Ancient Christian basilica is unearthed in former Roman military colony. Take a look
Unbeknownst to a group of researchers digging near a small Italian town, a Christian basilica once stood in a Roman military colony. Thousands of years later, it was unearthed.
The major discovery near Aquileia, now a town of approximately 3,000, gives insight into the intersection between the former metropolis and the eastern Roman Empire, researchers at the Austrian Academy of Sciences said in a Nov. 20 news release.
The area where the Byzantine-era basilica was dug up was along an essential trade route near the Via Annia that connected Milan and Rome. The discovery points to larger themes of religion and construction in the fourth century, researchers said.
A zigzag wall strengthened the city under Emperor Justinian I’s rule. The new basilica indicates the Byzantine building program may have been bigger than previously thought, archaeologist Stefan Groh said in the release.
The Roman colony adjacent to Aquileia was founded in 181 B.C. and is now part of Austria, researchers said. The original basilica was built in the fourth century, but it expanded under Emperor Justinian I’s rule between 521 to 527, according to researchers.
The expansion included a three-aisle transept, where the three aisles intersected with parts of the church to form a cross shape in the architecture.
Three apses — commonly recognized as a semi-dome near the ceiling — were also added to the basilica under Justinian I.
Similarly styled basilicas can be found from Egypt to the Middle East as part of the Eastern Roman Empire, in addition to the Lycian coast, southwest Turkey, the Upper Adriatic and Durrës, Albania, Groh said.
Researchers said this Eastern Roman Empire architecture represents a Roman reconquest of Northern Italy under the emperor.
The Basilica of Aquileia is believed to be adapted from other churches in the region such as the Episcopal Church of Teurnia in Carinthia, Austria, Groh said.
This is the first large building discovered near Aquileia in decades, according to the researchers.
Aquileia is near the border between Italy and Slovenia and is about a 80-mile drive northeast from Venice.
Google Translate was used to translate the news release from the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
This story was originally published November 20, 2024 at 2:27 PM with the headline "Ancient Christian basilica is unearthed in former Roman military colony. Take a look."
