Hexagonal font approached by steps in remains of 400s CE baptistery in the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta in Aquileia, Udine province, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy.
Aquileia, Udine province, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy: remains of 5th century baptistery in the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, the first church to be built legally in Aquileia following the 313 AD Edict of Milan which proclaimed religious tolerance throughout the Roman Empire and enabled nascent Christian communities to worship without fear of persecution. A hexagonal immersion baptismal font is situated in the middle of the bapistery, approached by steps and surrounded by four columns. The columns were built long after the font, probably in the 9th century. Aquileia was one of the largest cities of the ancient world and once had a population of about 100,000. The Basilica’s origins date back to the 300s when Bishop Theodore, with the support of Emperor Constantine, built a double basilica on the site of a Roman villa that had been used for communal gatherings. In the 800s, Patriarch Maxentius, with the support of Charlemagne, restored the building. In 1031, Patriarch Poppo of Treffin (1019 - 1042) rebuilt the church in Romanesque style and added the tall bell tower. After an earthquake in 1348, the Basilica’s interior was rebuilt in Gothic style, preserving the mosaic flooring of the original church.
Size: 2848px × 4288px
Location: Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, Aquileia, Udine province, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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