After the Amphitheater, we caught the bus again and got off at the Basilica built by Emperor Constantine before he went off to establish his new seat of government at Constantinopole in Turkey in the 4th century, A.D.

The Roman basilicas were essentially public forums where the rulers officiated. This basilica is the largest unsupported roof structure of its kind in Europe, north of the Alps.

Those squares on the ceiling are 10 feet by 10 feet.

Here’s what the building looks like from the outside. The outer walls are mostly original, although the windows and the roof and ceiling are not; the building was restored in the 1800s and again after WWII.

It’s hard to imagine that this structure was built about 1600 years ago!