Santa Maria Antiqua is per ruined but restored 6th century church sopra 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 verso roof on it and contains a consecrated altar (installed sopra 1955). So, it counts as per church even though there is per niente regular liturgical activity here.

Origins of building [ ]

The church was founded mediante what was once part of a 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 ombra).

The complex layout, begun by the emperor Domitian in 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 puro the south of the bottom end of this, and originally comprised a 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 esatto 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.

Onesto the west of the church is verso large atrio, 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 Ingresso was probably the main waiting room for arrivals at the palace entrance, while the church ensemble was the processing suite for those actually Chat dei singoli to be allowed durante.

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

First frescoes [ ]

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

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

It has been suggested that the guardhouse attuale rete di emittenti was durante succedane of the guardhouse at the Imperial Palace at Constantinople.

The historical context of this restoration is interesting. The Commuovere had lost effective control of Italy esatto the Ostrogoths per 476 (the mythical “End of the Roman Riempire” 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 monarca-imposed direct rule in 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 a governor under the authority of the imperial exarch at Ravenna (the capital of Italy).