Basilica on the Illa del Rei
Coordinates: 39 ° 53 ′ 11.3 " N , 4 ° 17 ′ 17.7" E
The basilica on Illa del Rei is an early Christian basilica from the 6th century in the eastern area of the island of Illa del Rei off Maó on the Balearic island of Menorca .
Excavations took place in 1888, then in 1964/65 and again since 2008. In 1979 the basilica was placed under monument protection ( Bien de Interés Cultural ).
The structure of the basilica on Illa del Rei is difficult to recognize due to the numerous additions for burial or residential purposes. At the time of the first excavation, the nave was easy to identify thanks to the mosaic floor that was brought to the Museum of Maó in 1950.
The basilica is a three-aisled pillar structure with a rectangular apse. The nave of the basilica is roughly the same size as that of the basilica in nearby Es Fornàs de Torelló . Here, too, there is a hemispherical baptismal font , which is housed in an annex adjacent to the north side.
The apse and nave of the basilica were decorated with mosaics. The mosaic divides the liturgical areas from one another. The decoration repeats the motifs of the mosaic of the basilica of Fornàs de Torelló, such as the two lions facing the palm tree and the crater, but in a different configuration. On the mosaic of the Basilica of Illa del Rei, the lions are in the area of the round head and the four craters. They have their bases in the corners of the square they form. The geometric motifs of the wall strips and the cell, to which marine animals have been added, are also different.
See also
literature
- Helmut Schlunk , Theodor Hauschild : Hispania Antiqua. The monuments of the early Christian and Visigoth times . Zabern, Mainz 1978, ISBN 3-8053-0276-2 , pp. 83-84. 184-186.
- Consell Insular de Menorca: Archaeological Guide to Menorca . Menorca nd, p.?.
- Miguel Ángel Cau Ontiveros u. a .: El conjunto eclesiástico de la Illa del Rei (Menorca, Islas Baleares). In: Hortus artium medievalium 18, 2012, pp. 415-432 ( digitized version ).