Museo paleocristiano di Aquileia

About the museum

The museum stands in the village of Monastero, north of the centre of Aquileia, on an early Christian basilica built in the 4th century AD in a district near the great river port. In the medieval period the church of a wealthy Benedictine women’s monastery, from which the village took its name, was built on its ruins; the monastery was suppressed in 1782 with the reforms of Joseph II of Austria.

Passing into private hands, the building was turned into a warehouse for farm machinery and for processing grapes. In 1895 building work brought to light part of the apse and the mosaics; only in the 1950s did systematic excavations reveal the entire mosaic carpet and the structures of the basilica. The work to turn the site into a museum was completed in 1961 with its opening.

Today the museum, part of the Museo archeologico nazionale di Aquileia, combines the historic building and the archaeological area: on the ground floor the mosaic floor of the basilica is visited, with medallions commemorating the donors, while the upper floors display mosaic panels from the basilica of Beligna and a large collection of Christian funerary inscriptions in Latin and Greek.

Highlights

• 4th-century mosaic floor of the early Christian basilica
• Mosaic medallions with the names of the donors in Latin and Greek
• Mosaic panels with lambs, birds and a peacock from the Beligna basilica
• Collection of Christian funerary inscriptions
• Gallery with a view from above onto the basilica
• Free admission

Permanent exhibition

• Basilica paleocristiana di Monastero e raccolte musive ed epigrafiche – Route across three floors: on the ground floor the mosaic floor of the 4th-century basilica; on the upper floors the mosaics of the Beligna basilica and the Christian funerary inscriptions.

Founded

1961

Operated by

Museo archeologico nazionale di Aquileia (Ministero della Cultura)

Visitors per year

approx. 9,945

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum is accessible to persons with motor difficulties only on the ground floor, via a side entrance with a ramp; the first and second floors can be reached only by stairs. The educational service organises guided visits and workshops by booking for persons with physical, sensory and cognitive disabilities; for groups and individuals, tactile routes on original finds are possible.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum is a little north-east of the archaeological area of the Porto fluviale: from the end of the Via Sacra it is reached in about 5 minutes on foot along Via Salvemini, then turning right towards Piazza Pirano.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit