Archaeologists uncover an early christian and byzantine basilica in Aquileia
Archaeologists from the Austrian Archaeological Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) have discovered an early Christian basilica in the city of Aquileia. Modified under Justianian Ier, it couldour view on the importance of the city in the early byzantine times.
Aquileia: A major Roman city in Northern Italy still buried.
Aquileia, located in the province of Udine in northeastern Italy, was founded by the Romans in 181 BCE as a military colony and frontier fortress to secure northern Italy. It became a major commercial hub connecting the Mediterranean to Central Europe during the roman period, where magnificent public buildings and private residences were constructed.
In 452 CE, Attila and his Huns captured and destroyed the city, forcing its inhabitants to flee en masse to nearby lagoons, where they founded the cities of Venice and Grado. Aquileia, however, did not vanish entirely and remained an urban center during the Early Christian and medieval periods, although it never regained its former glory.
The passage of time, combined with destruction, earthquakes, floods, and the reuse of materials, erased much of the Roman-era architecture above ground. Nonetheless, the site is considered the largest unexcavated Roman city in Italy, spanning an archaeological area of 155 hectares. Aquileia also preserves an Early Christian basilica, whose mosaic floor dates back to the 4th century, although the building itself was reconstructed in the 11th and 14th centuries in Romanesque and Gothic styles. The richness of this heritage, both visible and still buried, has justified its inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The discovery of an unknown Byzantine-Style Christian Basilica
Geophysical surveys and geo-archaeological drilling conducted by archaeologists from the ÖAW near the Via Annia, a major trade route connecting Aquileia to Milan and Rome, have revealed a religious building dating to the 4th century. During the first half of the 6th century, under Emperor Justinian I (527–565), the basilica was expanded and transformed into a large three-aisled structure.
This discovery is remarkable for several reasons. Firstly, it is the first major building unearthed in Aquileia after decades of intensive archaeological research. Secondly, it sheds new light on the religious development and geopolitical significance of the city during the early Byzantine period.
“Under Emperor Justinian I, the city was fortified with a powerful zigzagging wall, comparable to those in Thessaloniki. The discovery of this new basilica suggests a broader Byzantine construction program in Aquileia.”
— Stefan Groh, ÖAW
This construction program would have transformed a relatively modest basilica into an imposing structure, showing significant similarities with other churches built in the Eastern Roman Empire. Archaeologists also suggest that the basilica’s expansion, oriented southeast toward Constantinople and Jerusalem, held political significance. It likely symbolized the reconquest of northern Italy by Justinian I, who successfully expelled the Arian Goths.
“Transept basilicas with apses are found across the Eastern Roman Empire, from Egypt to the Middle East, notably in Bethlehem, along the Lycian coast in southwestern Turkey, and in the Balkans, such as in Durrës, Albania. They now also appear in the northern Adriatic region.”
— Stefan Groh, ÖAW
This type of architectural program may have been undertaken not only in Aquileia but also in other reconquered territories. For example, in St. Peter in Holz, a town in Carinthia, a basilica was similarly adapted in the 6th century, with a construction plan resembling that of the newly discovered basilica in Aquileia.
Header image credit: ÖAW
Sources: Austrian Archaeological Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
