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Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier

Trier, which stands on the Moselle River, was a Roman colony from the 1st century AD and then a great trading centre beginning in the next century. It became one of the capitals of the Tetrarchy at the end of the 3rd century, when it was known as the ‘second Rome’. The number and quality of the surviving monuments are an outstanding testimony to Roman civilization.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/367

The Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St. Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier are the testimonies of a Roman colony and its recognition of Christianity.

Even before the Romans came there was a settlement in this valley. It belonged to the Gallo-Celtic tribe Treveri. Upon their culture, from which remains still can be seen in the regional museum, stumbled Julius Caesar when he conquered this territory in 57 BC. 

With Caesar the 500 year long Roman history of Trier began. The city became a cross-roads and a commercial link between major towns in France and along the Rhine. 

Trier has a classic rectangular layout, with the Forum (including the most important buildings) in the center. There were also several Roman Baths in town. The oldest preserved building is the Amphitheatre, dating from 100 AD. 

During the reign of Constantine the Great (306-337), Trier became an even more splendid city. He built the Dome/Cathedral, the Imperial Baths, the Basilica and several more Christian places of worship (as this was the empire's new religion).

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/trier.html