The Basilica of Aquileia is now one of the most inclusive churches in Europe

Transforming a symbol of early Christian history – the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia, built in the aftermath of the Edict of Constantine which granted freedom of worship to Christians, 313 AD – into an emblem and contemporary reference of welcome, inclusion, accessibility. This is the objective set by the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia, a UNESCO heritage site since 1998 together with the adjacent archaeological area, known for the spectacular paving of its early Christian mosaics, extending over 760 square metres.

Today it is truly the “Basilica for all”, as per the project launched 24 months ago in synergy with the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region. Andrea Bellavite, director of the Foundation which presides over the conservation of the Basilica of Aquileia, explains: “we wanted to give anyone the opportunity to enjoy the extraordinary heritage of history, art and spirituality preserved by the Basilica, and to feel part of a city with thousand-year-old roots”.

The last stage, carried out with the team of ‘Il Museo per tutti – L’alità onlus, concerns the access of people with cognitive disabilities: two Guides have been produced, available free of charge in paper format at the Basilica of Aquileia and in digital with download from the museopertutti.it website. The Guides, created in the dual declination CAA (Augmentative Alternative Communication) and Easy reading, are essential supports for preparing for the visit, being languages ​​intended not only for people with cognitive disabilities, but also useful for those is recovering from a trauma, or to those who are learning the Italian language.

The Guides include the explanation of the early Christian mosaics, which make the Basilica unique in Italian mosaic art. Through the use of facilitated language, the understanding of the stories kept in the Basilica was made accessible, so that even people with intellectual disabilities can feel part of a story. The Basilica of Aquileia has thus officially entered the 40 Italian cultural sites made accessible to people with intellectual disabilities and during 2025 the tourist guides who will welcome visitors with these disabilities will be trained.

The “Basilica for all” project, coordinated by Anna Maria Viganò, is also aimed at blind/impaired people: the central stage was the installation in the Basilica of the “Solomon’s Knot” typhoid panel, a gift from the Mosaicists Group of Ravenna: a mosaic table that allows even those who cannot see to generate a three-dimensional representation of the mosaic.

The panel reproduces in exact terms and with equivalent dimensions the original elements of the mosaic placed inside the Basilica, allowing blind people to perceive it through the tactile recognition of the different levels of stratification, and therefore to grasp the shapes and diversity of colours, an added value of hospitality and human and civil sustainability. The knot reflects the stratification of the mosaic in Roman times and, through the tiles in relief with special cuts, allows blind and partially sighted people to read the shapes of the mosaic.

The devices for blind people were implemented through the collaboration initiated with the Francesco Cavazza Institute for the Blind in Bologna: a three-dimensional 3D tactile model of the Basilica of Aquileia was created for tactile exploration, and the mosaics were translated into drawings in relief with the Piaf technique (Picture in a flash), therefore a synthetic restitution compared to the originals, but cognitively meaningful.

The project was opened to people with hearing disabilities in dialogue with the National Deaf Organization which transmitted the basic notions of Lis signs (Italian sign language): thus by the end of 2024 the Video Guides of the Basilica will be available with translation into Lis, subtitled for people with hearing disabilities and audio described for the blind. All of which can be used by scanning the QR codes positioned in the Basilica or through a fully accessible app designed for the Basilica.

Obviously the project is completed with accessibility to people with motor disabilities: achieved through the elimination of architectural barriers inside the Basilica (with the exception of the Crypt and the Baptistery). In the Basilica, wheelchairs are also available for visitors who request them, allowing them to travel along the corridors and internal connecting areas.