
La patriarchal basilica of Santa Maria Assunta it is the main religious building of Aquileia (UD) and ancient cathedral church of the suppressed patriarchate of Aquileia.
The oldest remains date back to the XNUMXth century, the current basilica was built in the XNUMXth century and remodeled in the XNUMXth century. It stands on the side of the Via Sacra, overlooking Piazza del Chapter, together with the baptistery and the imposing bell tower.
Founded in 313 by bishop Theodore with the direct support of the emperor Constantine, the buildings known as the Theodorian halls (whose remains can still be visited in the nave of the current building and under the foundations of the bell tower) probably constitute the first public worship complex for Christians.
The classrooms rested on pre-existing Roman buildings (probably horrea, vast Roman granaries which certainly stood in the area near the basilica), of which the perimeter walls were presumably reused. The two parallel halls (both approximately 37x20 m) were connected to each other by a 29x13 m vestibule, next to which the first baptistery was located. Both halls had no apse, with six columns supporting a richly decorated coffered ceiling and a floor made up of an extraordinary mosaic complex. The north hall probably constituted the actual church, while the south hall (located where the current basilica stands) was a catechumenum, a place where those to be baptized received Christian education and prepared to enter the community.
The next phase of the basilica dates back to the mid-XNUMXth century, at the time of bishop Fortunatian, with the expansion of the north hall (73×31 m) and the creation of new rooms. The large basilica, divided into three naves by twenty-eight columns and without an apse, was connected, through the baptistery, to the catechumenum and preceded by a large atrium (according to a scheme also found in the contemporary complex of Trier.
Al bishop Chromatius (388-407) was responsible for the expansion of the south hall up to 65x29 m (with the construction of the current facade) and the construction of new buildings, including the current baptistery. These years saw the heyday of the patriarchate of Aquileia (the large Monastery complex, home to a large female monastic community, dates back to the same period). The great prosperity of the years following the Council of Aquileia came to an abrupt end in 452, when the Huns, led by Attila, devastated the city and massacred its population.
The north basilica, burned during the looting, was never rebuilt. The large city construction sites were abandoned and the city population was significantly reduced. Only in the XNUMXth century did the patriarch Maxentius, thanks to the support of Charlemagne, begin the work of restructuring the ancient buildings.
La Basilica of Maxentius, built starting from 811, reuses the southern hall of the old complex, with the addition of a short transept and the construction of the so-called Pagan church between the basilica and the baptistery.
In 988 an earthquake causes extensive damage, which will lead to Patriarch Poppone to implement, in 1031, a radical restoration of the complex in Romanesque forms, rich in Carolingian-Ottonian influences. The extensive building program of Poppy, a sign of the new well-being economic city, culminates with the construction of the large Patriarchal palace (now destroyed) and above all of a "turris celsa quod astra petit", the imposing bell tower over 70 meters high which dominates the Friulian countryside (built in opus quadratum, with the massive marble blocks of the ancient amphitheatre) inspired, it is said, to the famous lighthouse of Alexandria and model for many subsequent bell towers.
A new earthquake, in 1348, pushes the archbishop Marquard of Randeck to carry out new restorations and replace the full-arch arches of the central nave with pointed arches.
The last major intervention dates back to Five hundred, when Venetian craftsmen and carpenters were called to create the grandiose wooden ceiling that can still be seen today.
A community of Christians adhering to Gnosticism was present in Aquileia in the first centuries of the Christian era.
On the left, near the entrance to the basilica there is the Holy Sepulchre, an XNUMXth century structure that reproduces the Saint Sepulcher of Jerusalem, as described by ancient medieval chronicles. The structure was used during the Holy Week liturgy.
Mosaics Basilica of Aquileia
The main representations on the floor can be divided into four bays, starting from the entrance.
In the first, various portraits of donors appear, knots with crossed ellipses called di Salomone and animals, as well as the later insertion of a panel with the fight between the rooster and the turtle, a symbolic contest between good and evil, also present in the Crypt of the excavations.
In the second bay, both male and female portraits enclosed in clipeated medallions are of particular interest, among which there are also depictions of the seasons.
He is also represented in the second span Jesus as Good Shepherd in an attitude mediated by pagan classicism, with the sheep on his shoulders, exactly like the god Mercury of the Greco-Roman world. Around, in octagonal boxes, there are fish, a deer, a gazelle, various birds placed on branches and storks.
