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Episode 15: The New Basilica

Posted on August 15, 2020September 20, 2020 by romapodcast

Transcript:

You’re listening to an Audio Guide to Ancient Rome.  This episode is one in a series of short descriptions of monuments in the Roman Forum.  In this episode I’m describing the New Basilica.

Construction of the New Basilica began under the emperor Maxentius in the year 308 but was completed by emperor Constantine in 312 after his victory over Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. Indeed, the change in ruler during its building means that this is sometimes referred the Basilica of Maxentius or the Basilica of Constantine.

The term Basilica in modern usage suggests a large church or cathedral but in ancient Rome it was more associated with a large civic chamber or meeting hall.  It would have contained statues of gods but was not likely a place of worship.

What remains is impressive but represents roughly one third of the original building that, when complete, would have been substantially taller than the structure we see today. The core building material is concrete. This is covered in brick that would then have been, in turn, been covered in stucco on the outside and marble panels inside. The marble would have been held in place with metal pins – evidence of the removal of the marble and valuable pins can be seen in the small holds peppering the surface of the brick.

The 3 large bays that dominate the north side of the Via Sacra faced onto a large central nave and were mirrored by another set of 3 matching bays on the South side. These bays had large windows to help light the halls and the ends each bay’s dividing support wall originally had a massive marble column 14.5 meters high and roughly 1 meter wide. All but one of these 8 columns were destroyed – the last remaining was removed by Pope Paul V in the early 1600s and placed in La Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore where it still stands. Look high on the walls of the barrel vaults and you will see the remains of some of the marble capitals that capped the columns.

Unlike other Basilica’s in Rome, the columns were decorative and the ceiling was supported using braced arches which had more in common with the construction of Roman baths such as those of Caracalla that were built roughly one hundred years earlier.

On the west (or left side if you are inside the Forum and looking into the 3 bays) there would have been another large alcove that housed a colossal seated statue of the Emperor Constantine. Pieces of the statue can be seen in the courtyard of Palazzo dei Conservatori on the capitoline hill – placed there by the architect Michelangelo around the time that he was redesigning the buildings and square of the Campidoglio.

The remains include the great head, arms and legs of the Colossus which were carved from white marble. The core of the body likely consisted of a brick and wood framework that supported both these marble pieces and flowing bronze clothing in a manner similar to the seated statue of Roma that is now at the center of the facade of the Palazzo Senatorio in the Campidoglio.

Judging by the size of these pieces, the seated, enthroned figure would have been about 12 meters (40 feet) high. The head is about 2½ meters high and each foot is over 2 meters long.

Engraved below the statue was the following dedication:

Through this sign of salvation, which is the true symbol of goodness, I rescued your city and freed it from the tyrant’s yoke, and through my act of liberation I restored the senate and people of Rome to their ancient renown and splendor.

Oddly, amongst the remains were two right hands (both with upraised index fingers) which differ slightly. It has been suggested that the statue was re-fashioned at sometime late in Constantine’s reign and a hand holding a sceptre was replaced by a hand holding a Christian symbol.

There were likely multiple other statues in niches around the inside and outside of the basilica. The floor was tiled in marble with a pattern of circles and squares similar to that of the Pantheon. The ceiling vaults were coffered and would have been decorated with stucco, colorfully painted and gilded.

The basilica’s original primary function is not recorded however it was in use for several centuries. The south aisle and nave probably collapsed in an earthquake around the middle of the 800s. Even though it was in ruins, the basilica had a lasting influence on architecture was studied by many and even had influence on the design of the St. Peter’s Basilica.

Podcast Episodes

  • Episode 35: The Column of Marcus Aurelius
  • Episode 34: The Mausoleum of Augustus
  • Episode 33: The Theater of Marcellus
  • Episode 32: The Pyramid of Cestius
  • Episode 31: The Mausoleum of Hadrian
  • Episode 30: The Palatine Hill
  • Episode 29: Largo Argentina
  • Episode 28: Trajan’s Column
  • Episode 27: The Circus Maximus
  • Episode 26: The Forum of Julius Caesar
  • Episode 25: The Basilica Julia
  • Episode 24: Temple of Vespasian and Titus
  • Episode 23: Temple of Saturn
  • Episode 22: The Temple of Concord
  • Episode 21: The Arch of Septimius Severus
  • Episode 20: The Curia Julia
  • Episode 19: Black Stone, Rostra and Phocas
  • Episode 18: The Basilica Paulli
  • Episode 17: The Temple of Castor and Pollux
  • Episode 16: The Temple of Divine Julius
  • Episode 15: The New Basilica
  • Episode 14: The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina
  • Episode 13: Temple of Divus Romulus
  • Episode 12: The Temple of Vesta
  • Episode 11: Temple of Roma and Venus
  • Episode 10: The Arch of Titus
  • Episode 9: The Roman Forum
  • Episode 8: The Baths of Caracalla
  • Episode 7: The Piazza Navona
  • Episode 6: The Arch of Constantine
  • Episode 5: Ludus Magnus
  • Episode 4: The Capitoline Hill and Insula
  • Episode 3: The Colosseum
  • Episode 2: Ara Pacis
  • Episode 1: The Pantheon
  • Episode 0: Introduction

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