Temple of Venus and Roma (Rome). The most ancient temples of Rome that have survived to this day Temple of Venus and Roma on the map
September 29, 2018
Rome is one of the oldest cities in the world and many centuries ago it was the largest center of social and political life. Religion occupied a special place in the life of the ancient Romans. The first temples dedicated to the pagan Gods began to be built back in the royal period, around the 6th century BC. These most ancient temples of Rome have survived to this day - their ruins can still be seen in Rome today. Let's get to know them.
The ruins of the ancient temple of Vesta, dedicated to the Roman goddess of the family hearth, are located in the oldest part of the Eternal City, in the Roman Forum. Presumably the temple appeared in the 6th-5th centuries BC. The structure, round in plan, was surrounded on the outside by a colonnade. The Sacred Fire was constantly burning in the temple, which was maintained by the priestesses of the goddess Vesta - the Vestals, and inside there was a cache that kept sacred relics.
Contemporaries can see only three fifteen-meter columns, an altar, and also the source of Juturna, the water of which was considered healing.
One of the most ancient religious buildings Ancient Rome, which were lucky enough to survive to this day, is considered the temple of Saturn. Its ruins can be seen in the Roman Forum. Saturn, the God of earth and fertility, was especially revered by the Romans in ancient times; temples were erected to him and new cities were named after him. According to legend, in ancient times Italy was called the Land of Saturn.
The Temple of Saturn was built at the foot of the Capitoline Hill in the second half of the 5th century BC. During its history, the building burned down during fires more than once, but it was restored. Today, only a few columns of the portico and part of the foundation have survived. On the frieze you can see the inscription in Latin:
SENATUS POPULUSQUE ROMANUS INCENDIO CONSUMPTUM RESTITUIT
Which in translation sounds like: “ The Senate and people of Rome restored what was destroyed by fire».
During the Republican period, the treasury was located under the temple, where not only the Roman treasury was kept, but also important state documents.
The Temple of Portuna is one of the few ancient buildings that has managed to survive to this day. In ancient Roman mythology, Portunus was considered the god of doors, keys and livestock, the guardian of entrances and exits. The temple is located in the Forum Boar. In Republican times, there was a small port and market here, where there was a lively trade in livestock.
The first temple of Portunus appeared in the 3rd century BC, but the structure that can be seen today dates back to the 1st century BC. From the previous structure, only part of the foundation was preserved, found during excavations.
The temple is the oldest surviving marble structure in Rome. It was built around 120 BC. in the Forum Boar, near the Temple of Portunus. Dedicated to the hero ancient greek mythology, the deified Hercules, whose cult spread through the Greek colonists to Italy.
The legendary ancient Roman commander and statesman Gaius Julius Caesar was the second in history, after the founder of Rome Romulus, to be deified by a Roman. Just two years after Caesar's brutal assassination, starting in 42 B.C. The construction of a temple in his honor began. Unfortunately, only a small part of it has survived to this day, but the ruins that can be seen today in its place give a good idea of how impressive in size this building was more than two thousand years ago.
Three tall columns and part of the podium are all that have survived from the temple of Venus the Progenitor in the Forum of Caesar. It was built back in 46 BC. at the direction of the great Julius Caesar in gratitude to Venus, fertility, beauty and love, for help in the victory over Pompey. The cult of Venus had special significance in the life of the ancient Romans, who considered her their patroness.
The surviving ruins of the temple are located in the Fori Imperiali, or Fori imperiali, in the center of the Forum Augustus, commissioned by the first Roman emperor in 2 AD. It was a majestic structure, richly decorated with white marble, sculptures of kings and great Roman generals, sacred statues of gods and mythological figures.
In 79 AD, a temple was erected in the Roman Forum in honor of the two deified Flavian emperors - Vespasian and his son Titus. From the majestic temple, only a few columns remained, as well as some bas-reliefs, which today are kept in museums.
The temple of all the gods - the Pantheon - is located in the Rotunda Square, or Piazza della Rotonda, in the historical center of Rome. This structure was built by order of Emperor Hadrian in 126 AD. e. To this day it remains a functioning temple. The Pantheon is a unique example of ancient Roman architecture, its design features testify to great achievements in the field of ancient engineering.
Many outstanding personalities of the past are buried in the Pantheon, including the Italian kings Umberto I and Vittorio Emanuele II, Queen Margaret of Savoy, as well as famous painters and architects of the Renaissance Raphael Santi, Baldassare Peruzzi and others.
According to historians, the most majestic religious structure of Ancient Rome was a temple erected in honor of the goddesses Venus and Roma, patroness of the Eternal City. It was consecrated in 135 AD. e., during the reign of Hadrian. The architect of this monumental structure was the emperor himself.
