The Tirana mosaic is a very important point of reference in Albania and is thought to have been part of a rural type dwelling (vila rustica) built in the 1st century AD. In the century III AD the settlement is thought to have been replaced by a complex of buildings, divided into two parts in pars urbana (residential part of the villa) and pars rusticae (productive part of the villa) which also had an agricultural function. Later in the century IV-V AD, the site of the Romanesque villa must have been occupied by a Paleo-Christian church. The church was built in the central hall of the rural dwelling. Like all churches of this period (second half of the 4th century AD) here too we have a reorganization of the interior. The interior already has a dynamic longitudinal axis precisely as a result of the entrance in front of the altar, which is emphasized by the rhythm of the arcades. The architecture of the church is simple. During the transformation of the apartment into a cult object, bricks were used, with symbols of crosses, dated to the period of Emperor Constantine I (306-337). The auxiliary premises on the north side of the building are adapted from those of the apartment. The mosaic contains geometric and floral motifs but also typical motifs of early Christianity, such as stylized braid, fish rosettes. Vila Rustica and the Paleo-Christian church, otherwise known as the Mosaic of Tirana, are a very significant example of the antiquity of this territory that was accidentally discovered in 1972, during the construction of a block of buildings.
Address: Street Sander Prosi, Tirane
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