Description
The Early Christian Basilica on Via Madonna del Mare, in Trieste's Old Town, is one of the oldest sites of the city's first Christian community. It came to light by chance in 1963, during roadworks, and preserves a large mosaic floor.
The church, a Latin cross with a polygonal apse, was built in two phases between the early 5th and the early 6th century. Of the first floor, black and white geometric patterns remain; the second, laid just 6 centimetres higher, comes alive with braids, lozenges and shield motifs.
The most curious detail is the inscriptions in the mosaic: fourteen benefactors had their name, their trade and how much mosaic surface they had donated written into it. Among them are senators and merchants, some from the East. A few detached fragments are on display at the entrance to the site.
The basilica held the bones of one or more martyrs whose names are unknown, and for this reason it was one of the main gathering places of the first Christians of Tergeste.
The church, a Latin cross with a polygonal apse, was built in two phases between the early 5th and the early 6th century. Of the first floor, black and white geometric patterns remain; the second, laid just 6 centimetres higher, comes alive with braids, lozenges and shield motifs.
The most curious detail is the inscriptions in the mosaic: fourteen benefactors had their name, their trade and how much mosaic surface they had donated written into it. Among them are senators and merchants, some from the East. A few detached fragments are on display at the entrance to the site.
The basilica held the bones of one or more martyrs whose names are unknown, and for this reason it was one of the main gathering places of the first Christians of Tergeste.