Octopus with orange eyes. Detail from 300s AD Fishing Scene floor mosaic by early Christian artists in the Basilica of Aquileia in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy. Aquileia’s citizens converted to Christianity after Roman emperors Constantine and Licinius proclaimed religious toleration throughout the empire in 313 AD, enabling Christians to build their first legal public places of worship.
Aquileia, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy: this colourful octopus with orange eyes is amongst vibrant early Christian depictions of marine life preserved in the superb 4th century AD Fishing Scene floor mosaic in the Basilica of Aquileia’s South Hall. The mosaic artists portrayed converts to Christianity as fish drawn into God’s Kingdom, by line or by net, after listening to the preaching of the Apostles. The Fishing Scene also tells the biblical story of Jonah, the prophet who was swallowed whole by a huge fish or ‘whale’, only to be regurgitated alive. The original church was built in the heart of the Roman metropolis, which was one of the ancient world’s largest cities. The Basilica was founded soon after Roman emperors Constantine and Licinius issued the 313 AD Edict of Milan, which proclaimed religious toleration throughout the empire and enabled Christian communities to build their first legal places of public worship. The first church was destroyed, but it was rebuilt four times over several centuries, each time re-using elements of the previous buildings. However, the vast mosaic pavement of which this design forms a part was only revealed when red and white 11th century floor tiles were lifted between 1909 and 1912. The present Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta appears from outside to be built mainly in medieval Romanesque-Gothic style, but inside, the entire pavement is taken up by 4th century mosaics. The well-preserved South Hall pavement, at 750 square metres, is the largest early Christian mosaic in the western world. Visitors can now stand on glass platforms fixed at the level of the 11th century floor to see the ancient pavement in fine detail.
Size: 2848px × 4288px
Location: Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, Aquileia, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: 300s, 4th, ad, ancient, animal, aquileia, architecture, art, assunta, basilica, cathedral, ce, century, christian, christianity, church, city, constantine, creature, , detail, di, edict, emperor, empire, eyes, fishing, floor, freedom, fruili, giulia, heritage, italian, italy, kerr, large, legal, legitimate, licinius, life, maria, marine, metropolis, milan, mosaic, ocean, octopus, orange, pavement, place, religion, religious, roman, santa, scene, sea, site, symbol, tentacles, terence, tolerance, toleration, unesco, venezia, water, world, worship
