- Free 1st Sunday
Photo: Wolfgang Sauber, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Museum, 11th century
Trieste Cathedral
A Roman Catholic cathedral and the main church of Trieste, in northern Italy
Trieste (TS), Friuli Venezia Giulia
At a glance
- Type
- Museum
- Period
- Middle Ages, 11th century
- Style
- Romanesque architecture
- Dedicated to
- Justus of Trieste
- Coordinates
- 45°38′47″ N, 13°46′21″ E
- Address
- Piazza della Cattedrale 2, 34121
History and description
Trieste Cathedral (Italian: Basilica cattedrale di San Giusto Martire), dedicated to Saint Justus, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Trieste, in northeastern Italy. It is the seat of the Bishop of Trieste.
In 1899, Pope Leo XIII granted it the status of a basilica minor.
History
The first religious edifice on the site was built in the 6th century on a Roman propylaea, using part of the existing structure. Perhaps the entrance to a monument, this was commonly known as the Capitoline Temple, as a pyramidal altar with the symbols of the Capitoline Triad (Jupiter, Juno and Minerva) had been discovered inside it.
In the main hall, the original remains of part of the mosaic floor is integrated into the present-day floor, which contains markings of the outer walls of the early Christian building. Soon after it was opened for worship, the church was destroyed in the Lombard invasion.
Between the 9th and 11th centuries, two basilicas were erected on the ruins of the old church, the first dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption and the second, the cathedral, to Saint Justus (San Giusto). The original design of the latter building was subsequently lengthened. In the 14th century, the two basilicas were joined by means of the demolition of one nave of either basilica and the construction of a simple asymmetrical façade, dominated by a delicately worked Gothic rose window, as ornate as the new bell tower, using the Romanesque debris stones found on the site and friezes of arms.
Works of art
Among the works of historical interest in the cathedral are the apsidal mosaics depicting Our Lady of the Assumption and Christ between Saints Justus and Servolus, laid by master craftsmen from Veneto in the 12th-13th centuries. The small 14th-century church of San Giovanni (Saint John), the old baptistry on the left and San Michele al Carnale on the right, by the entrance to the museum, complete a fine medieval churchyard.
In the square in front of the church is an altar commemorating the consecration and laying down of the arms of the 3rd Army. There is also a column with a halberd and a monument to those who died in the First World War.
Archaeological excavations carried out here in the 1930s laid bare the remains of the Roman forum and civic building constructed on two colonnaded floors with two apses. Two lower-floor columns have been reconstructed.
Text from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Full article: «Trieste Cathedral».
Timeline
- 11th centuryFounded
Events and people from Wikidata (CC0).
Photos
Getting there
Trieste CentraleTrain, nearest
1.3 km as the crow flies
Trieste CathedralPiazza della Cattedrale 2, 34121
Trieste - Molo Bersaglieri700 m
Letališče Portorož / Aeroporto Portorose22.9 km
Distances are as the crow flies, not walking or driving.
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Nearby
See on the mapMore museums in Friuli Venezia Giulia
- Free 1st Sunday
- UNESCO
Museum, 4th century
Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption, St. Hermagoras and St. Fortunatus
Aquileia (UD)
Frequently asked questions
Where is Trieste Cathedral?
Trieste Cathedral is in Trieste, in the province of Trieste (Friuli Venezia Giulia), Italy. Address: Piazza della Cattedrale 2, 34121. GPS coordinates: 45.64639, 13.77250.
How old is Trieste Cathedral?
Wikidata dates it to the 11th century.
What else is there to see near Trieste Cathedral?
Nearby you’ll find: Civico museo del Castello di San Giusto (100 m away), J. J. Winckelmann Antiquities Museum (100 m away), Antiquarium di via Donota (300 m away).
Sources and licences
Text. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Data. Wikidata (CC0); opening hours and contacts OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
Photos. Wikimedia Commons, author and licence on every image.
Credits for the 9 photos
- Triest Kathedrale - Fassade 1 Campanile — Wolfgang Sauber, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Cattedrale di San Giusto (Trieste) 03 — Marchetto da Trieste, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Cattedrale di San Giusto Trieste 2026-01-22 01 — Leonhard Lenz, CC0
- Cattedrale di San Giusto Trieste 2026-01-23 01 — Leonhard Lenz, CC0
- San Giusto Cathedral and Roman Forum, Trieste — Stefan Vladuck, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Trieste - Cattedrale di San Giusto - 2023-09-23 18-28-55 001 — Metis designer, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Trieste - Cattedrale di San Giusto - 2024-09-24 11-47-19 001 — ToshiroVE, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Trieste - cattedrale di San Giusto - 2026-09-01 18-53-08 001 — Michael_Burgholzer, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Trieste - cattedrale di San Giusto - 2026-09-24 11-58-12 001 — Satthy, CC BY-SA 4.0
Updated 28 October 2026. All sources and licences