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]]>In 30 BC, Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, initiated the tradition of importing Egyptian obelisks. The arrival of the first two obelisks sparked a wave of excitement among the Romans. So much so that even the barges that brought them to Rome were put on display. Over time, these obelisks were utilized by the Romans in various ways, particularly by 16th-century popes, who incorporated them in several urban projects.
The relocation of these monumental obelisks was indeed a colossal task. One notable example is St. Peter’s obelisk, which required the combined efforts of nearly 1,000 men, 150 horses, and several cranes for its repositioning.
The Egyptian Obelisks of Rome: A Close Look
Piazza del Popolo
Standing proudly in Piazza del Popolo is an obelisk from the reign of Seti I (1318–1304 BC). This obelisk was one of the first to be brought to Rome by Augustus in 10 BC to adorn the Circus Maximus.
Piazza Navona
The Piazza Navona houses a unique red granite obelisk with 1st-century imitation-Egyptian hieroglyphics. This obelisk was moved here from Circus Maxentius by Innocent X.
Egyptian obelisk in Piazza Navona
Piazza Minerva
This piazza is home to the smallest obelisk in Rome, a 6th-century BC Egyptian red-granite structure. This obelisk originally stood at the nearby Temple of Isis.
Piazza Minerva
Piazza della Trinita dei Monti
Atop the famous Spanish Steps, you can find an obelisk from the 3rd-2nd century BC. Its hieroglyphics were added in Rome and were copied from the obelisk in nearby Piazza del Popolo.
Piazza della Trinita dei Monti – Obelisk
Piazza dell Esquilino and Piazza del Quirinale
These piazzas hold twin obelisks that were originally part of Augustus’ mausoleum. Interestingly, neither of these obelisks have hieroglyphics.
Piazza della Rotunda
The Pantheon square houses a 13th-century BC, red granite monolith from Ramses II. This monolith also decorated the Temple of Isis.
Piazza della Rotonda, Pantheon, Rome
Piazza di Montecitorio
This piazza houses one of the first two obelisks brought to Rome by Augustus, which was used as a giant sundial. This obelisk hails from the reign of Psammetichos II (595–589 BC) at Heliopolis.
St. John Lateran
This location is home to the oldest obelisk in Rome, crafted in 1504–1450 BC. This red granite monolith stands an impressive 105.6 feet tall, making it the tallest obelisk in existence.
Pincio Gardens, on the Piazza Napoleon
This garden houses an obelisk made in Rome by Emperor Hadrian to adorn the funeral monument of his beloved Antinous (2nd century AD).
Villa Celimontana
This residence holds the sister obelisk to the one at the Pantheon. After it fell at the Capitoline Hill, it was repurposed as a step up to S. Maria in Aracoeli.
Piazza dei Cinquecento
This piazza near the train station is home to an Egyptian obelisk discovered near S. Maria Sopra Minerva in the late 1800s.
Piazza San Pietro
This piazza houses a massive obelisk first erected in Alexandria by Augustus. This obelisk was brought to Rome in 37 AD for the Vatican Circus.
Obelisk in Rome – Piazza San Pietro
Modern Obelisks
In addition to these ancient obelisks, you can also find a modern obelisk made from Carrara marble at the Foro Italico. This obelisk was commissioned by Mussolini for a sporting event.
Rome, with its blend of ancient and modern obelisks, offers a fascinating glimpse into the past. These magnificent structures serve as silent witnesses to the city’s rich history and the profound influence of the Egyptian culture on Roman urban design. As you walk through the streets of Rome, remember to look up and appreciate these timeless masterpieces.
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]]>The building occupies the site of the Chapel of the Separation where, according to an apocryphal tradition, St Peter and St Paul bade a last farewell to each other before their separate martyrdoms. A relief of the two saints embracing has been set up on the wall.
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Centrale Montemartini
Centrale Montemartini
The entrance is through the yard at the side. The first thing that you see after the ticket office and coat check is a statue of Aphrodite in Pentelic marble, a copy of a 5th-century B.C. work by Callimachus. She stands in front of a massive cast-iron extraction pump emblazoned with the name of the manufacturer, Franco Tosi. This sets the tone for the whole museum. All the works are beautifully displayed and labelled (also in English). This is one of the most original and enjoyable museums anywhere in the world.
History of Centrale Montemartini
Built in 1912, this was the first public electrical plant to be opened in Rome, and was named after its designer, Giovanni Montemartini. Operated by diesel and steam, it provided enough power to illuminate half the streets and piazze of the city. It continued to function throughout the Second World War and only fell into disuse in 1963. It was restored by the Rome water and electricity board (ACEA) in 1990 as a superb exhibition space and is also of the greatest interest as a monument of industrial archaeology. Since 1997 some 400 Classical sculptures formerly kept in the Capitoline Museums have been exhibited here.
In this decommissioned electrical plant, the presentation of ancient statues between engines, gigantic boilers, metal pipes and jet-black turbines creates a amazing contrast.
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]]>The Birth of the Christian Basilica: Constantinian Influence
Early Christian basilicas drew heavily from the designs of their Roman predecessors. These Roman basilicas were multifunctional spaces, serving purposes such as law courts and public assembly halls. The Constantine architects adapted these structures to create the early Christian basilicas, which have evolved over time. The Basilica of Santa Sabina, though constructed in the fifth century, retains many features of the original Constantinian basilicas.
According to legend, the house of Roman women named Sabina once stood on this spot. St. Sabina is said to have been run through with a sword during the reign of Roman Emperor Hadrian and so received the palm of martyrdom. Between 425 and 432, St Peter of Illyria built the church above a house belonging to the Roman Christian Sabina. Pope Eugene II had it furnished with marble in 824. In 1222, Pope Honorius III donated the church to the Dominicans.
Exterior façade of the Basilica of Santa Sabina on the Aventine Roman. Rome
Santa Sabina basilica interior, built in Rome about 432 A.D on a classical rectangular form
Interior of the Basilica of Saint Sabina in Rome, Italy. The nave wall of Santa Sabina presents a marked departure from the weightiness of classical structures. The architect skillfully employed light to create a space where the walls appear to float, and the shimmering mosaic glass tiles would have only amplified this effect. Light in this context symbolizes divinity and Christ, emphasizing the spiritual over the physical.
The centre portal of the narthex houses the oldest carved wooden door in Christian art, which was produced around 432. The reliefs wrought from African cedar, designed by unknown artists with sensitivity and expressive energy, show scenes from the Old and New Testament.
The double doors of cypress wood in the vestibule of the church of S. Sabina, which were carved by an unknown master in the 5th century, are among the oldest and finest wood reliefs that have survived.
18 out of the original 28 panels have been preserved, although not in their original order. In the five lateral rows of door panels, the following are easily recognizable from the top left to the right:
1st row: crucifixion, women with angel at the tomb, three Magi, disciples at Emmaus; 2nd row: healing the blind and the bread and wine miracle of Cana, Moses’ miracle of quails and manna, and the miracle of striking (he rock, the ascension of Christ, Christ above the church triumphantly crowned by St Peter and St Paul.
Crucifixion of Christ, Detail of the Central Portal
Detail from carved wooden door of Santa Sabina (1)
3rd row: Christ with the doubting Thomas, Christ appears to the women after his resurrection, the denial of St Peter, Habakkuk; 4th row: Moses with the burning bush and receiving the tablets of stone, Zacharias silent in the temple, passage through the Red Sea and the brazen snake, ascension of Elijah; 5th row: Pilate sentencing Christ, Jesus before Caiaphas or Moses before the pharaoh.
Rome – Jesus the Teacher fresco from church Santa Sabina
Rome – tree – symbol of Jesus life
On the inside, the 20m/66ft-high nave is bounded by 24 Corinthian columns of Parian marble. On the wall above the entrance is one of the oldest mosaics in Rome: the figures of two women who symbolize the »church from the heathen« (ecclesia ex gentibus) and the »church from the Jews« (ex circumcisione, from circumcision).
The Basilica of Santa Sabina stands as a monumental testament to early Christian architecture, with its intricate fusion of classical Roman elements and the spiritual symbolism of light. As we journey through the spaces of this magnificent basilica, we are transported to a time when art, architecture, and spirituality were seamlessly intertwined, leaving us with a
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]]>A Multilayered Architectural Marvel
Basilica di San Clemente, with its relics of the martyr, its thousand-year old history and its famous frescoes, creates a strong impression, one which is also felt in the mitreum. This church is one of the oldest places of Christian worship in Rome, and was the home of St. Clement, disciple of St Peter and fourth Bishop of Rome (88-97).
