St. Euphemia’s Basilica

With its early Christian buildings, the Basilica stands in the Campo dei Patriarchi in Grado. Of ancient origins, its foundations were laid as early as the 5th century, and the new building was completed in 579 by the bishop Elia.

St. Euphemia's Basilica, characterized by early-Christian buildings, stands in the wonderful Campo dei Patriarchi in Grado's old town centre.

Nearby you will also find the wind vane of the fifteenth-century bell tower characterized by the Anzolo San Michele (the Angel St. Michael) that is the symbol of Grado; the Baptistery; the Lapidarium and the Basilica of Our Lady of Graces, the oldest in town.

The origins of the basilica are very ancient. In fact, in the 4th century there was already the "small basilica of Petrus", on which Nicetas lay the foundations for a new church in the early 5th century.

However, the new building was completed in 579 by bishop Elia, who by then resided permanently in Grado. Elia dedicated the basilica to the protomartyrs of Aquileia Ermacora, Fortunato and Euphemia (martyr of Chalcedon), in such a way as to affirm the full loyalty of the Church of Aquileia to the anti-Arian resolutions of the council of Chalcedon.

The interior of the basilica features a nave and two aisles on columns with capitals that support the arcades.

In the apse vault you will find a large fresco depicting Christ in a mandorla, surrounded by the symbols of the Evangelists, by the Virgin, Saint Ermacora, Saint John the Baptist and Saint Fortunato.

The silver-gilt altar piece, a masterpiece of the Venetian goldsmith's art by Donato Mazzalorsa, stands out above the altar.
You will be charmed by the 11th-century pulpit, supported by six columns with leafy capitals covered in reliefs depicting the symbols of the Evangelists and a cross.
Moreover, the Pulpit is covered by a small Moresque dome on inflected trefoil arches (probably added in the Gothic age).

In the left aisle you can admire the "cella trichora", a cell that has a shape similar to St. Mark's chapel, and in the right aisle the mausoleum that preserves original parts, such as the brick vault and the mosaic in which the monogram of Elia (HELIAS EPISCOPUS) stands out. On the wall a safe preserves the treasure of the Cathedral.

Thanks to the restorations carried out over the years, you, too, will have the chance to follow the catechumen's journey through the floor mosaics, among which a mosaic that represents "Grado's Castrum" is also included.

The Cathedral's floor is very similar to the Byzantine stylistic canons (schematic and geometric), the most famous motif is that of underwater wave. The mosaics also have significant value, proven by the about 40 epigraphs that commemorate the name of those who made a contribution towards the expenses for their realization.

Saint Euphemia's Basilica
Campo Patriarca Elia
34073 Grado
Tel. +39 0431 80146
www.chiesagrado.org
parrocchia.grado@gmail.conit

Opening times
Winter: from Monday to Sunday from 8.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m.
Summer: from Monday to Sunday from 8.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m.

Admission free