Roman Basilica
Roman BasilicaPiazzetta Giovanni Labus, 3, 25100, Brescia (BS)
Once the civic heart of the Roman city, today a silent witness to over two thousand years of history: the Roman Basilica of Brescia overlooks the back of the forum, in Piazza Giovanni Labus, a few steps from the Capitolium.
THE BASILICA
Built in the Flavian period (between 69 and 96 AD), the basilica was built together with the Capitoline temple. But there’s even more beneath its remains: excavations have revealed an earlier structure, dating from the Augustan period, which was probably already part of the city's first forum. As in any self-respecting Roman city, this building was the centre of civil activities. Here, justice was administered, business was done, decisions were made.
With the arrival of the late empire, the basilica lost its role: it was stripped of its marble, but remained standing until the 8th century, before being converted into dwellings and agricultural stores. In the following centuries, it almost disappeared.
Between 1993 and 1998, a major restoration campaign brought to light what remained of the building: fragments of the façade, marble floors, decorative elements and an imposing structure. Today, part of the area houses the Archaeological Superintendence and a section can be visited as a museum.