Lapidario di Grado

The Lapidarium of Grado preserves Roman and early Christian sarcophagi, inscriptions and architectural fragments gathered from the area around the Basilica of Sant'Eufemia.

Why it matters

Grado's stonework was reused and re-carved across the transition from the Roman world to the patriarchal city. The lapidarium brings together sculptural fragments and inscriptions recovered from the late-antique castrum, creating a record of the town's religious and civic history from the Roman era through the Middle Ages.

What to notice

The collection includes early third-century Roman sarcophagus fronts and a fourth-century stele bearing a magistrate's portrait. Marble decoration, dedicatory and funerary inscriptions, sarcophagi and capitals represent the paleochristian and early medieval period. Changes from classical acanthus carving to flatter Byzantine forms can be traced across the architectural fragments. Roman sarcophagi discovered in 1860 also remain in the churchyard, including one bearing the inscription SINE ULLA QUERELLA, meaning 'without any complaint.'

Context and history

The lapidarium belongs to the monumental complex of Sant'Eufemia, consecrated in 579. Mid-twentieth-century restorations recovered early Christian fabric and displaced stones from walls, floors and later alterations. The fragments were gathered in a gallery behind the apse so that they could be conserved and studied together. Most derive from the compact area of Grado's historic settlement.