CIRCUS OF MAXENTIUS.
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At the back of the modern premises, in the middle of this enclosure, are the remains of a considerable circular tomb, in front of which was a colonnade facing the Via Appia. In all probability this is the identical building erected by Maxentius in honour of his son Romulus, who died in the year 300. Representations of this tomb are to be met with on coins. At the side is the
erected A.D. 310, the enclosure walls of which have been preserved almost entire. These display the interesting phenomenon of pots of earthenware built into them, which not merely expedited the progress of the work, but allowed of its being more easily repaired than was possible in any other mode of construction. Its length was 1574 feet, and breadth 269, and 18,000 spectators could be accommodated within its vast walls, yet it was a small building compared with the Circus Maximus (see page 209). In 1825 three inscriptions were found proving this to be the circus consecrated to Romulus, son of Maxentius. Two towers flank the entrance, supposed to have been the seats for the judges. It is the most perfect specimen of a Roman circus remaining. On the top of the hill is the "stern round fortress of other days," known as
wife of Lucius Cornelius Sylla, and daughter of Quintus Cæcilius Metellus (Plutarch). The building consists of a circular tower, seventy feet in diameter, resting on a quadrangular basement made chiefly of lava and stone, cemented together by lime and pozzuolana, and strengthened with key-stones of travertine. This ruin, so long respected as a tomb, was converted into a fortress by Boniface VIII., and used as such by the Gaetani, his near relatives. It now belongs to archæology. Learned men have made it one of their most sacred resting-places, and it is a favourite resort of tourists and artists. The inscription on the side facing the road runs as follows: "Cæciliæ—Q. Cretici. F.—Metellæ. Crassi." To the right there are bas-reliefs, well preserved—one representing a trophy of victory, another a slave or a prisoner; both were brought from a tomb about a mile further on. The tower was built seventy-nine years before Christ. The construction is very remarkable, on account of the enormous thickness of the walls, which are of concrete faced with travertine and lined with brick in the interior. The enormous massiveness of the structure indicates a rude and semi-barbarous period. Plutarch speaks of the extravagance of Sylla in funeral ceremonies. Cecilia Metella had been previously married to the elder Scaurus (Pliny, xxxvi. 24; xxxvii. 5). "Sylla dreamed, shortly before his death, that his son Cornelius, who died before his wife, Cecilia Metella, appeared to him, and summoned him away to join his mother" (Plutarch).
The inner chamber of the ruin is fifteen feet in diameter, and was at one time supposed to contain great treasures both of art and coinage. But the sarcophagus of white marble now in the court of the Farnese Palace, and believed to have been discovered in or near the Tomb of Cecilia Metella, is the only treasure it has produced.
"What was this tower of strength? within its cave
What treasure lay so locked, so hid?—a woman's grave."
Opposite are the ruins of a Gothic church,—
Built by the Gaetani. Considerable remains of this fortress exist, showing the strength of the hold by means of which they levied "black mail" on the passers-by.
From this point the Via Appia continues in a straight line to Albano. Considerable remains of tombs exist on each side of the way, connected with which are many anecdotes and tragedies. Along the Via Appia a most magnificent prospect of the Campagna is enjoyed, with its ruined tombs and aqueducts, and the Sabine and Alban Hills in the distance.
From just beyond the tomb of Metella the Via Appia was lost till excavated by Canina, under Pius IX. (1850–53), when many of the tombs were restored, as far as possible, with the fragments.
The railway to Naples crosses at the tenth mile. Carriages cannot pass, but can turn into the Via Appia Nova. (See page 328.)