The ruins that can be seen today near the Colosseum give an idea of the size of the ancient structure. The pedestal on which the temple was erected is 145 meters long and 100 meters wide.
Modern Rome is not just a city with a long, centuries-old history, it is a real museum under open air, the exhibits of which surprisingly find a place among modern buildings. One such example is the Temple of Hadrian, located in Stone Square (Piazza di Pietra). Part of the ancient Roman structure turned out to be built into a 17th-century building designed by Carlo Fontana.
The temple to the glory of the deified Emperor Hadrian was erected by his adopted son and successor Antoninus Pius in 141-145 AD.
The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina is one of the few well-preserved pre-Christian temples in the Forum. By decree of Emperor Antoninus Pius, who was essentially a deeply religious man, a temple was erected in the Roman Forum around the middle of the 2nd century in honor of his late wife Faustina. When the emperor died, an eagle was released into the sky at the farewell ceremony, symbolizing the deification of Antonin. On the frieze of the portico you can see the Latin inscription:
DIVO ANTONINO ET DIVAE FAUSTINAE EX S(enatus) C(onsulto)
which translated from Latin sounds like: “ Divine Antoninus and Divine Faustina by decision of the Senate».
One of the largest buildings located in the Roman Forum is the basilica dedicated to the emperors Maxentius and Constantine. The height of the vaults of the basilica, built in 312, was 39 meters, and the area of just one nave exceeded four thousand square meters.
The most ancient temples of Rome that have survived to this day
The Temple of Venus and Roma can confidently be called the largest and most beautiful temple of ancient Rome.
The temple was built by Emperor Hadrian. Emperor Hadrian (117-138), one of the greatest builders of Rome, was also an architect. He himself designed this temple, the construction of which began in 121.
There is evidence from the historian Dio Cassius that when Hadrian sent his draft of the temple for review to the famous architect Apollodorus of Damascus, the latter sharply criticized him, pointing out that the statues of both goddesses were too large in relation to the apses: “If the goddess wants to stand, then can do this." The bold answer cost the brilliant architect his life; on the orders of Hadrian, Apollodorus was executed.
It is known that previously on this site there was a portico of the Golden House of Nero, in the center of which stood the bronze colossus of Nero, 35 meters high without a base. Having begun work, Hadrian was forced to move the statue (transformed by Vespasian into the sun god Helios) to the northeast of the Colosseum, which required 24 elephants.
The temple was consecrated in 136 AD. e. (according to other sources in 137) - still, being unfinished. The entire construction of the temple was completed by Hadrian's successor, Emperor Anthony Pius, in 140-144.
The temple was dedicated to a new religious cult, which was supposed to confirm the primacy of Rome, represented by the goddess Roma, and the strength of the Roman people, identified by the goddess Venus. The Temple of Venus faced the east, the ancestral home of Venus. The Temple of Roma is to the west, on the Roman Forum, which was the center of Roman religion, politics and civil life. The temple consisted of two apses with a common internal wall.
Venus was deified as the goddess of love and fertility, and also as the mother of all Romans, since she was the mother of the mythical Aeneas from Troy, from his son Yulus the Julian family traced their ancestry. Roma was the personification and patron of the city of Rome.
The Temple of Roma and Venus demonstrates the influence of Greek traditions on Roman architecture.
The temple complex was located on a huge concrete platform covered with white marble, measuring 145 m long and 100 m wide and was the largest religious building built by the Romans.
The eastern part of the podium was high, and rooms used for the needs of the Colosseum were built there. Colonnades were built on the sides: on the south there was a double row of columns, on the north there was only one. Instead of the second row there was a wall. The floor of the temple itself was raised above the platform by means of steps characteristic of Greek architecture, rather than the usual Roman podium.
The temple was a peripterus of the Corinthian order, with ten columns on the front side and twenty columns on the longitudinal side. The columns of the temple are made of white marble, the outer ones are made of gray Egyptian granite. The roof was gable and, like the Temple of Jupiter, had gilded tiles.
Interior The temple had an unusual structure: a transverse wall divided it into two cella. In the depths of each there was a large niche in which statues of goddesses were placed: in one of Venus, in the other of Roma. In front of each whole there was a pronaos. The ceilings in both pronaos and cellae were box vaults. Thus, the Roman vaulted ceilings inside the temple were combined with a gable roof characteristic of Greece.
The temple was extremely richly decorated. The entire building was paved with marble. The temple had two entrances and two entrance staircases. The temple could be entered from the Forum. And from the side of the Colosseum, two staircases and terraces on both sides led to the temple. The frieze of the temple pediment was crowned with a solemn one-line inscription: VENERI FELICI ET ROMAE AETERNAE IMPERATOR CAESAR A E LIUS ALRIANUS EX SENATUS CONSULTO. Which is translated into Russian as follows: TO VENUS HAPPY AND ROME ETERNAL EMPEROR CAESAR ELIUS ADRIAN BY DECREE OF THE SENATE (built the temple).
