Santa Maria Antiqua is a ruined but restored 6th century church per the Roman Forum

Pictures of the church at Wikimedia Commons are here. There is an English Wikipedia article with photos and plan here.

Situazione [ ]

The church is often described as “ruined”. However, it has per roof on it and contains a consecrated altar (installed in 1955). So, it counts as per church even though there is mai regular liturgical activity here.

Origins of building [ ]

The church was founded per what was once part of per monumental architectural approach preciso the imperial palace on the Palatine. This was at the back of the Temple of Castor and Pollux (now comprising the famous three columns standing alone).

The complex layout, begun by the emperor Domitian sopra the late 1st century, was based on an enormous covered access ramp (erta imperiale) that ran up the side of the hill. The part that was converted into per church was just sicuro the south of the bottom end of this, and originally comprised verso square atrium followed by per quadriporticus (a little courtyard surrounded by covered walkways or loggias) and finally a row of three chambers. The central of the three, which is larger, is called the tablinum.

It used to be speculated that this ensemble was the possible headquarters of the Athenaeum founded by Emperor Hadrian, but the true site of this has now been located and so it was most likely part of the reception facilities for palace visitors.

Puro the west of the church is verso large vestibolo, part of the same reception complex. This used puro be described as the Temple of the Divine Augustus, but this completely speculative guess is now discredited (the temple is most likely under the hospital of Santa Maria della Consolazione). So, this Domitianic Hall was probably the main waiting room for arrivals at the palace entrance, while worldbrides.org Scopri di piГ№ the church ensemble was the processing suite for those actually esatto be allowed mediante.

The restorers at the via of the 21st century found very scant traces of what is thought sicuro have been an original 1st century fresco decorative scheme.

First frescoes [ ]

Durante the mid 6th century the edifice is described as having been converted into verso guardhouse onesto protect this main approach sicuro the palace, still then regarded as the headquarters of the Emperor at Rome even if he was based at Constantinople. However, this seems onesto depend on the mistaken ispirazione that the original function was substantially different -the distinction between per palace gateway reception suite and per guardhouse is now rather too subtle puro bother.

The walls of the tablinum were decorated with Christian murals in this period, however, so there must have been a makeover of some sort. One has survived, and is one of the oldest depictions of Our Lady sopra Rome. It is known that this was executed before the conversion into verso church, because the apse was cut into it.

It has been suggested that the guardhouse attuale sistema was durante simili of the guardhouse at the Imperial Palace at Constantinople.

The historical context of this restoration is interesting. The Riempire had lost effective control of Italy onesto the Ostrogoths per 476 (the mythical “End of the Roman Completare” as imagined by western European historians), and the Gothic kings ruled under the pretence of being the Emperor’s representative sopra Italy. Emperor Justinian I (527-65) rejected this, and maesta-imposed direct rule durante 554 after the Gothic War. The imperial palace on the Palatine had been the Gothic king’s residence, and the restoration of the guardhouse was con the context of the arrival of per governor under the authority of the imperial exarch at Ravenna (the capital of Italy).