DOCSLIB.ORG

The Campidoglio

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Campidoglio The Campidoglio ”… The Capitol, the head of the world, where consuls and senators governed the earth”. (Mirabilia Urbis) The current magnificent Capitol square is located on the Mons Capitolinus of the Pagan Rome. This was the smallest of the seven hills of Rome: only 50 meters high, but surpassed for importance all the other hills nearby. Here dominated the superb Fortress of the City, the Arce, then the oldest temple, dedicated to Capitoline Jupiter, where the triumphal parade of the victorious leaders ended with a sacrifice to the god, then the sanctuary of Juno and finally the State archive, the indestructible mass of the Tabularium. The facades of these buildings faced in the past the Forum, this means on the opposite side, so the roads of access to the Capitol were on the side of the Forum too. On the Campidoglio on the 1st of January the ceremony of investiture of consuls took place and from here all governors took their way to the provinces of the Empire. Through the centuries the Capitole was abandoned, becoming nude and deserted, reduced to a few pieces of marble and to the ruins of the Tabularium. At the beginning of the Middle Age the whole hill was just reduced to the possession of the cloister belonging to the Church of Santa Maria d’Aracoeli. The triumph of Christian Rome, after dark and stormy periods, revenged its ancient right on the Mount Capitolino with the erection, in the VI cent., of the Church of Santa Maria d’Aracoeli, upon the ruins of the Temple dedicated to Juno. In the huge church the municipal officers discussed the important matters of the time and the walls resounded with the harsh disputes and the heavy contrasts between the pope and the nobility, that met the greatest interest in the city. Still the glory of the hill was so alive in the minds of the Romans that, revolting against the Pope’s domination, they elevated here, on the Tabularium, the new Comitium, the headquarter of the Municipal Council. The German emperors climbed the hill to submit their right to govern to the agreement of the Roman people and the poets received here the laurel for their compositions (Petrarca received it in 1341). In 1348 Cola di Rienzo inaugurated the marble stair that brought to the Ara Coeli, Altar of Heaven, thus opening a new access also on this side. From here the great demagogue made his hot speeches. Apart from the above mentioned buildings the site was completely deserted and forgotten. The total abandon was so evident that when decision was taken of according a triumphal reception to the emperor Charles V the hill was not taken into account for the ceremony because visibly too poor. Right after this event Pope Paul III had the idea of a global restoration of the hill, in a unique project – entrusted to Michelangelo – that gave birth to the current Campidoglio square. The task assigned to the master was everything but easy, in particular if we take into account the fantastic and majestic inclinations of the artist, that hit at every step with the restricted limits imposed by the preexisting buildings. As a matter of fact the design of the square had to be done in respect of the Palace of Senators, already built, and, on the other side, the palace of Conservatori, built in 1450, that closed one side of the square. Works, begun in 1546, right after the death of Michelangelo, were later continued by Giacomo della Porta, Tommaso di Cavalieri and Girolamo Rainaldi and completed in the XVII century. While climbing, stopping on the last step of the stair, you can admire the harmony of the most architectonic square in the world, surrounded on three of its four sides by palaces: the palace of Senators, the palace of Conservators and the New Palace. It is remarkable the original artifice of the master that was able to create in the square a growing profundity. The façades of the side palaces incline towards the Palace of Senators. With this artifice the artist obtained the widening of the square, which is actually enclosed in a small surface. Moreover the square is not closed but open as a theatre scene, increasing so the panoramic effect. The two major stairs of the Palace of Senators contribute to this effect. Against Michelangelo’s will the equestrian statue in gilded bronze of emperor Mark Aurel, moved from its original location, in front of the Lateran Palace, and the statues of Dioscures were placed in square. In front of the staircase of the Palace there is a fountain and on the niche above it, the Master wished to have placed an enormous statue of Jupiter. Although it was decided to decorate this part with the statue of Minerva, sitting in the center, with on her sides the allegoric statues of the Tiber and Nile rivers, dating back to the I century A.D., the golden age of the Roman empire. The Palace of Senators is dominated by the Capitoline Tower, whose original design, by Michelangelo, was modified and completed by Martino Longhi il Vecchio (1582). The Palace of Senators is nowadays site of the Municipality of Rome and of its major. The two lateral palaces, the Palace of Conservators, on the right side, and the New Palace, on the left side, perfectly symmetrical, beyond their artistic importance, house the magnificent collection of the Capitoline Museums. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Michelangelo's Locations
    1 3 4 He also adds the central balcony and the pope’s Michelangelo modifies the facades of Palazzo dei The project was completed by Tiberio Calcagni Cupola and Basilica di San Pietro Cappella Sistina Cappella Paolina crest, surmounted by the keys and tiara, on the Conservatori by adding a portico, and Palazzo and Giacomo Della Porta. The brothers Piazza San Pietro Musei Vaticani, Città del Vaticano Musei Vaticani, Città del Vaticano facade. Michelangelo also plans a bridge across Senatorio with a staircase leading straight to the Guido Ascanio and Alessandro Sforza, who the Tiber that connects the Palace with villa Chigi first floor. He then builds Palazzo Nuovo giving commissioned the work, are buried in the two The long lasting works to build Saint Peter’s Basilica The chapel, dedicated to the Assumption, was Few steps from the Sistine Chapel, in the heart of (Farnesina). The work was never completed due a slightly trapezoidal shape to the square and big side niches of the chapel. Its elliptical-shaped as we know it today, started at the beginning of built on the upper floor of a fortified area of the Apostolic Palaces, is the Chapel of Saints Peter to the high costs, only a first part remains, known plans the marble basement in the middle of it, space with its sail vaults and its domes supported the XVI century, at the behest of Julius II, whose Vatican Apostolic Palace, under pope Sixtus and Paul also known as Pauline Chapel, which is as Arco dei Farnesi, along the beautiful Via Giulia.
    [Show full text]
  • Public Construction, Labor, and Society at Middle Republican Rome, 390-168 B.C
    University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations 2012 Men at Work: Public Construction, Labor, and Society at Middle Republican Rome, 390-168 B.C. Seth G. Bernard University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity Commons, and the History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons Recommended Citation Bernard, Seth G., "Men at Work: Public Construction, Labor, and Society at Middle Republican Rome, 390-168 B.C." (2012). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 492. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/492 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/492 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Men at Work: Public Construction, Labor, and Society at Middle Republican Rome, 390-168 B.C. Abstract MEN AT WORK: PUBLIC CONSTRUCTION, LABOR, AND SOCIETY AT MID-REPUBLICAN ROME, 390-168 B.C. Seth G. Bernard C. Brian Rose, Supervisor of Dissertation This dissertation investigates how Rome organized and paid for the considerable amount of labor that went into the physical transformation of the Middle Republican city. In particular, it considers the role played by the cost of public construction in the socioeconomic history of the period, here defined as 390 to 168 B.C. During the Middle Republic period, Rome expanded its dominion first over Italy and then over the Mediterranean. As it developed into the political and economic capital of its world, the city itself went through transformative change, recognizable in a great deal of new public infrastructure.
    [Show full text]
  • De Ornanda Instruendaque Urbe Anne Truetzel
    Washington University in St. Louis Washington University Open Scholarship All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) 1-1-2011 De Ornanda Instruendaque Urbe Anne Truetzel Follow this and additional works at: https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/etd Recommended Citation Truetzel, Anne, "De Ornanda Instruendaque Urbe" (2011). All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs). 527. https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/etd/527 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Washington University Open Scholarship. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) by an authorized administrator of Washington University Open Scholarship. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY Department of Classics De Ornanda Instruendaque Urbe: Julius Caesar’s Influence on the Topography of the Comitium-Rostra-Curia Complex by Anne E. Truetzel A thesis presented to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Washington University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts August 2011 Saint Louis, Missouri ~ Acknowledgments~ I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Classics department at Washington University in St. Louis. The two years that I have spent in this program have been both challenging and rewarding. I thank both the faculty and my fellow graduate students for allowing me to be a part of this community. I now graduate feeling well- prepared for the further graduate study ahead of me. There are many people without whom this project in particular could not have been completed. First and foremost, I thank Professor Susan Rotroff for her guidance and support throughout this process; her insightful comments and suggestions, brilliant ideas and unfailing patience have been invaluable.
    [Show full text]
  • The Gods and Their Worship
    Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-53212-9 — Roman Religion Valerie M. Warrior Excerpt More Information CHAPTER 1 - TH E GODS AND TH EIR WORSHIP © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-53212-9 — Roman Religion Valerie M. Warrior Excerpt More Information We Romans are far superior in religio, by which I mean the worship of the gods (cultus deorum). (Cicero, On the Nature of the Gods 2.8) There is no place in our city that is not filled with a sense of religion (religiones) and the gods. There are as many days fixed for annual sacrifices as there are places in which they can be performed. (Livy 5.52) - uins of ancient temples, interspersed among the excavated remains of Rthe ancient city, still bear witness that Rome was indeed a city filled with gods and a sense of religion. Prominent among the remains in the Roman Forum are the temples of Castor, Saturn, Vesta, and the deified emperor Antoninus Pius and his wife Faustina. Overlooking the Roman Forum is the Capitoline Hill, the site of the temple of Jupiter the Best and Greatest. In the area of the Forum Holitorium near the river Tiber, the modern tourist can see ancient columns incorporated into a side wall of the church of San Nicola in Carcere. In the Campus Martius area, the emperor Hadrian’s reconstruction of the Pantheon stands in all its grandeur amid the hustle and bustle of contemporary Rome, still bearing the inscription commemorating its original builder, Marcus Agrippa, who was a close associate of the emperor Augustus.
    [Show full text]
  • Architecture in the Roman Forum During the Empire: a Brief History
    Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-19244-6 - The Roman Forum: A Reconstruction and Architectural Guide Gilbert J. Gorski & James E. Packer Excerpt More information PART I. ARCHITECTURE IN THE ROMAN FORUM DURING THE EMPIRE: A BRIEF HISTORY © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-19244-6 - The Roman Forum: A Reconstruction and Architectural Guide Gilbert J. Gorski & James E. Packer Excerpt More information © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-19244-6 - The Roman Forum: A Reconstruction and Architectural Guide Gilbert J. Gorski & James E. Packer Excerpt More information THE AUGUSTAN 1 RECONSTRUCTION (31 BCE–14 CE) PROLOGUE: THE late Republic. Literary tradition credited the Temple of Vesta at the southeast end of the valley to Rome’s second king, Numa REPUBLICAN FORUM Pompilius (715–673), who had erected it next to the Regia, (508–31) his own residence. At the northwest end, Pompilius’ succes- sor, Tullius Hostilius (672–641), built the Curia Hostilia, the Established as a meeting place for the inhabitants of the adja- Senate House named after him, and, in front of it, the Comitium, cent, previously independent villages, the Republican Forum the outdoor meeting place for Rome’s popular assemblies. At occupied an irregularly shaped, marshy valley below the the end of the sixth and the beginning of the fi fth centuries, the Palatine and Capitoline Hills. Reclaiming the central marsh by early republican Temples of Saturn and Castor went up to the massive earth fi lls in the late sixth century, its builders initiated south, and, by the fourth century, a line of aristocratic dwellings the continuous evolutionary changes that, in the next fi ve cen- connected these temples and defi ned the edges of the piazza turies (c.
    [Show full text]
  • 110-Sant'ivo Alla Sapienza.Pages
    (110) Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza The Church of Saint Yves at the Sapienza (Italian: Chiesa di Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza) is a University church in Rome. The church is considered a masterpiece of Roman Baroque church architecture. The church is between Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. History In the 14th century, there was a chapel here for the palace of the University of Rome. The University is called La Sapienza, and the church is devoted to Saint Yves (patron saint of the jurists), giving the church its name. The commission to replace the original chapel was given to Borromini by Pope Urban VIII on the advice of Gianlorenzo Bernini in 1632. Borromini was forced to adapt his design to the already existing palace. He choose a plan resembling a star of David, and merged the facade of the church with the courtyard of the palace. The church was deconsecrated in 1870 and used as a depository for the Biblioteca Alessandrina. The church was restored in 1926. Exterior This small church is located at the east end of a long cortile; the main entrance is at the far end of Giacomo della Porta's courtyard. The façade echoes the two-tier arcades of the adjoining loggias, except in the church exterior the arcades are blind. No fan of right angles, Borromini has designed a curved, concave façade. (110) The dome, with its corkscrew lantern, is remarkable in its novelty. The lower concave facade is countered by the hexagonal drum above which projects in convex curves, divided into three bays, the central one occupied with a long window.