An ancient residence, far below the modern street level, housed a Sanctuary of Mithras in the 2nd century; in 385 a church dedicated to St. Clement, the third bishop of Rome after St. Peter, was constructed above it. After this church was destroyed by the Normans in 1084, construction of a basilica began in the 12th century.
Courtyard of the Basilica of San Clemente al Laterano in Rome, Italy.
In the upper church, the sequence of gate, vestibule with fountain, area for the congregation and schola cantorum with the high altar and apse is a reference to the old basilica plan. Features of the interior are ancient columns and Cosmatesque work on the marble floors and choir screens, the Easter candelabra, the altar tabernacle and the bishop’s throne. The triumphal arch and apse are covered with magnificent mosaics, which are among the most beautiful in Rome.
San Clemente Church – Apse mosaic, Rome, Italy
Mosaic details in San Clemente church, Rome, Italy
The ceiling of the Basilica di San Clemente
Heavenly imagery appears in intertwined biblical scenes with the tree of life and the cross, saints and symbolic flora and fauna such as the twelve sheep (apostles) approaching the Lamb of God. In the small Chapel of St Catherine at the front of the left-hand aisle, Renaissance frescoes by Masolino from the period before 1431 show scenes from the life of St Catherine of Alexandria – the first perspective paintings in the city. The lower church, a 4th-century basilica with columns dividing the nave from the two aisles, is decorated with Romanesque frescoes.
Virgin Mary in San Clemente church in Rome – Italy
The ascension of Christ in the nave, with Pope Leo IV bearing the square nimbus denoting a living benefactor, is particularly noteworthy. Finally, the excavations with the sanctuary of Mithras should not be missed. An altar with a relief showing the Persian god of light, Mithras, killing a bull, stands in the centre of the elongated room.
The Mithraeum – Basilica di San Clemente. A staircase leads from the left aisle of the Lower Church into the Roman dwelling, which is the oldest part of the site. In the late 2nd or early 3rd century A.D., a shrine to Mithras was erected here.
Cult of Mithras
The considerably potent Mithras devotion materialized concurrently with Christianity, evolving into a preeminent enigmatic faith of antiquity. Initially venerating the archaic Iranian deity Mithra, it metamorphosed throughout the epochs, eventually amassing substantial sway, predominantly amidst Roman military commanders and legionnaires. Furthermore, revenue agents, fiscal administrators, and tradespeople embraced Mithraism, elucidating the colossal territorial expanse of the cult across the Roman Empire.
Distinctly present in Rome, Mithras flourished along Roman frontiers – at Hadrian’s Wall within northern Britain, throughout North African metropolises, adjacent to Germany’s far-reaching border outposts, down to the Danube estuary, spanning the Atlantic coastline of Portugal, and extending into the Levant. This resulted in the construction of innumerable bespoke locations (termed Mithraea), resembling subterranean grottoes. Architectural and archaeological vestiges reveal that subsequent to Mithras’ dwindling influence from the 4th century A.D., numerous Christian ecclesiastical edifices were erected upon Mithraea sites. Over the past 150 years, erudite researchers have unearthed myriad discoveries, offering novel discernment into this enigmatic cult.
Nevertheless, despite the amassed evidence, deciphering the Mithras conundrum – the precise tenets adherents embraced – remains an elusive endeavor, with a definitive resolution yet to materialize.
Basilica di San Clemente Opening Hours: Mon.-Sat: 9 am-12.30 pm, 3 pm- 6 pm., Sun: 10 am-12.30 pm, 3 pm-6 pm.
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]]>The historic headquarters of the Museum is the Baths complex built by Diocletian between the last years of the third century and the beginning of the fourth century A.D. (the dedicatory inscription dated 306 A.D. is conserved in a fragmentary state in the Museum). The building of the Baths, the largest in the ancient world, included many rooms besides the traditional calidarium, tepidarium and frigidarium — which were designed to hold 3.000 people at the same time.
A funerary slab in the baths of Diocletian in Rome. Italy
National Roman Museum: The Baths of Diocletian
The Roman National Museum, housed in the halls of Diocletian’s Baths and rooms of the former Carthusian monastery formed by converting part of the baths, is approached through a garden where steles, sarcophagi and reliefs are on display.
