To visit the Chapel of San Aquilino we have to access the interior of the Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore. More than a chapel, it is actually a small XNUMXth century sanctuary connected to the basilica by a small door inside the church. It was built as an imperial burial place given the presence of a sarcophagus that, according to some scholars, may have been made for one of the sons of Theodosius I.
In his time the entire atrium that connects the basilica with this chapel was full of mosaics. Some fragments can still be seen, among which some figures of the apostles and patriarchs of the tribes of Israel are identified. Their extraordinary quality, the expressiveness of the figures and the study of shadows are impressive. Once through the entrance there is a fresco of the Crucifixion dating from the XNUMXth century and a Carrara marble portal that leads to the chapel. This portal is from the XNUMXst century and is perfectly well preserved. Its decoration includes floral motifs, birds, dolphins and various deities such as Jupiter and Neptune.
The Chapel of San Aquilino has an octagonal plan and is completely covered with polychrome marbles. The oldest part is the dome, which already covered the original room, although its decoration was destroyed in the XNUMXth century due to its poor state of preservation.
Much of the chapel is covered with mosaics. One of them represents Christ with his disciples and philosophers and dates from the XNUMXth century. There is another in the apse of the chapel in which the apostles can be seen seated in a semicircle around the central figure of Christ, who has at his feet a container with scrolls of Holy Scripture. A clear reference to his dual status as King and Master.