    [Show full text]
  • Italian Humanism Was Developed During the Fourteenth and the Beginning of the Fifteenth Centuries As a Response to the Medieval Scholastic Education
    Italian Humanism Was developed during the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth centuries as a response to the Medieval scholastic education • Growing concern with the natural world, the individual, and humanity’s worldly existence. • Revived interest in classical cultures and attempt to restore the glorious past of Greece and Rome. Recovering of Greek and Roman texts that were previously lost or ignored. • Interest in the liberal arts - grammar, rhetoric, poetry, history and moral philosophy. • Promotes human values as distinct from religious values, mainly Roman civic virtues: self-sacrificing service to the state, participation in government, defense of state institutions. Renaissance architecture: Style of architecture, reflecting the rebirth of Classical culture, that originated in Florence in the early 15th century. There was a revival of ancient Roman forms, including the column and round arch, the tunnel vault, and the dome. The basic design element was the order. Knowledge of Classical architecture came from the ruins of ancient buildings and the writings of Vitruvius. As in the Classical period, proportion was the most important factor of beauty. Filippo Brunelleschi (1377 - 1446), Florentine architect and engineer. Trained as a sculptor and goldsmith, he turned his attention to architecture after failing to win a competition for the bronze doors of the Baptistery of Florence. Besides accomplishments in architecture, Brunelleschi is also credited with inventing one-point linear perspective which revolutionized painting. Sculpture of Brunelleschi looking at the dome in Florence Filippo Brunelleschi, Foundling Hospital, (children's orphanage that was built and managed by the Silk and Goldsmiths Guild), Florence, Italy, designed 1419, built 1421-44 Loggia Arcade A roofed arcade or gallery with open sides A series of arches supported by stretching along the front or side of a building.
    [Show full text]
  • Rome Architecture Guide 2020
    WHAT Architect WHERE Notes Zone 1: Ancient Rome The Flavium Amphitheatre was built in 80 AD of concrete and stone as the largest amphitheatre in the world. The Colosseum could hold, it is estimated, between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators, and was used The Colosseum or for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea Amphitheatrum ***** Unknown Piazza del Colosseo battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, Flavium and dramas based on Classical mythology. General Admission €14, Students €7,5 (includes Colosseum, Foro Romano + Palatino). Hypogeum can be visited with previous reservation (+8€). Mon-Sun (8.30am-1h before sunset) On the western side of the Colosseum, this monumental triple arch was built in AD 315 to celebrate the emperor Constantine's victory over his rival Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge (AD 312). Rising to a height of 25m, it's the largest of Rome's surviving ***** Arch of Constantine Unknown Piazza del Colosseo triumphal arches. Above the archways is placed the attic, composed of brickwork revetted (faced) with marble. A staircase within the arch is entered from a door at some height from the ground, on the west side, facing the Palatine Hill. The arch served as the finish line for the marathon athletic event for the 1960 Summer Olympics. The Domus Aurea was a vast landscaped palace built by the Emperor Nero in the heart of ancient Rome after the great fire in 64 AD had destroyed a large part of the city and the aristocratic villas on the Palatine Hill.
    [Show full text]
  • Musei Capitolini Piazza Del Campidoglio 1 (00186) Near Pizza Venizia Metro: Colosseo 9:30 AM - 7:30 PM (Every Day)
    Musei Capitolini Piazza del Campidoglio 1 (00186) Near Pizza Venizia Metro: Colosseo 9:30 AM - 7:30 PM (Every Day) The creation of the Capitoline Museums has been traced back to 1471, when Pope Sixtus IV donated a group of bronze statues of great symbolic value to the People of Rome. The collections are closely linked to the city of Rome. Piazza del Campidoglio's current appearance dates back to the middle of the XV century when it was designed by Michelangelo Buonarroti. The piazza's component parts (buildings, sculptures and decorated paving) were intended by Michelangelo to form one single organic unity, although over the centuries there have been a number of alterations & additions. The Capitoline Hill is the smallest hill in Rome and was originally made up of two parts (the Capitolium and the Arx) separated by a deep valley which corresponds to where Piazza del Campidoglio now stands about 8 metres above the original site. The sides of this hill were very steep and on account of the difficulty of reaching the top and the dominating position it enjoyed over the River Tiber, it was chosen as the city's main stronghold. The main buildings faced the Ancient Roman Forum, from which a carriageable road known as the Clivus Capitolinus led up the hill to the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, the most important and imposing temple in Rome. In addition to this temple and those dedicated to Juno Moneta, Veiovis and in the Area Capitolina, the Capitoline Hill was the headquarters of the Public Roman Archive ( Tabularium) and, in Republican Age, of the Mint.