Tres Tabernæ was a mutatio, or halting-place, 11 miles from the Porta Capena on the Via Appia, at the place now called Frattocchie. It is 10 miles from the Porta S. Sebastiano and 11 from the Porta S. Giovanni on the Via Appia Nova, or 9 English miles 326 yards from the Porta Appia. Here the four roads from Rome, Tusculum, Alba Longa, and Antium met and continued southwards as one road. It is still a halting-place, and taverns necessarily grace it. Its exact location is explicitly pointed out by Cicero. He says to Atticus (ii. 10), "I had come out of the Antian way into the Appian way at the Tres Tabernæ, on the Festival of Ceres. When my Curio, coming from Rome, met me, at the same place came your servant with letters from you [from Tusculum]. Written at the 10th hour (4 p.m.), Apl. 12th," B.C. 58. Continuing his journey to Formiæ, Cicero again writes to Atticus: "From Appii Forum, at the 4th hour (10 p.m.). I wrote a little while before from the Tres Tabernæ" (ii. 11). So it took him six hours to do the 32 miles between Tres Tabernæ and Appii Forum. Cicero knew the spot well, for it was the scene of the murder of Clodius. "Severus was detained a prisoner at a state villa at the 13th mile on the Appian way, where he was strangled, and then brought back to the 8th mile [from the Porta Appia] and buried in the tomb of Gallienus" ("Excerpta Valesiana," iv. 10). "Severus was murdered near to the Tres Tabernæ of Rome by Maximianus; and his body was placed in the sepulchre of Gallienus, which is 9 miles from the city [Porta Capena] on the Appian way" (Aurelius Victor, "Ep." xl. 3). Some have located Tres Tabernæ at Sermoneta, 23 miles, others at Cisterna, 30 miles from Rome. In the first case Cicero would have taken five hours to do the 20 miles, and in the second case five hours to do 13 miles; besides, the Antian joins the Appian way 11 miles from Rome. These writers were evidently misled by the medieval forgery known as the Tabula Peutingeriana, which is in the Vienna Library.
Appii Forum was a town of the Volsci, 43 miles from Rome, where travellers embarked or disembarked, passing the Pontine marshes by means of the canal. Horace ("Sat." i. 5) describes it as "stuffed with sailors and surly landlords." These places are interesting, being the meeting-places of the Roman Christians with St. Paul. "And from Rome, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum and Tres Tabernæ" (Acts xxviii. 15).
(Any of these Excursions can be made in one day.)
Porta del Popolo:—Villa Borghese—Villa di Papa Giulio—Acqua Acetosa—Ponte Molle—Villa of Livia—Veii—Monte Mario—Villas Mellini and Madama. Porta Salara:—Villa Albani—Catacomb of S. Priscilla—Antemnæ—Ponte Salara—The Anio—Fidenæ. Porta Pia:—Porta Nomentana—Villa Torlonia—Church and Catacomb of S. Agnese—S. Costanza—Ponte Nomentana—Mons Sacer—Tomb of Virginia—Basilica and Catacomb of S. Alexander. Porta S. Lorenzo:—The Roman Cemetery—Basilica of S. Lorenzo—Ponte Mammolo—Hannibal's Camp—Castel Arcione—Aquæ Albulæ—Ponte Lucano—Tomb of the Plautii. Tivoli:—Villa D'Este—Temples of Sibyl and Vesta—The Glen and Falls—Pons Vopisci—Villa of Quintilius Varus—The Cascades—Ponte dell'Acquoria—Villa of Mæcenas—Temple of Hercules—Hadrian's Villa. Porta Maggiore:—The Baker's Tomb—The Aqueducts—Tomb of Helena (?)—Gabii—Ponte di Nona—Villa of the Gordian Emperors—Tomb of Quintus Atta. Porta S. Giovanni. First Excursion:—Via Appia Nova—Painted tombs—S. Stephen's—The Aqueducts—Pompey's Tomb—Albano—Ariccia—Genzano—Lake and Village of Nemi—Palazzolo—Lake Albano—Castel Gandolfo—Site of Alba Longa (?)—Vallis Ferentina—Marino—Grotta Ferrata—Cicero's Villa. Second Excursion:—Frascati—Tusculum—Rocca di Papa—Monte Cavo. Porta S. Sebastiano:—Via Appia. (See page 285.) Porta S. Paolo:—Pyramid of Caius Cestius—S. Paul's outside the walls—Remuria Hill—Tre Fontane—The Viaduct of Ancus Martius. Ostia:—Street of Tombs—Houses—Warehouses—Temples—Docks—Palace—Walls of Ancus Martius—Museum—View from Tower of the Castle—Castel Fusano—Pliny's Villa.
