Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta () is the principal church in the town of

Aquileia Aquileia is an ancient Roman city in Italy, at the head of the Adriatic at the edge of the lagoons, about from the sea, on the river Natiso (modern Natisone), the course of which has changed somewhat since Roman times. Today, the city is small ( ...

, in the

Province of Udine The province of Udine (; ; ; ; ) was a province in the autonomous Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy, bordering Austria and Slovenia, with the capital in the city of Udine. Abolished on 30 September 2017, it was reestablished in 2019 as the Re ...

and the region of

Friuli-Venezia Giulia Friuli-Venezia Giulia () is one of the 20 regions of Italy and one of five autonomous regions with special statute. The regional capital is Trieste on the Gulf of Trieste, a bay of the Adriatic Sea. Friuli-Venezia Giulia has an area of and a ...

, Italy. The original church dates back to the fourth century. Kähler, Heinz (1957). ''Die spätantiken Bauten unter dem Dom von Aquileia und ihre Stellung innerhalb der Geschichte des frühchristlichen Kirchenbaues'' he late antique buildings under the cathedral of Aquileia and their position within the history of early Christian church building Saarbrücken. The current basilica was built in the eleventh century and partially rebuilt again in the thirteenth century. It is located on Via Sacra, overlooking the Piazza del Capitolo, along with the

campanile A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

and

baptistery In Church architecture, Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptisterium''; Greek language, Greek , 'bathing-place, baptistery', from , baptízein, 'to baptize') is the separate centrally planned ...

Architecture

The façade, in Romanesque-Gothic style, is connected by a portico to the so-called ''Church of the Pagans'', and the remains of the 5th-century baptistery. The interior has a nave and two aisles, with a noteworthy mosaic pavement from the 4th century. 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; from the 11th century in the apse itself; from the 12th century in the so-called "Crypt of the Frescoes", under the presbytery, with a cycle depicting the origins of Christianity in Aquileia and the history of St. Hermagoras, first bishop of the city. Next to the 11th-century Romanesque chapel of the Holy Sepulchre, at the beginning of the left aisle, flooring of different ages can be seen: the lowest is from a Roman villa of the age of

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

; the middle one has a typical '' cocciopesto'' pavement; the upper one, bearing blackening from Attila's fire, has geometrical decorations. Externally, behind the 9th-century campanile and the apse, is the ''Cemetery of the Fallen'', where ten unnamed soldiers of World War I are buried. Maria Bergamas is also buried there. She lost her son in World War I and she made the selection of the body of the Unknown Soldier of Italy. Saint Hermagoras is also buried there. File:Aquileia, Basilica. Interno - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto.jpg, The nave with mosaic dating from the 4th century. File:Floor mosaic featuring the Good Shepherd at the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, Aquileia, St. Peter's chapel.jpg, Floor mosaic featuring the Good Shepherd at the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, Aquileia, St. Peter's chapel. File:Good Shepherd floor of Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, Aquileia,1st half of the 4th century.jpg, Christ as the

Good Shepherd The Good Shepherd (, ''poimḗn ho kalós'') is an image used in the pericope of , in which Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ is depicted as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. Similar imagery is used in Psalm 23 and Ezeki ...

References

Bibliography

* Cuscito, Giuseppe; Lehmann, Giuseppe (eds) (2010). ''La Basilica di Aquileia. Storia, archeologia ed arte. Atti della XL Settimana di Studi Aquileiesi 7–9 maggio 2009'' he Basilica of Aquileia. History, Archaeology and Art. Proceedings of the XL conference of Aquileian Studies 7-9 May 2009 Antichità altoadriatiche, vol. 69. Trieste: Editreg, (in Italian). * Lanckoroński, Karl (ed.) (1906).
Der Dom von Aquileia, sein Bau und seine Geschichte
' he cathedral of Aquileia, its construction and its history Vienna: Gerlach & Wiedling. * Ulmer, Christoph (2022). ''Der Dom von Aquileia. La basilica di Aquileia'' he basilica of Aquileia Stuttgart: Eugen Ulmer, . Aquileia Patriarchate of Aquileia

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