The Roman palace basilica known as the Aula Palatina rose between AD 300 and 310 under Constantius Chlorus. This structure served as a grand hall for Emperor Constantine the Great during his reign in Trier, Germany.
Engineers designed this massive hall with dimensions reaching 67 meters in length and 26.05 meters wide. Its height soared to 33 meters without any interior columns blocking the open space.
Bishops of Trier converted the Roman hall into their residence during the Middle Ages. They redesigned the apse area to create living quarters within the sacred space.
Frederick William IV of Prussia ordered the restoration of the Aula Palatina to its original Roman state in the 19th century. By 1856, the building had become a Protestant church under this new arrangement.
Allied air raids burned the Aula Palatina in 1944 during World War II. The fire damaged much of the interior while leaving the outer shell largely intact.
The Evangelical Church in the Rhineland owns the Aula Palatina today as the Church of the Redeemer. UNESCO designated the site as part of a World Heritage Site in 1986 alongside other Trier monuments.