One of the major attractions to see in the Italian city of Aquileia is the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta which is the largest church in the city. Back then the church was instrumental in the evangelization of this part of Europe and it had the basilica to prove it. As far as architecture is concerned, the basilica itself isn’t that impressive. It is has a Romanesque Gothic style but considering its design isn’t that eye catching apart from its size. The interior of the church is even more stark with the walls of the church looking rather generic apart from perhaps that altar area. This would be the first time I would appreciate a church by what is below my feet.

In fact, the mosaics on the floor of the basilica are the main feature of the church. I can imagine how this came to be. Painting the floor will not last very long since people would be constantly stepping on them. As a result, the idea of using colored tiles or stones came into being since they would be far more durable compared to a painting. This is also true for the houses of the Romans where there would be mosaic in the houses of well to do people. The church, being one of the most important institutions in the empire, naturally has mosaic, and it has a lot of them. Not everything survived to this day but those that did, are now carefully preserved and exhibited for visitors like me to see.

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