Arch of Constantine (Rome, Italy)

Posted on 24 May, 2016 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

Arch of Constantine

Situated between the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill is the Arch of Constantine (Italian: Arco di Costantino), a triumphal arch erected and dedicated on July 25, 315 by the Roman Senate to commemorate, as described on its attic inscription, Constantine I‘s victory over the then reigning emperor Maxentius (306–312) at the Battle of Milvian Bridge on October 28, 312. The largest and the last of

West side o the arch

the existing Roman triumphal arches, it spans the Via triumphalis, the way taken by the emperors when they entered the city in triumph.

Though dedicated to Constantine, this 21 m. high, 25.9 m. wide and 7.4 m. deep arch is actually a collage incorporating much of the decorative material from earlier work from the time of the emperors Trajan (98–117), Hadrian (117–138) and Marcus Aurelius (161–180).

Attic detail, south – left side

It is also the only one to make extensive use of spolia, reusing several major reliefs from 2nd century imperial monuments to make up for the lack of time to create new art. The most impressive surviving civic monument from Rome in Late Antiquity, it is, with regards to its origins and meanings, also one of the most controversial.

Attic detail, south – right side

The arch has three archways, the central one being 11.5 m. high and 6.5 m. wide and the lateral archways 7.4 m. by 3.4 m. each. The attic, above the archways, is composed of brickwork reveted (faced) with marble.

Inscription at the top of the attic – “To the Emperor Caesar Flavius Constantinus, the greatest, pious, and blessed Augustus: because he, inspired by the divine, and by the greatness of his mind, has delivered the state from the tyrant and all of his followers at the same time, with his army and just force of arms, the Senate and People of Rome have dedicated this arch, decorated with triumphs”

The emperor sacrificing a pig, sheep and bull (suovetaurilia)

On the top of each column, large sculptures representing Dacians, dating from the time of Trajan, can be seen, which. Above the central archway, identical on both sides of the arch, is the inscription, forming the most prominent portion of the attic.

Above the minor lateral archways, flanking the inscription on both sides, are four pairs of relief panels (eight in total), taken from an unknown monument.

It commemorates Marcus Aurelius’ war against the Marcomanni and the Sarmatians from 169 – 175, which ended with Marcus Aurelius’ triumphant return in 176. They are, from left to right:

the emperor’s return to Rome after the campaign (adventus) – north side
the emperor leaving the city and saluted by a personification of theVia Flaminia – north side
the emperor distributing money among the people (largitio) – north side
the emperor interrogating a German prisoner – north side
a captured enemy chieftain led before the emperor – south side
other prisoners led before the emperor – south side
the emperor speaking to the troops (adlocutio) – south side
the emperor sacrificing a pig, sheep and bull (suovetaurilia) – south side

Captured enemy chieftain led before the emperor

From the same time period the two large (3 m high) panels decorating the attic on the east and west sides of the arch show scenes from Trajan‘s Dacian Wars.

Together with the two reliefs on the inside of the central archway, these came from a large frieze celebrating the Dacian victory.

The general layout of the main facade is identical on both sides of the arch. The four columns (one of which has been transferred into the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano and was replaced by a white marble column), on bases (plinths or socles), are of the Corinthian order, decorated on three sides and made of Numidian yellow marble (giallo antico).

The emperor speaking to the troops (adlocutio)

Other prisoners led before the emperor

They divide the structure into a central arch and two lateral arches, the latter being surmounted by two round reliefs, dating to the times of Emperor Hadrian, over horizontal friezes.

The reliefs on the front show Victoria, either inscribing a shield or holding palm branches. Those to the side show captured barbarians alone or with Roman soldiers.

