Basilica of Sant'Eufemia

About

The Basilica of Sant'Eufemia (Italian: Basilica di Sant'Eufemia) is a minor basilica in Grado, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy, formerly a cathedral. It is dedicated to Saint Euphemia.

The present basilica stands on a fourth century basilica, of which not much is known. Although some features are still visible. It was ordered built by Elijah, Archbishop of Aquileia, some time in the sixth century, during his retreat from the invasion of the Lombards. After, Elijah proclaimed himself patriarch and dedicated the church to Saint Euphemia. During the sixth through early seventh century the basilica was the seat of the pro-Roman and pro-Byzantine branch of the church until the formation of the patriarchate of Grado. Due to the suppression of the Grado patriarchate by the Venetians it lost the title of cathedral in 1451, but shortly after in 1455 the bell tower was built, possibly to compensate for this. Alterations to the church were made in the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, although these were partly removed in twentieth-century restorations.

Much of the fame of the basilica comes from the incredibly well preserved sixth-century floor mosaics that decorate...