Basilica Patriarcale di Santa Maria Assunta

Aquileia’s Patriarchal Basilica preserves a fourth-century mosaic floor of about 760 square metres, described by the foundation as the largest early Christian pavement in the Roman West. The mosaic, laid under Bishop Theodorus, lies about a metre below the medieval floor built under Patriarch Poppo.

Why it matters

The basilican complex played a significant role in the spread of Christianity into central Europe in the early Middle Ages and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998 under criteria (iii), (iv) and (vi). The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saints Hermagoras and Fortunatus. The Patriarchate of Aquileia, seated here, continued until its suppression in 1751. The building preserves successive architectural phases from the early Christian basilica to the Romanesque church consecrated in 1031 and later Gothic additions.

What to notice

In the southern Theodorian hall, the mosaic floor is divided into four bays, with a medallion of Theodorus and his dedicatory inscription. The eastern bay depicts the story of Jonah; other scenes include the Good Shepherd, fishermen, river life and donor portraits. In 1909, the later floor was raised to the presbytery, exposing the earlier mosaic roughly a metre below. The ninth-century crypt below the high altar preserves twelfth-century frescoes depicting the legend of Mark the Evangelist and was built to house relics of Hermagoras and Fortunatus. In the excavations crypt, foundations of Poppo’s bell tower stand over the early mosaics.

Context and history

The first basilica was built in the second decade of the fourth century, after Christian worship was permitted. The early complex included two parallel halls, an elliptical baptistery and rooms likely connected with the bishop’s residence. The church was rebuilt several times. A Massenzian phase in the early ninth century added the transept and apse. Patriarch Poppo’s eleventh-century rebuilding, consecrated in 1031, renewed the façade, apse and colonnades. Further work followed the 1348 earthquake, including the Gothic arches and roof attributed to the Marquard period.