Aquilei'a

Aquilei'a (also Aqlar) is a small town in Austria, at the head of the Adriatic, 22 miles NW. of Trieste. Pop. about 1400. It is now sunk to utter insignificance, possessing no trade or public buildings of any note, except its cathedral; but in the time of the Roman emperors, it was one of the most important places north of the metropolis, and was a central point of the transit-trade between the north and south of Europe. Founded by a Roman colony in 181 B.C., it was so strongly fortified by Marcus Aurelius, as to be considered the first bulwark of the empire against the northern barbarians. Here the Emperor Maximin perished; and in the vicinity Constantius lost his life in a battle against his brother Constans. When the town was destroyed by Attila (452), it had 100,000 inhabitants. It never recovered, although it was rebuilt by Narses, but slowly dwindled into deeper obscurity. Councils were held at Aquileia in 381, 558, 698, and 1184 A.D.; its bishops called themselves patriarchs, and claimed to rank next the pope. See Jackson's Dalmatia (1887).