National Roman Museum, Rome – painting in the cloister of the former Carthusian monastery.
In the museum contains extensive archaeological finds from the early period of the Latin tribes, starting with the first traces of settlement and continuing to the rule of the Etruscan kings in the 7th century BC. Showcases and high-quality maps illustrate the everyday world of the Latin people with household pottery, everyday items, tools, weapons and many burial objects.
Ancient mosaic in baths of Diocletian (Thermae Diocletiani) in Rome. Italy
The ceramic urns used for funerary rites, in the form of a circular hut with animal decoration on the ridge as a protective spell, are very unusual. The cloister with its fountain and colonnades, conceived by Michelangelo and completed in 1565, is adorned with marble sculptures, architectural fragments, mosaics and inscriptions.
Ruins of the Baths of Diocletian (Thermae Diocletiani), Rome, Italy.
Ancient mosaic in baths of Diocletian (Thermae Diocletiani) in Rome. Italy (2)
National Roman Museum: Octagonal Hall
The Octagonal Flail stands at the southwest corner of the central complex of the Baths of Diocletian, in which it may have served as a passage area. In 1929 it was transformed into a Planetarium by Italo Gismondi. The hall recently underwent a thorough restoration that brought out all the beauty of the nearly intact octagonal setting, with its four semi-circular niches in the corners and the umbrella-shaped cupola with the central opening. The diameter of the hall is 22 meters. The restorers have preserved the iron structure that supported the ceiling-map of the heavens, in part because of its uniqueness, but also as a memento of the hall’s past history as a planetarium.
The Aula Ottagona gives an almost authentic impression of how the magnificent domed rooms of the enormous Baths of Diocletian must have looked. This room was originally the Sala della Minerva of the palaestra in the baths. Framed by numerous marble statues, Roman copies of Greek originals from the municipal baths of Rome, the two bronze sculptures in the centre of the hall immediately catch the eye: a larger-than-life, standing Hellenistic Prince (2nd century BC) with a muscular, idealized body, and an exhausted, Resting Boxer (late 4th or early 2nd century BC), represented in brutal realism with a bleeding eye, broken nose and lacerations on his body.
National Roman Museum: Palazzo Massimo
Formerly the site of the preparatory school “Massimiliano Massimo”, the building was constructed in 1883-87 by Camillo Pistrucci in imitation of the noble residences of the early Roman baroque period. In 1960 the school was transferred to another facility and Palazzo Massimo fell victim to neglect; not until 1983 was it purchased by the State and designated as the site of the National Museum of Rome after undergoing years of complex restoration.
The collection at Palazzo Massimo alle Terme forms part of the National Roman Museum. It mainly displays material from the splendid houses of the senatorial class in Rome. These works, when viewed together with the items from the imperial palaces displayed at the Museo Palatino, provide a comprehensive panorama of the art of late republican and imperial Rome. The second floor of the palace is wholly devoted to a display of the most significant examples of Roman decorative painting and mosaic pavements found in Rome and Lazio, including some recent discoveries.
Mosaic Collection – Photo Gallery:
The display includes reconstructions of some interiors of important residential complexes, such as Livia’s villa at Prima Porta and the Villa della Farnesina on Via della Lungara. In particular the reconstruction of some interiors with the frescoes on the walls and stuccoed vaulting reveals the conceptual unity of the decoration, which is usually seen only as fragments.
The ground floor of Palazzo Massimo contains examples of iconography and portraiture from the late republican period, with a display of sculptural decorations from the residences of the wealthy classes. Many statues are Roman copies of Greek originals by great sculptors such as Lysippus and Praxiteles (both fourth century BC).
Frecoes – Photo Gallery:
The basement level has sections devoted to numismatics—covering ancient times, the Middle Ages and the present and a display of jewels and household items made of precious materials, mostly from imperial times. The artefacts mostly come from tombs regularly excavated, so the objects can be dated and understood in their cultural and historical setting and not viewed merely as collectors’ pieces. Among the exhibits is an unusual example of the embalmed body of a little girl with her tomb furnishings from Grottarossa (second century BC).
