Basilica civile

The basilica was a huge building, the remains of which extend at the foot of the castle on Piazza della Catedrale. This building, with a width of 23.5 meters and a length of about 88 meters, built in the north-south direction, consisted of three naves. It is assumed that it was two-story. The basilica was the seat of the Tribunal (court), as well as the Curia or city council. The monumental heads depicting Jupiter-Ammon and Medusa alternated with parapets, decorated with cherubs with scallops, and formed a monumental balustrade, above the columns of the first floor. They, according to some historians, were placed inside the basilica, according to others, they decorated the Forum (as in Aquileia, Pula and Zadar). Construction began in the first half of the 1st century A.D. During the time of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, circa 180 AD the building was expanded and decorated. Since then, at least six grounds have been preserved for the honorable statues of Quintus Bayenus Blassianus, an outstanding commander who received the post of prefect of Egypt and who apparently financed the construction work. All of them could be seen in the Basilica at the same time: such a number of honorable statues can be a sign of public appreciation of all citizens for an extremely important act, such as the reconstruction of an important public building, such as the basilica itself. Later, one of the grounds was reused by the people of Tergest for dedication to Emperor Constantine (AD 306–337). Only two rows of columns have survived from the basilica. Most likely, everything else was reused in the V century as a material for the construction of the early Christian basilica, erected a few meters from it.

Important heritage of Trieste.