Basilica of Junius Bassus

Panel with Hylas and the nymphs and the Egyptian-themed decoration known as Alexandrine vellum
Basilica of Junius Bassus Shown within Augustan Rome
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Coordinates	41°53′51.73″N 12°30′0.50″E / 41.8977028°N 12.5001389°E / 41.8977028; 12.5001389
Type	Basilica

The Basilica of Junius Bassus (basilica Iunii Bassi) was a civil basilica on the Esquiline Hill in Rome, on a site now occupied by the Seminario Pontificio di Studi Orientali, in via Napoleone III, 3. It is best known for its examples of opus sectile work.

History

The basilica was built by Junius Bassus in 331 during his consulate. In the second half of the 5th century, under Pope Simplicius, it was transformed into the church of Sant'Andrea Catabarbara.

Rediscovery

Its last remains were rediscovered and demolished in 1930, and these excavations also found an Augustan house (with later rebuilding) containing 3rd century mosaics, one with Dionysian subjects and one with the names of the house's owners (Arippii and Ulpii Vibii). These mosaics are now on show in the seminary.

Sources

• Coarelli, Filippo (1984). Guida archeologica di Roma (in Italian). Verona: Arnoldo Mondadori Editore.
• Bianchi Bandinelli, Ranuccio; Mario Torelli (1976). L'arte dell'antichità classica, Etruria-Roma (in Italian). Turin: Utet.
• Kalas, Gregor (October 2013). "Architecture and élite identity in late antique Rome: appropriating the past at Sant'Andrea Catabarbara". Papers of the British School at Rome. 81: 279–302. doi:10.1017/S0068246213000111. JSTOR 42706324. S2CID 194098563. ProQuest 1436559603.