National Roman Museum: Palazzo Altemps
In the second half of the sixteenth century Cardinal Altemps decided to transform the family palace, under construction for a century, into “a home for statues.” Subsequently, however, the cardinal’s collection of ancient sculptures and his rich library were dispersed, a destiny shared by the majority of the patrician collections, which frequently changed hands.
Ancient Roman Ludovisi Battle sarcophagus at Palazzo Altemps, dating to 260 AD, is known for its densely populated composition of the battle between Romans and Goths.
Marble statue of Aphrodite by Cnidus at the Palazzo Altemps. Ancient Roman copy after a Greek original of the 4th century.
sky above the Altemps palace courtyard, Museo Nazionale Romano
The building contains sixteen sculptures that once belonged to the Altemps collection and items from other important collections, like the Boncompagni Ludovisi and Mattei collections and the Egyptian collection of the Museo Nazionale Romano. The antiquarian reconstruction of the original Cinquecento setting was suggested by the close relations between the Ludovisi and Altemps collections, with pieces passing between the two families. Restoration of the interiors now enables visitors to admire the splendid statues at the same time as they view the magnificent building that houses them.
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- Resting Boxer – Photo Credit: Met Museum
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View from Crypta Balbi out to Rome.
The Crypta Balbi, where excavations were not permitted until 1981, now contains a museum on three levels. The period covered by this museum in fact extends from ancient times through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to the 20th century, since modern aspects such as the commercial use of the complex today are also shown. The changes to the city and the various functions of the building are especially apparent on the ground floor: it was first part of the Field of Mars during the reign of Augustus, later Balbo’s theatre and crypt, and from the 8th century a convent.
The dwellings of merchants stood here in the Middle Ages, and in the 16th century Ignatius of Loyola had a conservatory built to provide a home for the daughters of Roman prostitutes. The development of urban culture between the 5th and 10th centuries is presented on the two upper levels.
Colosseum to Crypta Balbi:
Crypta Balbi set in the Viadelle Botteghe Oscure-31; 1,4 km from (17 min walk) from Colosseum.
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]]>The chapel, which was probably constructed by Giacomo da Pietrasanta between 1479 and 1483 and was renovated in 1750, has a travertine façade, one of the first Renaissance façades in Rome.
The interior, with a high nave that is almost as narrow as the two aisles, is dominated by the dome above crossing, from which the choir spaces open. Jacopo Sansovino’s Madonna del Parto (1521), Raphael’s Prophet Isaiah (1512) on the third pillar on the left and Caravaggio’s Madonna dei Pellegrini (1605) in the first chapel of the left aisle are also worthy of note.
Prophet Isaiah by Raphael, Basilica of Sant Agostino, Rome
Madonna del Parto (Madonna of Childbirth), Basilica of Sant Agostino, Rome, Italy.
Caravaggio’s Madonna dei Pellegrini, Basilica of Sant Agostino, Rome, Italy.
Colosseum to Sant’Agostino:
Sant’Agostino set in the Piazza di Sant’Agostino, 2,9 km from (23 min walk) from Colosseum.
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Santa Pudenziana’s 12th-century façade ivas restored and largely rebuilt in the 19th century, but the beautiful frieze around the doorway is a medieval original
The entrance is much below the level of the street and the mosaics on the façade are of St Peter and SS Pudens and Pudenziana. The original structure has been modified through several restorations; the bell tower was added in the 13th century.
There is a nave with two aisles made by fourteen supporting columns. The fourth-century mosaic of the apse is one of the most beautiful in Rome. In the centre, Christ sits on a throne before a small mountain topped by a jewelled cross. On the cross are the four symbolical images of the Evangelists.
On the right of the throne is St Paul, crowned by St Pudenziana, and on the left St Peter, crowned by St Praxedes. Under the high altar are vases found in the tombs of Praxedes and Pudentiana by Pope Pascal I in the ninth century which were probably used by them to collect the blood of the martyrs. In the chapel of St Peter on the left aisle is a portion of the wooden portable altar said to have been used by St Peter while he lived with Pudens, and by all the early popes till the time of Sylvester (the rest of this altar is in the Lateran) .
Rome – Jesus from facade of Santa Pudenziana church.