Unfortunately, in 307 the temple was destroyed by fire. The temple was rebuilt by Emperor Maxentius (306-312). In 391 the temple was closed by Emperor Valentinian II. In the V-VI centuries the temple began to collapse. Pope Honorius I (625-640) removed the gilded bronze tiles from the roof and placed them on the roof of St. Peter's Basilica.
In the Middle Ages, on the part of the temple from the side of the Roman Forum, the Church of Santa Maria Nova was built, for the construction of which stones and columns from the ruins of the temple were possibly used. To this day, the foundation, the cella of the Temple of Venus, fragments of walls, the floor, the base of columns and seventeen incomplete columns have been preserved from the Temple of Venus and Roma. Ten columns are on the right side of the temple, and the remaining seven are on the left. In total, 22 of the 150 columns have survived.
The Temple of Venus and Roma can confidently be called the largest and most beautiful temple of ancient Rome.
The temple was built by Emperor Hadrian. Emperor Hadrian (117-138), one of the greatest builders of Rome, was also an architect. He himself designed this temple, the construction of which began in 121.
There is evidence from the historian Dio Cassius that when Hadrian sent his draft of the temple for review to the famous architect Apollodorus of Damascus, the latter sharply criticized him, pointing out that the statues of both goddesses were too large in relation to the apses: “If the goddess wants to stand, then can do this." The bold answer cost the brilliant architect his life; on the orders of Hadrian, Apollodorus was executed.
It is known that previously on this site there was a portico of the Golden House of Nero, in the center of which stood the bronze colossus of Nero, 35 meters high without a base. Having begun work, Hadrian was forced to move the statue (transformed by Vespasian into the sun god Helios) to the northeast of the Colosseum, which required 24 elephants.
The temple was consecrated in 136 AD. e. (according to other sources in 137) - still, being unfinished. The entire construction of the temple was completed by Hadrian's successor, Emperor Anthony Pius, in 140-144.
The temple was dedicated to a new religious cult, which was supposed to confirm the primacy of Rome, represented by the goddess Roma, and the strength of the Roman people, identified by the goddess Venus. The Temple of Venus faced the east, the ancestral home of Venus. The Temple of Roma is to the west, on the Roman Forum, which was the center of Roman religion, politics and civil life. The temple consisted of two apses with a common internal wall.
Venus was deified as the goddess of love and fertility, and also as the mother of all Romans, since she was the mother of the mythical Aeneas from Troy, from his son Yulus the Julian family traced their ancestry. Roma was the personification and patron of the city of Rome.
The Temple of Roma and Venus demonstrates the influence of Greek traditions on Roman architecture.
The temple complex was located on a huge concrete platform covered with white marble, measuring 145 m long and 100 m wide and was the largest religious building built by the Romans.
The eastern part of the podium was high, and rooms used for the needs of the Colosseum were built there. Colonnades were built on the sides: on the south there was a double row of columns, on the north there was only one. Instead of the second row there was a wall. The floor of the temple itself was raised above the platform by means of steps characteristic of Greek architecture, rather than the usual Roman podium.
The temple was a peripterus of the Corinthian order, with ten columns on the front side and twenty columns on the longitudinal side. The columns of the temple are made of white marble, the outer ones are made of gray Egyptian granite. The roof was gable and, like the Temple of Jupiter, had gilded tiles.
The interior of the temple had an unusual structure: a transverse wall divided it into two cella. In the depths of each there was a large niche in which statues of goddesses were placed: in one of Venus, in the other of Roma. In front of each whole there was a pronaos. The ceilings in both pronaos and cellae were box vaults. Thus, the Roman vaulted ceilings inside the temple were combined with a gable roof characteristic of Greece.
The temple was extremely richly decorated. The entire building was paved with marble. The temple had two entrances and two entrance staircases. The temple could be entered from the Forum. And from the side of the Colosseum, two staircases and terraces on both sides led to the temple. The frieze of the temple pediment was crowned with a solemn one-line inscription: VENERI FELICI ET ROMAE AETERNAE IMPERATOR CAESAR A E LIUS ALRIANUS EX SENATUS CONSULTO. Which is translated into Russian as follows: TO VENUS HAPPY AND ROME ETERNAL EMPEROR CAESAR ELIUS ADRIAN BY DECREE OF THE SENATE (built the temple).
