Overview
The Patriarchal Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, better known as the Paleochristian Basilica, is the most important religious landmark in Aquileia. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saints Hermagorus and Fortunatus, the basilica was founded in the years following 313 AD when, following the edict of Milan that sanctioned the end of religious persecution, Christians were free to build their own places of worship.
After the first church was destroyed, the building underwent four phases of expansion between the 4th and 11th centuries, resulting in four overlapping structures: the Theodorian Basilica, the North and South Post-Theodorian Basilica, the Maxentian Basilica and the Popponian Basilica.
The exterior, formed of simple and essential lines, blends seamlessly into the landscape, creating an evocative and sacred atmosphere. But once inside, you can see the beautiful mosaic flooring in all its splendour.
