, crypt frescoes, patriarchal seat

The story

What you're looking at

The Basilica of Aquileia has early-Christian roots immediately after 313 CE and preserves the mosaic floor of the Theodorian church of the early fourth century. Its present form records ninth-century, eleventh-century and later Romanesque-Gothic phases. It is a distinct religious component within the wider UNESCO property Archaeological Area and the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia, not a separately inscribed site.

Verified details

Each statement below is linked to the record or institution that supports it.

The Basilica of Aquileia is a component of the UNESCO World Heritage property Archaeological Area and the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia, inscribed in 1998 under criteria (iii), (iv) and (vi). It is not separately inscribed.1

The present basilica brings together successive phases: early-Christian roots immediately after 313, ninth-century work under Patriarch Maxentius, major rebuilding under Poppo in the eleventh century, and later Romanesque-Gothic alterations.2,1

The basilica's mosaic floor belongs to the Theodorian church of the early fourth century. UNESCO identifies it as an exceptional work within the basilical complex; the official basilica history records the superimposed early-Christian phases.1,2

Sources and citations (2)
  1. UNESCO World Heritage CentreArchaeological Area and the Patriarchal Basilica of AquileiaProperty identity and criteriaRead source
  2. Basilica di AquileiaLa storiaLe Fasi Storiche della BasilicaRead source

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