Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The ancient city of Mariana, located in Lucciana, Upper Corsica, was founded around 100 BC by Roman General Marius as a colony of Roman citizens. According to Ptolemy, its territory extended to the west coast, including areas such as Campo Moro and Grossa. The Mariani, greedy Roman settlers, dominated the region, pushing the indigenous populations back to the heights. Mariana became an agricultural, military (station of the fleet of Misène) and religious, with a diocese created in the fourth century, one of the first of Corsica.

In the second–third century, the city was organized around a cardo and a decumanus, with a rampart delimiting a trapezoidal space of 30 hectares. A merchant district, with porticoes, animated economic life. In the sixth century, a Christian complex (basilica, Baptistery) was erected along the ancient way, before being destroyed by the Vandals and Lombards, and then rebuilt in the Romanesque era. The excavations (1958–67, 1990–2007) revealed these remains, as well as a Mithraeum in 2017, unique in Corsica.

Mariana was the episcopal seat until 1570, first bound to the Holy See, then to Pisa (1092) and Genoa (1130). The site, classified as a Historic Monument in 1969 and 1991, is the subject of a museum project. A rural necropolis of the third century, discovered in 2006 in Mezzana, and a Roman road linking Mariana to Palla (Bonifacio) bear witness to its influence. Historical debates focused on its status (civil or military colony) and its role vis-à-vis Aleria, another Corsican colony founded by Sylla.

Ancient sources, such as Seneca and Ptolemy, place Mariana near the sea, although it is now 3 km from the coast, near Bastia-Poretta airport. The Mariani, Licnini and Opini were a complex ethnic landscape marked by tensions between settlers and indigenous peoples. Christianity implanted there early, with bishops attested from the fourth century, such as Parteu (named by Saint Paul) or Catonus (concil of Arles, 314).

Recent excavations (Inrap, 2017) revealed a shrine dedicated to Mithra, illustrating the cultural diversity of the city. Mariana's decline began in the seventh century, with vandal and Lombard raids, before her gradual abandonment. Today, the site, a mixed property (municipal and private), awaits a museum valuation, with a possible Monegasque patronage due to the historical ties with Saint Devote, venerated in Lucciana and Monaco.

Future

The site is the subject of a development project with the creation of a site museum, labeled Musée de France.

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