THE ROMAN CAMPAGNA
extends from Mount Soracte (S. Oreste) southwards to the Alban Hills, and from the Apennines westwards to the sea. It is watered by the Tiber and numerous smaller streams; but there are no marshes except the salt ones by the sea. The soil is mostly composed of tufa rock, covered with a few feet of soil—decayed vegetable matter. This causes the malaria: for the first rains, after the heat of summer, which has burned up all the vegetation, pass through the soil and rest upon the rock; then the hot sun after the rains draws up the noxious gas, which being dispersed through the air, if inhaled during sleep, or upon an empty stomach, produces fever.
If the soil, which for many ages has been allowed to lie fallow, were properly irrigated and cultivated, all this could be obviated. In the last few years more has been brought under the plough; and if the government would only plant trees by the road-sides and in the waste places, the Campagna would soon become as healthy as in the days of Pliny, who thus describes it:—"Such is the happy and beautiful amenity of the Campagna that it seems to be the work of a rejoicing nature. For, truly, so it appears in the vital and perennial salubrity of its atmosphere; its fertile plains, sunny hills, healthy woods, thick groves, rich varieties of trees, breezy mountains, fertility in fruits, vines, and olives; its noble flocks of sheep and abundant herds of cattle; its numerous lakes, and wealth of rivers and streams pouring in upon its many seaports, in whose lap the commerce of the world lies, and which run largely into the sea, as it were to help mortals."
The surface is by no means flat, but undulating, like the rolling prairies of America, and presents many points of interest and study to the artist and the rambler.
(Porta del Popolo.)
Passing through the Porta del Popolo, built in 1561 by Vignola, a short walk under the walls, to the right, brings us to the Muro Torto, a piece of masonry of the time of Sylla, and held to be under the special protection of S. Peter (Procopius, "B. G." i. 13).
Closed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Turning to the right, just outside the Porta del Popolo, is situated this the handsomest park in Rome, founded by Cardinal Scipio Borghese. The grounds are open to all visitors; they cover a wide extent, and their walks, meadows, and groves are superb and unique in their general attractions. As a promenade for horsemen, pedestrians, and carriages, it shares the honours with its neighbour the Pincio. After an airing on the latter, a turn through the Porta del Popolo into this splendid villa generally completes the evening drive of Romans and tourists. The clatter of hoofs in winter begins at 4 p.m., and in summer at 7 P.M. On Sundays a large crowd is collected within its limits from all quarters of the city, composed of all classes, from the minente and Albanian nurses bearing babies, to the duchesses gliding along in landaus. On those days it becomes the paradise of children, who flock thither with their guardians, and enjoy a rare frolic in gathering wild flowers, rolling on the grass, and breathing a far fresher air than the city affords. In the centre of the villa is the Museum. Open on Saturdays only, from 1 till 4 in the winter, and 4 till 7 in the summer. Catalogues are provided for visitors.
Grand Hall.—1. Diana; 5. Bust of Juno; 9. Augustus. Relief, Curtius leaping into the Gulf. Mosaics of gladiators.
Right Saloon of Juno.—Centre. Juno Pronuba. 3. Urania; 4. Ceres; 5. Venus Genitrix; 20. Relief, Birth of Telephus.
Hall of Hercules.—Centre. Fighting Amazon on Horseback. 21. Venus.
Room of Apollo.—Centre. Apollo. 3. Scipio Africanus; 4. Daphne turned into a Laurel; 13. Anacreon; 14. Lucilla.