The pairs of round reliefs display scenes of hunting and sacrificing:

hunt of a boar – north side
sacrifice toApollo – north side
hunt of a lion– north side
sacrifice toHercules – north side
the departure for the hunt – south side
sacrifice toSilvanus – south side
the hunt of a bear – south side
sacrifice toDiana – south side

Relief detail – left

Round relief, south side – Sacrifice to Silvanus

In all the medallions, the head of the emperor, originally Hadrian’s, has been reworked. On the north side, it has been reworked into Constantine in the hunting scenes and into Licinius or Constantius I in the sacrifice scenes. On the south side, it’s vice versa. The porphyry framing of the 2 m. diameter reliefs is only extant on the right side of the northern facade. Similar medallions, also during Constantine’s time, are located on the small sides of the arch. The Sun and the Moon, both on chariots, rises on the eastern and western sides, respectively.

Round relief, south side – Sacrifice to Diana

The spandrel of the main arch is decorated with reliefs depicting victory figures with trophies while those of the lateral arches show river gods. The bases of the columns and the spandrel reliefs are from the time of Constantine. The “historical,” horizontal frieze below the round reliefs depict scenes from the Italian campaign of Constantine against Maxentius (which was the reason for the construction of the monument), one strip above each lateral archway and including the west and east sides of the arch. Running around the monument, they are the main parts from the time of Constantine.

Relief detail – right

Round relief, south side – Sacrifice to Silvanus

The frieze starts at the western side with the Departure from Milan (Profectio), continues on the southern face, with the Siege of Verona (Obsidio) on the left (southwest), an event which was of great importance to the war in Northern Italy. The Battle of Milvian Bridge (Proelium), with Constantine’s army victorious and the enemy drowning in the Tiber River , is depicted on the right (southeast).

Round relief, south side – The hunt of a bear

Constantine and his army enter Rome (Ingressus) is depicted on the eastern side while on the northern face, looking towards the city, are two strips with the emperor’s actions after taking possession of Rome. On the left (northeast) is Constantine speaking to the citizens on the Forum Romanum (Oratio) while the final panel, to the right (northwest), depicts Constantine distributing money to the people (Liberalitas).

Spandrel over main arch

On each wall of the central archway is one large panel of Trajan’s Dacian War. Eight portraits busts (two on each wall) inside the lateral archways are destroyed, to such an extent that it is no longer possible to identify them.

Scenes from Trajan’s Dacian Wars

Arch of Constantine : Via di San Gregorio, Rome, Italy.

Palatine Hill (Rome, Italy)

Posted on 24 May, 2016 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

The Roman Forum

The surprisingly peaceful and majestic Palatine Hill (Latin: Collis Palatium or Mons Palatinus; Italian: Palatino) is the centermost of the Seven Hills of Rome and is one of the most ancient parts of the city. It stands 40 m. above the Forum Romanum, looking down upon it on one side, and upon the Circus Maximus on the other. Here are some interesting trivia regarding the Palatine Hill:

The English word “palace,” the Italian word “palazzo,” the French word “palais,” the German word “palest,” the Czech word “palace,” etc., are all derived from the Palatine.
Cacus, a ferocious, fire-breathing giant cannibal , was said to have once lived in a cave the Palatine. Regularly terrorizing the residents of neighboring Aventine Hill, he was finally defeated by the hero Hercules.
The Palatine is site of the festival of the Lupercalia, derived from the Lupercal, the cave where Romulus the mythical founder of Rome, and his twin brother Remus were found and raised by the she-wolf.
Regarded as one of the most prestigious neighborhoods in the city because of its mythical association, central location, spectacular views of the city, cooler summer temperature and cleaner air, the Palatine was the site of the residences of many affluent Romans of the Republican period (c.509 BC – 44 BC) and, during the Empire (27 BC – 476 AD), was the site of the palaces, now in ruins, of Emperors Tiberius (14 – 37 AD) and Domitian (81 – 96 AD).
The emperor Augustus (27 BC – 14 AD) was born on the Palatine. He later lived there in luxury, with his wife Livia (58 BC – 29 AD). The remains of the House of Augustus and the House of Livia, with some of the most impressive ancient art in the city, are beautifully decorated with colorful frescoes. Beside his own palace, Augustus also built a temple to Apollo. Situated near the House of Livia is the temple of Cybele, currently not fully excavated and not open to the public. Cut into the side of the hill behind this structure is the so-called House of Tiberius.
In 41 AD, the 28 year old Emperor Caligula was assassinated in the cryptoporticus, a a semi-subterranean, barrel-vaulted corridor of about 130 m. beneath the palaces on the Palatine, stabbed up to 30 times by his loyal guard who responded by indiscriminately slaughtering anyone (including innocent bystanders) who were nearby.
During the Middle Ages, convents and churches (the oratory of Caesarius, Santa Anastasia, Santa Lucia, San Sebastiano) were built over the remains of older buildings of the Palatine, and the noble Frangipani family used them, along with the Colosseum and Arch of Constantine, to create a fortified stronghold.
In 1550, during the Renaissance Period, Cardinal Alessandro Farnese purchased a section of the Palatine and created beautiful Farnese Gardens, the first private botanical gardens in Europe. Featuring a nymphaeum, an aviary, a tree-shaded park of terraces, lawns, flowerbeds, pavilions, fountains and a wealth of art, over time it fell into disuse but some parts can still be visited today.

The Palatine Hill, and the Forum Romanum beneath it, is now a large open-air museum. Using the same ticket as the Colosseum, we visited it via the entrance on Via di San Gregorio, the street just beyond the Arch of Constantine, going away from the Colosseum.

Check out “Colosseum” and “Arch of Constantine“

Jandy and Grace at the Via di San Gregorio entrance

Overlooking the Roman Forum is the enormous Flavian Palace (also known as the Domus Flavia or the Domus Augustana) which was built, extended and modified largely during the reigns of Vespasian, Titus and Domitian of the Flavian dynasty (69 – 96). This palace, which extends across the Palatine Hill, looks out over the Circus Maximus, a huge structure which could accommodate 300,000 spectators. During the reign of the emperor Septimius Severus (146 – 211), the imposing brick building of the greater part of the palace visible from the Circus was undertaken.

Domus Severiana

The 621 m. (2,037 ft.) long and 118 m. (387 ft.) wide Hippodrome of Domitian or Stadium, which could accommodate 150,000 spectators, was built between AD 81 and 96. Situated in the valley between the Aventine and Palatine hills, immediately adjacent to the Flavian palace of Severus, it is the first and largest stadium in ancient Rome and its later Empire.

House of Livia

House of Augustus

Temple Antoninus

The Hippodrome has the appearance of a Roman Circus (its name means “circus” in Greek) but is too small to accommodate chariots. Hippodromes, originally areas for exercising horses, were later used, in Rome, to describe elongated rectangular gardens or as a Greek stadium that is a venue for foot races. The tower is part of a medieval fortification

Circus Maximus

During the Severan period, it was used for sporting events and, while it is certain that it was most likely originally built as Domitian’s private stadium-shaped garden, its exact purpose is disputed.

Basilica of Maxentius

Temple of Venus and Rome

Antiquarium Forense

The nearby, small Palatine Museum exhibits Roman statuary (most coming from the Hippodrome) and artifacts dating from before the official foundation of Rome.

Palatine Museum

Claudian Aqueduct

On the eastern side of the Hippodrome is a large exedra decorated with sculptures and fountains commanding views of the garden below.

Farnese Gardens

Aviaries of the Farnese Gardens

Palatine Hill: Piazza di Santa Maria Nova, Rome. Admission: €12 (including admission to the Colosseum and Roman Forum). Tickets to the House of Augustus and House of Livia need to be booked separately and in advance.