Rome – mosaic of Jesus the Teacher from Santa Pudenziana church, 4th century – restored in the 16th century
St. Peter is said to have lived in the Pudens household for seven years, and the church’s other prize is part of a table he is thought to have used as an altar for Mass.
Colosseum to Santa Pudenziana:
Santa Pudenziana set in the Via Urbana, 1,2 km from (15 min walk) from Colosseum. Bus Lines: 27, 70, 71, 81. Hours: times are variable; usually daily 8-noon, 4~6.
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Interior of Basilica di Santa Prassede with Byzantine mosaics from the years 817-824, Rome, Italy. The Heavenly City of Jerusalem appears above the triumphal arch, and the Apocalyptic Lamb, the Book with Seven Seals, the Seven Candlesticks, the Four Archangels, and the symbols of the Evangelists are shown on the apsidal arch.
Carved roof of Basilica.
The mosaics are among the most precious of their kind in Rome: on the arch, they depict the heavenly Jerusalem: on the arch of the apse, the apocalyptical lamb from the revelation of John. Above the frieze of the lamb in the apse is Christ with St. Peter and St. Paul, who are leading the two sisters Praxedis and Pudentiana; next to them are the donor Paschalis and St Zeno.
The Apsidal Mosaic – The 9th-century Carolingian mosaic de-picts the legend of the two saints Pudentiana and Praxedis, who were said to have taken the apostle Peter into their house.
Mosaic of Virgin Mary from Apse.
Saint Zeno Chapel (Cappella di S. Zenone) in the Basilica of Santa Prassede in Rome, Italy.
The purpose of biblical illustrations in the Middle Ages was to teach the faith to illiterate believers. According to the medieval illustrations, the Cappella di San Zenone in the right-hand aisle is a Garden of Eden; it was commissioned by Pope Paschalis I (817-824) as the burial chapel of his mother Theodora. The splendid mosaics cover all the walls and the dome.
Colosseum to Santa Prassede:
Santa Prassede set in the Via Santa Prassede, 1,1 km from (15 min walk) from Colosseum. Bus Lines: 16, 93, 93b, 93c. Tel: 06 488 2456. Open: Daily 7.30-Noon, 4-6.30.
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Santa Maria della Vittoria Church, Rome, Italy – Ceiling details from the church.
The Assumption of Virgin Mary fresco in cupola by Giovanni Domenico Cerrini (1675) in church Chiesa di Santa Maria della Vittoria.
Carlo Maderno’s Baroque church, which he completed between 1608 and 1620 for Cardinal Scipione Borghese, is impressive with its colourful marble, rich stucco decoration and the ceiling fresco of the Assumption of the Virgin by Giovanni Domenico Cerrini.
Cornaro Chapel
Natural light from a hidden window is a characteristic of Bernini’s groups of figures. In the Cornaro Chapel, completed in 1652, it takes the form of bundled golden rays that fall onto St. Theresa of Avila (1515-1582).
Ecstacy of St. Theresa of Avila, Santa Maria della Vittoria
Ecstasy of Saint Teresa,Santa Maria della Vittoria
The whiteness of the marble of the figures in contrast to the painted dome and polychrome marble on the walls appears almost supernatural. The beautiful, smiling angel delivers god’s love as an arrow that will pierce the saint. However, the aura of the mystically ecstatic Carmelite nun, more sensual than religious, met with criticism from Bernini’s contemporaries.
Detail, Ecstacy of St. Theresa of Avila of Bernini.
Vaulting fresco of Cornaro Chapel – Bernini.
The statue shows the saint pierced by the love of God, here symbolized by the arrow of a hovering angel, an incident taken from the saint’s own description of an ecstatic vision in Avila, Spain, in 1537. Fusing architecture, sculpture and painting, the figure represents one of the touchstones of high baroque achievement; indeed, the writer Barbara Harrison has said of the showpiece: “If one is going to put one’s love for the baroque to the test, the place to go is Santa Maria della Vittoria”.
Santa Maria della Vittoria Church, The wax effigy and relics of St. Victoria.
Santa Maria della Vittoria Church, Rome, Italy – Head details of the wax effigy and relics of St. Victoria.
Colosseum to Santa Maria della Vittoria:
Santa Maria della Vittoria set in the Via XX Settembre, 2,0 km from (27 min walk) from Colosseum. Bus Lines: 60, 61, 62, 415.
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