Greek Gallery.—The twelve porphyry Cæsars are modern. Porphyry urn from Tomb of Hadrian. 32. Bronze statue of Geta.
Cabinet.—7. The Hermaphrodite; 11. Martius. Mosaics of fishing scenes. Centre. Alcæus.
Cabinet of Tyrtæus.—The Greek poet in the centre. 2. Minerva; 4. Apollo.
Room Nine.—Centre. Boy on a Dolphin. 4. Paris; 8. Ceres; 10. A Gipsy, modern; 20. Venus.
Room of the Faun.—In the centre. 2. Ceres; 8. Faun; 14. Periander; 6. Seneca.
Stairs from the great gallery lead to the second floor.
Room One.—David, Apollo and Daphne, Æneas and Anchises, all by Bernini.
Room Five.—Pauline Borghese, sister of the great Napoleon, as Venus Victrix, by Canova. Pictures—Story of Helen, by Gavin Hamilton.
Passing out of the villa, and proceeding along the ancient Via Flaminia, now Via Ponte Molle (which is traversed by a tramway), turning up the lane on the right, at the top we come to the
On the left-hand side, at the corner of the lane, is the Casino, with sculptured cornices and a fountain. Beyond the Casino, and formerly connected with it by a corridor, is the villa where Pope Julius III. best loved to dwell, coming from the Vatican in his barge upon the Tiber. There remain two rooms with richly decorated ceilings by Zucchero, and a fine court with a fountain.
As the road is very dusty and uninteresting, we will take the lane, which conducts us, after a pleasant stroll, to the
a mineral spring, enclosed in a fountain by Bernini, and surrounded by a small grove. The view of the Tiber here is very fine, particularly when the river has risen. On the opposite bank rises the picturesque ruin, Tor di Quinto, the tomb of Ovid's family. The hill to the right was the site of Antemnæ. (See page 309.) Below, on the left,
bursts on our sight. It was built by Pius VII. in 1815, on the foundations of the Pons Milvius, "which the elder Scaurus is said to have built" (Marcellinus, xxvii. iii. 9), and near which Constantine defeated Maxentius, October 27th, 312, a victory so graphically depicted by Raphael on the Vatican walls. "Maxentius endeavouring to cross the bridge of boats constructed for the use of his army, a little below the Ponte Molle, was thrown by his frightened horse into the waters, and eaten up by the quicksands on account of the weight of his cuirass. Constantine had great difficulty in finding his corpse" (Aurelius Victor).
Crossing the bridge, the road Via Flaminia, to the right, leads us to Prima Porta, the Saxa Rubra of the ancient Romans, the first halting-place from Rome. On the right, above the Osteria, was situated the Veientina
(custodian next door to the church), about four miles from the bridge, discovered in 1863. When first excavated, the frescoes and arabesques were found in a good state of preservation, but they have since been greatly damaged by atmospheric influences. Livia was the wife of Augustus, and mother of Tiberius.
"Formerly, when Livia, after her marriage with Augustus, was making a visit to her villa at Veii, an eagle flying by let drop in her lap a hen, with a sprig of laurel (bay) in its mouth, just as it had been seized. Livia gave orders to have the hen taken care of, and the sprig of laurel set; and the hen reared such a numerous brood of chickens, that the villa to this day is called The Villa of the Hens. The laurel grove flourished so much, that the Cæsars procured thence the boughs and crowns they bore at their triumphs. It was also their constant custom to plant others in the same spot, immediately after a triumph; and it was observed that, a little before the death of each prince, the tree which had been set by him died away. But in the last year of Nero, the whole plantation of laurels perished to the very roots, and the hens all died" (Suetonius, "Galba," i.).