How to Get There: Located close to the Colosseum and Roman Forum, the area around Palatine is walking distance from the Circus Maximus and Piazza Venezia. Well-served by public transport, lots of buses, such as the 75 and 87, stop near the Colosseum and it is also a short walk from the Colosseo (Line B) metro station. If going to Palatine by bus or taxi, keep in mind that the Via dei Fori Imperiali (the road connecting Piazza Venezia and the Colosseum), is mainly closed to traffic on Saturdays and Sundays.

La Bocca della Verita (Rome, Italy)

Posted on 24 May, 2016 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin

From Piazza Navona, we rode a couple of buses to get to the beautiful but very modest Paleo- Christian Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, at the foot of the Aventine Hills. Inside the left wall of the portico of the church was a queue leading to the famous La Bocca della Verita (English: the Mouth of Truth), a sculpture of a man-like face with a relief carving of an open mouth, 2 oddly shaped horns, wide eyes and a flowing mane of hair carved from a massive round medallion of Pavonazzetto marble from Docimium in Frigia (today’s Turkey). It has a diameter of 175 cms. (about 5 ft., 9in.); a thickness of 19 cms. (about 7 in.) and weighs about 1,200 kgs. (26,400 lbs.).

The author tries his hand at La Bocca della Verita

The Bocca, thought to be part of a first-century ancient Roman fountain or perhaps a manhole cover from the nearby Temple of Hercules Invictus (it is also thought that cattle merchants used it to drain the blood of cattle sacrificed to the god Hercules), portrays one of several possible pagan river gods, probably Oceanus. Most Romans believe that it represents the ancient god of the Tiber River.

Grace and Kyle

Cheska and Kyle

However, the most famous characteristic of the La Bocca della Verita, starting from the Middle Ages, is its role as a lie detector, the reason for its unshakeable fame. It was believed that if one told a lie, with one’s hand in the mouth of the sculpture, it would be bitten off. Roman soldiers used to bring their wives to the mouth when they returned from their campaigns and prove whether they had been faithful in their absence. It was placed inside the church in the 17th century.

Jandy

The mask has attracted the attention and curiosity of English-speaking audiences and tourists from all over the world mostly from its appearance in the charming 1953 Hollywood film Roman Holiday where Audrey Hepburn‘s and Gregory Peck‘s characters, both of whom were not initially truthful with each other, uses the Mouth of Truth as a sort of lie detector and a storytelling device. In one of the film’s most memorable scenes, Peck, in front of a terrified Hepburn, daringly challenges the mask by putting his hand inside its mouth. This scene was also replicated in the 1994 film Only You starring Robert Downey Jr. and Marisa Tomei.

Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck at the Mouth of Truth in Roman Holiday

Today, queues of tourists line up outside the church for the evidently too strong thrill of the risk as they honestly can’t resist, while hoping for the best, of audaciously sticking their hand inside this harmless, but unsettling ancient stone mask from the Classical period .

The church interior

The church, founded in the 6th century on the ruins of the statio annonae (the food-distribution center of classical Rome), was enlarged by Pope Adrian I in the 8th century. It is also home to the supposed relics of Saint Valentine (including his skull). Aside from the portico, other noteworthy features of the church include its elegant Romanesque campanile (the tallest Medieval belfry in Rome), the schola cantorum (choir), the rich Cosmatesque pavement and decorations and the Gothic baldacchin over the high altar.

Relic of St. Valentine

A fragment of an 8th-century mosaic, from the original St Peter’s Basilica, can be found in the sacristy. A block of tufa, from which the tiny crypt was hollowed out, is said to be the remains of an altar from the Forum Boarium (the ancient cattle market), erected in honor of Hercules, in view of his victory over the giant Cacus, who stole his cattle. Throughout its history this church was repeatedly restored and redecorated, especially in the 12th and 13th centuries. At the end of the last century, the architect Giovanni Battista Giovenale gave the church its excessively Medieval appearance.

Gothic baldacchino over the high altar

Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin: Cor. Via di Greca and Via Teatro di Marcello, Piazza della Bocca della Verità 18, Rome, Italy. Open daily, 9 AM – 1 PM an 2:30 – 7 PM (off season until 5 PM). There’s no entrance fee.