In the third bay, where the altar once stood, in the central panel you can see the allegorical scene of winged Victory with crown and palm. The meaning is of considerable importance for the primitive Christian church, which emerged victorious and in fact became, after the edict of Constantine, the main religion of the Roman Empire.
Finally, the fourth bay, which concludes the cycle of representations, is made up of a single admirable mosaic carpet, which represents a sea full of fish, with the story of Jonah, Jewish prophet, sent by God to preach in the city of Nineveh in Mesopotamia. Jonah had resisted and fled on a Phoenician ship; thrown into the sea by sailors and then swallowed by a sea monster, he was then spat out by the same monster on the shores of Palestine. The story of Jonah is a recurring motif in early Christian art, because it is closely connected with the resurrection of the dead.
First World War War Cemetery
Outside behind the Basilica there is the cemetery of the fallen of the 1915-1918 war, where ten of the eleven unknown soldiers rest, among whom Maria Bergamas, mother of a fallen war volunteer, chose the one whose mortal remains rest at the Altar of Homeland a Rome since 1921. Here are also the tombs of General Alessandro Ricordi di Milan, commander of the Murge Brigade together with that of Captain Conte Riccardo della Torre di Cividale, killed by the same grenade on the slopes of the Hermada.
Aquileia: see also
Basilica of Aquileia opening times
From April to September: 9.00 – 19.00
March and October: 9.00 - 18.00
November to February: 10.00 – 16.00 (Saturday, Sunday and holidays 9.00 – 17.00)
January 1st 10.00am 17.00pm
Closings: December 25th afternoon
January 6th from 14.00pm to approximately 15.30pm for the Blessing of the Children
Every Sunday from 10.00 to 11.30
During all parish religious ceremonies that cannot be defined in the calendar (funerals, weddings or special ceremonies), closing 30 minutes before the start of the ceremony
Bell Tower of Aquileia opening hours
From 1 April to September: 10.30am-13.30pm and 14.30pm-18.30pm
October: Saturday and Sunday
10.00-17.00
November, December, January, February and March: closed
Basilica of Aquileia tickets
Entrance to the Basilica with the Crypt of Frescoes
FULL: €3,00 per person
REDUCED: €2.50 per person (valid for groups of at least 15 people)
SCHOOL REDUCTIONS: €1.00 per person (valid for middle and high school groups of at least 15 people)
Entrance to the Basilica with the Crypt of Frescoes and the North Teodorian Hall (Cripta Scavi)
FULL: €5,00 per person
REDUCED: €4,00 per person (valid for groups of at least 15 people)
SCHOOL PARTIES: €2,00 per person (valid for middle and high school groups of at least 15 people)
Campanile (open from April to September)
FULL: €2,00 per person
REDUCED FOR GROUPS AND SCHOOLS: €1,00 per person (valid for groups of at least 15 people)
Entrance to the Aula Cromaziana, the Baptistery and the Domus/Episcopal Palace
FULL: €5.00 per person
REDUCED: €4.00 per person (valid for groups of at least 15 people)
SCHOOL PARTIES: €2.00 per person (valid for middle and high school groups of at least 15 people)
Domus and Episcopal Palace
FULL: €2,00 per person
REDUCED: €1,00 per person (valid for groups of at least 15 people)
Basilica Complex (suspended in autumn and winter)
It allows access to the Basilica with the Crypt of the Frescoes, to the North Teodorian Hall (Cripta Scavi), to the Baptistery with the Cromaziana Hall (Sudhalle), to the Bell Tower and to the "Domus and Episcopal Palace"
FULL: €10,00 per person
REDUCED: €7,50 per person (valid for groups of at least 15 people)
Where to buy tickets for the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia
At the Basilica Shop, located in Piazza Chapter at n.4, individual visitors and groups already equipped with their own microphone system can purchase the various tickets. The ticket offices close half an hour before the closing time of the Basilica.
Free
Residents in Aquileia
Minors of 10 years
Disabled visitors upon presentation at the Ticket Office of a certificate of disability greater than 74%. In case of non-self-sufficiency, free access is also extended to a companion
Teachers accompanying school groups
One group leader for every 25 paying guests
Journalists
Touristic guides
FVG CARD holders
FAMILY TICKET: children under 18 years of age are free if accompanied by two paying parents (only on full-price tickets)