Unfortunately, in 307 the temple was destroyed by fire. The temple was rebuilt by Emperor Maxentius (306-312). In 391 the temple was closed by Emperor Valentinian II. In the V-VI centuries the temple began to collapse. Pope Honorius I (625-640) removed the gilded bronze tiles from the roof and placed them on the roof of St. Peter's Basilica.
In the Middle Ages, on the part of the temple from the side of the Roman Forum, the Church of Santa Maria Nova was built, for the construction of which stones and columns from the ruins of the temple were possibly used. To this day, the foundation, the cella of the Temple of Venus, fragments of walls, the floor, the base of columns and seventeen incomplete columns have been preserved from the Temple of Venus and Roma. Ten columns are on the right side of the temple, and the remaining seven are on the left. In total, 22 of the 150 columns have survived.
Not preserved
History of creation and description
The Temple of Venus and Roma is the most characteristic work of architecture of Hadrian's time. Built in 121-135. In this temple, built according to the design of the emperor himself, the eclecticism inherent in this time found a clear expression - it combined the trends of Roman architecture with elements borrowed from Greek architecture.
The temple stood on a large rectangular platform 145 m long and 100 m wide. The floor of the temple was raised above this platform by means of steps characteristic of Greek architecture, rather than the usual Roman podium. The temple was a peripterus of the Corinthian order, with ten columns on the front side and twenty columns on the longitudinal side. The roof of the temple was gable. The interior had an unusual structure: a transverse wall divided it into two cells. In the depths of each cella there was a large niche in which statues of goddesses were placed: in one of Venus, in the other of Roma. In front of each cella there was a pronaos. The cella facing the forum was dedicated to the goddess of the city of Rome - Roma, the other - to the goddess Venus. The ceilings in both pronaos and cellae were box vaults.
Thus, the Roman vaulted ceilings inside the temple were combined with a gable roof characteristic of Greece. Exceptionally rich interior decoration temple, the cornice combination of curved lines of vaults and apse niches with the Greek order differs sharply in style from the works of Apollodorus of Damascus, the leading architect of the previous era, who strived for laconicism and subordination of the decor to the constructive system.
The emperor sent Apollodorus, who was then in exile, a design for the future temple. The architect sharply criticized the idea, which was fundamentally different from his creative principles, which he preached all his life. As a result, the angry emperor executed one of the most brilliant architects the world has ever seen.
The structure occupied the entire territory from the Basilica of Maxentius to the valley of the Colosseum.
- Architecture of the world. Conference materials: "WEST-EAST: ANCIENT TRADITION IN ARCHITECTURE", issue 3, Moscow 1994.
Sources:
The structure occupied the entire territory from the Basilica of Maxentius to the valley of the Colosseum, and was erected on a pedestal 145 m long and 100 m wide. The temple was built under Emperor Hadrian in 135 AD. e., on the site where the portico of the Golden House of Nero was once located.
The temple occupied the central part of the portico: it was built from two cellae, one opposite the other, with a common internal wall. The cella facing the forum was dedicated to the goddess of the city of Rome - Roma, the other was dedicated to the goddess Venus.
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Notes
Coordinates: 41°53′27″ n. w. 12°29′23″ E. d. / 41.89083° s. w. 12.48972° E. d. / 41.89083; 12.48972(G) (I)
Excerpt characterizing the Temple of Venus and Roma
Pierre, unconscious from fear, jumped up and ran back to the battery, as the only refuge from all the horrors that surrounded him.
While Pierre was entering the trench, he noticed that no shots were heard at the battery, but some people were doing something there. Pierre did not have time to understand what kind of people they were. He saw the senior colonel lying with his back to him on the rampart, as if examining something below, and he saw one soldier he noticed, who, breaking forward from the people holding his hand, shouted: “Brothers!” – and saw something else strange.
But he had not yet had time to realize that the colonel had been killed, that the one shouting “brothers!” There was a prisoner who, in front of his eyes, was bayoneted in the back by another soldier. As soon as he ran into the trench, a thin, yellow, sweaty-faced man in a blue uniform, with a sword in his hand, ran at him, shouting something. Pierre, instinctively defending himself from the push, since they, without seeing, ran away from each other, put out his hands and grabbed this man (it was a French officer) with one hand by the shoulder, with the other by the proud. The officer, releasing his sword, grabbed Pierre by the collar.
For several seconds, they both looked with frightened eyes at faces alien to each other, and both were at a loss about what they had done and what they should do. “Am I taken prisoner or is he taken prisoner by me? - thought each of them. But, obviously, the French officer was more inclined to think that he had been taken prisoner, because Pierre’s strong hand, driven by involuntary fear, squeezed his throat tighter and tighter. The Frenchman wanted to say something, when suddenly a cannonball whistled low and terribly above their heads, and it seemed to Pierre that the French officer’s head had been torn off: he bent it so quickly.
