__NOTOC__
The Aula Palatina, also called Basilica of Constantine (german: Konstantinbasilika), at
Trier
Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, is a
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
palace
basilica
In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's Forum (Roman), forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building ...
and an
early Christian structure built between AD 300 and AD 310 during the reigns of
Constantius Chlorus
Flavius Valerius Constantius "Chlorus" ( – 25 July 306), also called Constantius I, was Roman emperor from 305 to 306. He was one of the four original members of the Tetrarchy established by Diocletian, first serving as caesar from 293 ...
and
Constantine the Great
Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterran ...
.
Today it is used as the Church of the Redeemer and owned by a congregation within the
Evangelical Church in the Rhineland
Protestant Church in the Rhineland (german: Evangelische Kirche im Rheinland; EKiR) is a United Protestant church body in parts of the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and Hesse (Wetzlar). This is actually th ...
. The basilica contains the largest extant
hall from
antiquity (see
List of ancient Greek and Roman roofs. The hall has a length of 67 m, a width of 26.05 m and a height of 33 m. Because of its testimony to the imperial importance of Trier during the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...
and its architecture, the Aula Palatina was designated as a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
in 1986 as part of the
site.
Description and History
Although the Aula Palatina generally follows the standard architectural plan of earlier
basilicas
In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its nam ...
, with a lack of columns in the interior and an open, box-like shape, it is unique in its addition of a transverse vestibule reminiscent of a
narthex
The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex ...
.
The basilica was made of solid brick, with black-and-white marble floors, and was equipped with a floor and wall-heating system (
hypocaust
A hypocaust ( la, hypocaustum) is a system of central heating in a building that produces and circulates hot air below the floor of a room, and may also warm the walls with a series of pipes through which the hot air passes. This air can warm th ...
).
The basilica was originally part of a palace complex and was not a free-standing building, but had other smaller buildings (such as a forehall, a
vestibule and some service buildings) attached to it. The outer courtyard and railings on the first and second stories of the basilica no longer exist, but overall it is remarkably well preserved.
During the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
, it was used as the residence for the
Bishop of Trier. For that, the
apse
In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...
was redesigned into living quarters and pinnacles were added to the top of its walls. In the 17th century, the
archbishop Lothar von Metternich constructed his palace just next to the Aula Palatina and incorporated it into his palace doing some major redesign. Later, in the 19th century,
Frederick William IV of Prussia ordered the building to be restored to its original Roman state, which was done under the supervision of the military
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
Carl Schnitzler. In 1856, the Aula Palatina became a Protestant church. In 1944, the building burned due to an
air raid of the
allied forces during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. When it was repaired after the war, the historical inner decorations from the 19th century were not reconstructed, so that the brick walls are visible from the inside as well.
A new organ was installed in 2014. It has over 6,000 organ pipes.
Gallery
File:Konstantinbasilika Trier Innen.JPG, Interior view facing north
File:Trier Konstantinbasilika, Innenansicht zur Südseite.jpg, Interior view facing south
Notes
References
*
* William E. Gwatkin Jr.: ''Roman Trier'', in ''The Classical Journal'' Vol. 29, No. 1 (October 1933), 3–12
online reproduction of the original article amended by photographs
* Helen Gardner, Fred S. Kleiner, Christin J. Mamiya: ''Gardner's Art Through the Ages''. Cengage Learning, 13th edition 2008, , p. 205 ()
* Gerardo Brown-Manrique: ''Konstantinplatz in Trier. Between Memory and Place''. In: Places. Forum of design for the public realm. Vol. 3 (1986), No. 1, pages 31–42
Digitalisat
* Eberhard Zahn: ''Die Basilika in Trier''. Rheinisches Landesmuseum, Trier 1991, (German)
Further reading
*
Weitzmann, Kurt, ed.,
Age of spirituality: late antique and early Christian art, third to seventh century', no. 102, 1979,
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
, New York, ; full text available online from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries
External links
*
History and visiting informationSite of the Constantine Basilica in Google Maps
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trier, Aula Palatina
310 establishments
4th-century churches
United Protestant church buildings in Germany
Basilica churches in Germany
World Heritage Sites in Germany
Aula Palatina
__NOTOC__
The Aula Palatina, also called Basilica of Constantine (german: Konstantinbasilika), at Trier, Germany, is a Roman palace basilica and an early Christian structure built between AD 300 and AD 310 during the reigns of Constantius Chlorus ...
Aula Palatina
__NOTOC__
The Aula Palatina, also called Basilica of Constantine (german: Konstantinbasilika), at Trier, Germany, is a Roman palace basilica and an early Christian structure built between AD 300 and AD 310 during the reigns of Constantius Chlorus ...
Aula Palatina
__NOTOC__
The Aula Palatina, also called Basilica of Constantine (german: Konstantinbasilika), at Trier, Germany, is a Roman palace basilica and an early Christian structure built between AD 300 and AD 310 during the reigns of Constantius Chlorus ...
Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Germany
Protestant churches in Rhineland-Palatinate
Secular basilicas