Overview
The elegant 14th-century Gothic rose window that dominates the façade of San Giusto brilliantly conceals the building's dual nature. The church was originally erected during the fifth century on the site of an even older propylaeum, but it took its present form when, during the 14th century, an 11th-century reconstruction ("San Giusto", on the right) and a nearby shrine begun a couple of centuries earlier (the "Assunta", on the left) were joined by building a new nave, thus forming a single structure: a basilica with five asymmetrical naves.
Inside, where different columns and capitals support round arches, some modern elements are evident: the honeycomb ceiling, dating back to the 16th century, was redone in the early 20th century, and the mosaics of some 30 years later in the central apse cannot hold a candle to the 12th-century Venetian-Byzantine school Madonna between the archangels Michael and Gabriel in the left apse. However, note the blind arcades and 13th-century frescoes in the right apse, where other splendid 12th-century mosaics stand out, and the 9th-century hexagonal font in the baptistery of San Giovanni, which is entered from the left aisle.
The Castello di San Giusto church next to the Cathedral has a 16th–17th century structure, built as an extension of an earlier Venetian stronghold and on the probable site of a prehistoric hill-fort. As elsewhere in the city, however, interventions in the 1930s succumbed to the temptation to pander to naive public opinion. However, the collection of period weapons is not to be missed, nor are the battlements, fortunately never used in war and excellent for views of the city and gulf.
Cattedrale di San Giusto, 34124 Trieste TS, Italia