    [Show full text]
  • Rome Historic Trail ……………..…
    Rome, Italy HISTORIC TRAIL ROME, ITALY TRANSATLANTICHISTORIC COUNCIL TRAIL How to Use This Guide This Field Guide contains information on the Rome Historical Trail designed by a members of the Transatlantic Council. The guide is intended to be a starting point in your endeavor to learn about the history of the sites on the trail. Remember, this may be the only time your Scouts visit Rome in their life so make it a great time! While TAC tries to update these Field Guides when possible, it may be several years before the next revision. If you have comments or suggestions, please send them to [email protected] or post them on the TAC Nation Facebook Group Page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/27951084309/. This guide can be printed as a 5½ x 4¼ inch pamphlet or read on a tablet or smart phone. Front Cover: Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City Front Cover Inset: Roman Coliseum ROME, ITALY 2 HISTORIC TRAIL Table of Contents Getting Prepared………………..…………4 What is the Historic Trail…….……… 5 Rome Historic Trail ……………..…. 6-24 Route Maps & Pictures……..….. 25-28 Quick Quiz……………………….……………29 B.S.A. Requirements………….…..…… 30 Notes……………………………..….………… 31 ROME, ITALY HISTORIC TRAIL 3 Getting Prepared Just like with any hike (or any activity in Scouting), the Historic Trail program starts with Being Prepared. 1. Review this Field Guide in detail. 2. Check local conditions and weather. 3. Study and Practice with the map and compass. 4. Pack rain gear and other weather-appropriate gear. 5. Take plenty of water. 6. Make sure socks and hiking shoes or boots fit correctly and are broken in.
    [Show full text]
  • 127-San Pietro in Vaticano.Pages
    Saint Peter’s Basilica Vatican City The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter (Latin: Basilica Sancti Petri), officially known in Italian as the Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world, holding 60,000 people. It is the symbolic "Mother church" of the Catholic Church and is regarded as one of the holiest Christian sites. It has been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world" and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom". In Catholic tradition, it is the burial site of its namesake Saint Peter, who was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and, according to tradition, first Bishop of Rome and therefore first in the line of the papal succession. Tradition and some historical evidence hold that Saint Peter's tomb is directly below the altar of the basilica. For this reason, many Popes have been interred at St Peter's since the Early Christian period. There has been a church on this site since the 4th century. Construction of the present basilica, over the old Constantinian basilica, began on April 18, 1506 and was completed on November 18, 1626. Saint Peter's is famous as a place of pilgrimage, for its liturgical functions and for its historical associations. It is associated with the papacy, with the Counter-reformation and with numerous artists, most significantly Michelangelo. As a work of architecture, it is regarded as the greatest building of its age.
    [Show full text]
  • Deattributions
    Deattributions Deattributions from Maarten Van Heemskerck In the interim between Hülsen and Egger’s publication and the pres- ent volume, scholars have brought to light drawings away from Berlin that they have published as Van Heemskerck’s. In some examples, such as two of the three drawings in Paris that Arnold Nesselrath pub- lished [cat. nos. 48, and 67] and the sheets now in Amsterdam (cat. nos. 10 and 11), the technique on display matches that on the sheets given unquestionably to Van Heemskerck. Other examples such as the Colosseum Interior in Darmstadt [cat. no. 78] are less convinc- ing. In this section I remove Van Heemskerck’s authorship from some of these drawings and cast doubt on his authorship of others due to their departures from his technique and overall pictorial approach. Cat. No. 78 Circle of Maarten van Heemskerck North and West Quadrants of the Forum Romanum from Atop the Palatine Fritz Lugt Collection, Paris Nederlands Tekeningen, Album I, f. 6111 r © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2019 | doi:10.1163/9789004380820_023 Deattributions 421 Pen and brown ink (with some black ink) Water Mark: Six pointed star above fragment of hunting horn (?) in a circle, only half of which appears on the sheet. Bottom of recto. Notes: Oval Monogram in lower right corner, “JD”; the figure of Homerus on the verso has been cut, but this is not of consequence because this would be at the top of the Forum drawing, not the left, right, or bottom. Literature: Hasselt and Blankert, 48; Garms, cat. no. C30; Boon, 119–50.
    [Show full text]