The Benedictine Basilica of Sant’Angelo in Formis stands at the foot of Mount Tifata, on the remains of a temple dedicated to Diana Tifatina. The pagan temple’s ruins, found in 1877, show that the plan of the basilica traces its perimeter. The construction date of the primitive church of Sant’Angelo in Formis is unknown, but it is placed at the end of the sixth century AD. and it’s attributed to the Lombard princes.
We do know that a church certainly existed in the 10th century, when the Cassinese monks were granted a permission to build a monastery there. In 1072 the ownership of the building passed from Richard I, Prince of Capua and Count of Aversa, to the Abbey of Montecassino, ruled in those years by Abbot Desiderio (1027-1087). Under his rectorate, the Basilica of Sant’Angelo in Formis was rebuilt and equipped with a wall decoration whose remains today represent one of the most important monuments of the Middle Ages.
References:The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.