Most of my visit to the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta in Aquileia primarly involved looking down, literally. The mosaics on the floor of the basilica are a marvel to look at. This is perhaps the largest Roman mosaic that I have seen even though large parts of it have deteriorated. There are elevated platform inside the church to keep tourists from destroying them any further. Near the altar is a flight of stairs which led to an underground crypt. In this case, instead of looking at the floor as I have been doing for most of my visit, it was time to look up.

The crypt is also named the Crypt of the Frescoes because of the colorful and wonderfully preserved frescoes on the ceiling and walls of the crypt. This gives the crypt a slightly colorful feel instead of being a resting place for the dead. The frescoes depict religious figures including scenes from their very own saint Hermagoras, who was also their first bishop. Unsurprisingly, Saint Hermagoras is tied to the origins of Christianity in Aquileia. There is a sign which describes the panels in the crypt in more detail but I didn’t really read it at all. I was just very impressed to see this very well preserved piece of art in a crypt of all places. I can imagine that the rest of the basilica used to look like this but being exposed to the elements doesn’t do it any good and can only be seen in the basilica in certain parts.

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