How to Get There: It is located down the street from Piazza Venezia, south of the Roman Forum, near the Tiber River, and close to Piazza Campidoglio. Take the Via de Marcello down (south) from the Capitoline Hill.

Metro: Circo Massimo
Bus: 44, 95 Piazza Venezia

Fountain of the Four Rivers (Rome, Italy)

Posted on 24 May, 2016 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

Fountain of the Four Rivers

The Fountain of the Four Rivers (Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi), triumphantly and theatrically unveiled to the Roman populace on June 12, 1651, is Rome’s greatest achievement in this genre and the epitome of Baroque theatricality.

Piazza Navona

The author (right) and son Jandy at Piazza Navona

This fountain, which can be strolled around, was built on Piazza Navona, the site of the Stadium of Domitian, built in 1st century AD. It was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini for Pope Innocent X (reigned 1644-1655). The pope’s family palace, the Palazzo Pamphili, faced onto the piazza as did the church of Sant’Agnese in Agone of which Innocent was the sponsor.

Palazzo Pamphili

Bernini‘s design was influenced by the design of the Monument of the Four Moors (Monumento dei Quattro mori). It may have also been influenced by a fountain in Marino, Lazio which was constructed to commemorate the defeat of the Ottomans at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.

The obelisk

The base of the fountain is a basin whose center has a slender, ancient Egyptian obelisk, brought in pieces from the Circus of Maxentius to Rome by the Emperor Caracalla. It was built for the Roman Serapeum in AD 81 but had been buried for a long time at Capo di Bove.

Pamphili family emblem

Beneath it are four semi-prostrate giant nudes of river gods, all in awe of the central tower surmounted with the Pamphili family emblem of a dove with an olive twig, symbol of Papal power and the Holy Spirit. The river gods depict the four major rivers of the four continents, (whose rivers feed the ocean, represented by the large pool) as then recognized by the Renaissance geographers, through which papal authority had spread.

The river gods

Supported on the base by a jagged and pierced mountainous disorder of travertine marble rocks, the marble giants are arranged at the center of a scene of carved grottoes and decorated with flowers, exotic plants and 7 animals (a horse, a sea monster, a serpent, a dolphin, a crocodile, a lion and a dragon) that further carry forth identification.

Lion

Sea monster

Each carries a certain number of allegories and metaphors with it. The Nile, representing Africa, has a head draped with a loose piece of cloth, meaning that no one, at that time, knew exactly where the Nile’s source was. Symbolically, this also refers to what the Catholic world saw as the dark ignorance of the “pagan” world: the sculpture has not seen the light of Christianity

Statue of the Nile River

The apathetic Ganges river god, representing Asia, carries a long oar, representing the river’s navigability, and looks away from the light of the Church, representing the spiritual ignorance of this hedonistic land.

Statue of the Ganges

The Danube, representing Europe, touches the Pope’s personal coat of arms, since it is the large river closest to Rome. The most “civilized” and cultured of the figures, the Danube looks toward and embraces the light of the lord.

Statue of the Danube

The Río de la Plata (the word plata means “silver” in Spanish), representing America, sits on a pile of coins, a symbol of the riches America could offer to Europe. The Río de la Plata also looks scared by a snake, showing rich men’s fear that their money could be stolen. Although he throws his hands back in surprise, this representative of the newly converted lands has begun to see the light.

Statue of the Rio de la Plata

There are a number of urban legends regarding the fountain, nasty rumors fed by the famous rivalry between the Bermini and Borromini, designer of the church of Sant’Agnese right in front of the fountain. Borromini lost the fountain commission to Bermini. Many tour-guides, would tell you that Bernini positioned the cowering sculpture of the Rio de la Plata River as if it feared the facade of the church could possibly crumble against him; that the statue of the Nile covered its head so as not to have to see the church; and that the statue of Sant’Agnese on the facade of the church, with her hand on her chest, seems to reassure the Rio de la Plata of the church’s stability. However, the truth is the fountain was completed several years before Borromini began work on the church.

