Cattedrale di San Giusto (Trieste Cathedral), Trieste (must see)

The first Christian edifice, on the Cathedral of Saint Justus (Cattedrale di San Giusto) site, was built in the 6th century. Before that, a Capitoline Temple was here. A pyramidal altar with symbols of Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, Roman gods, has been uncovered inside it. The temple had a propylaeum, an entrance gateway to the spiritual realm.

The Christian church used parts of the earlier pagan temple, including the propylaeum. The original remains of the mosaic floor were integrated into the present-day floor, which contains elements of the outer walls of the previous structure. Shortly after the church was opened, it was destroyed by invading Lombards.

Sometime between the 9th and 11th centuries, two basilicas were built over the remains of the first church. Our Lady of the Assumption was joined to Saint Justus in the 14th century by demolishing the facing naves of each building and attaching a slightly asymmetrical Romanesque facade. An elegant Gothic rose window adorns the exterior.

The stolid-looking bell tower absorbed the Roman propylaeum. The bell tower niche contains a 14th-century sculpture of Saint Justus. He is holding the palm of martyrdom and a model of the city under his protection. The interior has one nave and four aisles. The two apses are finished with fine Byzantine-Ravenna mosaics.

The chapel of Saint Charles Borromeo holds nine tombs of Carlist claimants to the Spanish throne. The Chapel of the Treasure has the reliquary urn of Saint Justus, the Crucifix, and the halberd of Saint Sergius. Some say the weapon fell from the sky when Saint Sergius was martyred.

Artworks within the cathedral include 12th-century mosaics in the apses dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption and Christ, Saints Justus, and Servolus. The medieval churchyard holds the small 14th-century Church of Saint John on one side and Saint Michael on the other.