SEC. VIII, C., by force of circumstances, for some time became the stable seat of the Patriarch of Aquileia.
When, after the Carolingian domination and that of the kings of Italy, the patriarch also concentrated in himself feudal dominion with the authority of a duchy and a county, C. became one of the most important communities with its own statutes, market, and jurisdiction; however, with the Venetian conquest (1420), Udine gained precedence over C. as the capital of Friuli. Pio Paschini
MONUMENTS. — Omitting the remains of the classical age, we must come, in the absence of earlier vestiges, to those of the Lombard period. They speak to us of Lombard necropolises (recently too, tombs of that period have been discovered) with weapons and even with precious furnishings (golden laminar crosses: most important is the one with gemstone applications found in the monumental sarcophagus of a duke who is not improbably the GIULFO of the early days of the duchy; the falsity of a graffito with that name is not truly proven).
As regards ecclesiastical archaeology, from the first half of the 8th century there remains something truly remarkable: the altar of RACHI, son of Duke PIEMME (there is an inscription), already placed in the church of S. Giovanni near the baptistery of the Duomo (whose bases were rediscovered), and the canopy that stood above the font, which was commissioned by the enterprising Patriarch CALLISTO (there too an inscription). The first has on its front the Ascension and on its sides the Adoration of the Magi and the Visitation; on the back are images of crosses and a fenestella that stood over the relic chamber. The second has in its archivolts animalistic figurations of symbolic character and floral volutes. These are works of rough but effective sculpture and include residues of the typically barbaric *horror vacui*. C. possesses a rich series of barbaric sculptures: wells, tympani of churches, architraves, capitals.
The finest specimen is perhaps the well that bears the inscription of Patriarch SIGUALD (second half of the 8th century; cross between candelabra, symbols of the Evangelists). From the subsequent period, dominated by the Franks, there exists a shrine of great importance for the history of art: the "Lombard temple" (oratory of the female monastery founded by the Lombards), which consists of a hall covered by cross-vaults and a tripartite choir by columns. On the entrance wall (traces also of a side wall) unfolds a singular ornament: the lunette above the door has a stucco frieze with vine scrolls and external radiating balusters. In the upper order are seen six female saints in stucco, four of them crowned. Remains of frescoes with figures of martyrs complete the plastic decoration. Opinions about the date of these decorations vary greatly, some placing it in the remote early Middle Ages, others up to the late Middle Ages. Recently, Ottonian art has been mentioned. It is probably best considered as a product of Carolingian art, which nevertheless shows a certain Byzantine influence (given the proximity of territories subject to Byzantium). The most probable date is therefore the 9th century.
The collegiate church was rebuilt starting in 1457 (architect Bartolomeo dalle Cisterne) and in the first half of the 16th century contributions were also made by Pietro Lombardo. Among the numerous relics that adorn it, the silver altarpiece with the Majesty of the Madonna donated by Patriarch PELLEGRINO III (1195–1204) stands out: it is a true masterpiece of Romanesque art. The church of SS. Pietro e Biagio, rebuilt toward the end of the 15th century, preserves the memories of three preexisting oratories (partly conserved); a chapel offers interesting frescoes from the 14th century (Life of S. Biagio); the façade was entirely painted (1506–1508) by "Zuan de Toshang" and "Paulo impenor." The beautiful church of S. Francesco, dating to the late 13th century, with its tall bell tower, dominates the picturesque gorge at the bottom of which flows the Natisone.
Many other distinguished works of religious art (miniatures, sacred vessels, textiles, etc.) are collected for the most part within the treasury of the Collegiate and in the Museum.