Church of Sant’ Agnese

Today, this revolutionary and grandiose monument to the power and glory of the pope and his family and dynamic fusion of architecture and sculpture, with its highly dramatic, evocative, and individualized figures, dramatically spurting water and a wealth of surprising and charming sculptural details, continues to amaze and entertain visitors to Rome.

Fontana del Moro

Statue of the Moor

One of four Tritons

Piazza Navona has two other fountains – the Fontana del Moro, at the southern end, and the Fountain of Neptune at the northern end. The Fontana del Moro has a basin and four Tritons sculpted by Giacomo della Porta in 1575. In 1673, Bernini added a statue of a Moor, standing on a conch shell, wrestling with a dolphin.

Fountain of Neptune

The Fountain of Neptune was also created by Giacomo della Porta in1574. In1878, the statue of Neptune, by Antonio Della Bitta, was added in to create a balance with La Fontana del Moro.

Museo di Roma

Other buildings within the piazza include the Museo di Roma, housed in the large Neoclassical Palazzo Braschi, covering the history of the city in the period from the Middle Ages through the nineteenth century; and the Church of Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore (Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, also known as the Church of San Giacomo degli Spagnoli), the national church of the Spanish community in Rome.

Church of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

Fountain of the Four Rivers: Piazza Navona, Boccadellaverità, Rome, Italy.

This travel blog, a diary of the author’s local and international travels, aims to provide the reader with news and information on people, places and events that would interest the avid traveler and tourist. But, it also aims to be much more, providing insights on the wonders of this beautiful country, as well as the world, beyond the strict confines of the city. Have a BLAST seeing old churches, exotic temples, educational museums as well as palm-fringed islands; white sand beaches; thundering waterfalls; placid lakes; fiery sunsets; turquoise seas; cathedral-like caves; swirling rivers; majestic mountains; stupendous, amphitheater-like rice terraces; awesome volcanoes and the like. Get to know the movers and shakers in the tourism industry; find out where to titillate the palate; rejuvenate your body; feed your adrenalin, unwind and relax; satisfy your craving for history and culture; and find out what's being celebrated and where.

BENJAMIN “BENJIE” LAYUG, an architect by profession (he finished his B. S. Architecture degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1982), is also a copy editor for two publishing houses; travel writer; blogger; architectural historian; author; concert. movie and musical reviewer (for www.pep.ph); and a motivational speaker.

As a free-lance travel writer, he has, in the past, contributed articles to Travel Update, Philippine Daily Inquirer, COLORS, TODAY, 7107 Islands Magazine, Business Day and Bluprint. He currently writes for Artplus Magazine and the Business Mirror.

He is also the author of the following travel books:

A Philippine Odyssey (New Day Publishers, 2005)
Pathfinder’s Travel Guide: Boracay (Great Books Trading, 2006)
A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Churches (New Day Publishers, 2007)
A Tourist to Notable Philippine Historical Landmarks, Monuments and Shrines (New Day Publishers, 2010)
A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Museums (New Day Publishers, 2012)

Some of his books now appear in the local library shelves of the National Library of the Philippines, De La Salle University, Ateneo de Manila University, University of Sto. Tomas, U.P. Diliman, Centro Escolar University, San Sebastian College, Miriam College, Silliman University, to name a few, as well as internationally at the National Library of Australia and the University of California Berkeley Library.

Now a senior citizen, he is probably one of the oldest, if not the oldest, active travel blogger in the country today. He also has a lifestyle blog called F.Y.I.:Firing Your Imagination (www.firingyourimagination.blogspot.com). Benjie has traveled to two-thirds (53) of the country’s 81 provinces and over 20 countries in 4 continents.