Temple of Venus and Rome
Temple of Venus and Rome
This temple was built on the ruins of the Domus Transitoria the first palace of the Roman Emperor Nero and the Domus Aurea a large landscaped complex built by Emperor Nero primarily on Oppiano Hill in the heart of ancient Rome Commissioned by Emperor Nero these two villas are the only Decastyle buildings in Rome featuring ten columns spanning the main facade Believed to be the largest temple in ancient Rome it was located on Velian Hill between the eastern edge of the Roman Forum and the Colosseum It was dedicated to the goddess Venus Felix The four columns between the front and rear porticoes of the temple give it the impression of a deuterocentric temple The Temple of Venus and Rome was the largest and most magnificent temple in Rome
Temple of Venus Genetrix: Interior Frieze
The Temple of Venus and Rome had two adjacent celles or sacred inner chambers each housing a statue of Venus Felix the progenitor of the Roman people and Roma Aeterna The symmetrical arrangement of the two deities Roma and Amor was a brilliant example of this palindrome Hadrian's temple was located on Velian Hill. It is believed that a severe earthquake in the early 9th century destroyed the temple Around 850 the church was renamed Santa Francesca Romana with a Romanesque crypt serving as a bell tower The unusual Veduta sculpture by Giovanni Battista Mercati depicts the site in 1629 The vast quantities of marble that once adorned the temple were lost due to its use in medieval construction projects
The juxtaposition of the two deities of Venus and Rome in the same temple further enhances the symmetry associated with their respective names The chambers housing the deities consist of two main rooms each enthroned The cellae are arranged symmetrically back to back The Romanesque cella faces west overlooking the Forum Romanum while the Venus cella faces east overlooking the Colosseum There are four columns on the west and east sides of the temple With the reconstruction of Maxentius the original wooden roof was replaced with a coffered vault and the walls were doubled in thickness to support the increased weight White marble columns are present on the south and north sides adding to the temple's grandeur