Cavaliere Piacentini has discovered (1879), on his farm at Prima Porta, the remains of some baths, which probably were connected with Livia's Villa of the Hens. In the centre is a hemicycle, 29 feet in diameter, the mosaic of which represents circus races, the victor receiving the palm of victory for his horse Liber; and the three chariots racing, Romano, Ilarinus, and Olympio. Surrounding this hall are twelve others, with mosaic pavements of festoons and geometrical patterns in chiaro-oscuro. One pavement, 26 feet by 20 feet, represents the sea, in which are numerous fish; while upon the sea three-winged figures gambol with marine monsters. The boilers for hot water, furnaces for hot air, and pipes for cold water are in a capital state of preservation. Brick stamps show that the building was restored as late as the time of King Theodoric.
Near the bridge over the Fosso di Prima Porta has been found the circular tomb of Gellius, the freedman of the Emperor Tiberius.
The road straight on from the Ponte Molle, Via Cassia, leads to
(Mr. Forbes's carriage excursion-lecture at frequent intervals.)
Turn off to the right beyond La Storta, at the tenth mile, for Carriages; pedestrians turn off at the fifth mile, near the Tomb of Vibius Marianus, Via Veientina. The site of Veii is surrounded by two streams, the Cremera and the Fosso de'due Fossi, and is about twelve miles from Rome. The place was captured after a ten years' siege by the Romans under Camillus, B.C. 393.
Descend from the village of Isola, by the side of the brook, to the mill; here the torrent forms a picturesque cascade, 80 feet high, crossed by the ancient Ponte dell' Isola, with a single arch spanning 22 feet. Here was one of the ancient gates, called Porta de' Sette Pagi. Opposite Isola, down the stream, is the Porta dell' Arce. Under the rock of Isola are some mineral springs, and another gate, Porta Campana. In the ravine beyond was the Porta Fidenate. The gates on the other side of the city may be traced by ascending the valley of the Cremera, Porta di Pietra Pertusa; beyond which, on the ancient road outside, is a large tumulus, La Vaccareccia. Porta Spezzeria is higher up, with the remains of a tufa bridge; near by are the remains of an Etruscan columbaria.[20] Beyond is Porta Capenate, under which is Ponte Sodo, a tunnel, 240 feet long, 15 feet broad, and 20 feet high, cut in tufa for the brook to pass through. Further on is Porta del Colombario, near a ruined columbaria. Beyond is the Ponte di Formello, a Roman bridge upon Etruscan piers; close by is the last gate, Porta Sutrina.
The so-called Piazza d'Armi, the ancient citadel, stands at the junction of the two streams.
Under Julius Cæsar, within the walls of the ancient city, an Imperial Municipium was founded. Part of a road, some traces of tombs, and a columbaria mark the site. It seems to have been founded to occupy the commanding situation, as Florus the historian, A.D. 116, asks, "Who now knows the site of Veii?" In the middle ages, for the same reason, the isolated rock was surmounted by a castle. Cæsar Borgia besieged it for twelve days, and destroyed it. Isola is considered to have been the necropolis of Veii, from the sepulchral caves and niches hollowed in the rock.
A pleasant ramble may be had by following the Cremera down to the Tiber, between the sixth and seventh mile on the Via Flaminia, thence to Rome.
Returning beyond La Storta, the Via Triumphalis leads over Monte Mario. On the height overlooking Rome is
This hill is supposed to take its name from the celebrated Marius, and the slope down to Rome was called the Clivus Cinnæ, from Cinna (Gruter, mlxxxi. 1). In 998, from the victory of Otto III. over the Romans, it was called Monte Malus, hence the bridge over the Tiber was called Ponte Male; by Evelyn, 1650, Mela; now Ponte Molle. The hill took its present name from the proprietor in 1409. It is now Government property, and a fort has been erected on the height. In making the fort the tomb of Minicia Marcella was found. Pliny, jr. (v. 16), speaks of the sweetness and early death of the daughter of Fundanus, consul 107. The inscription says she lived twelve years, eleven months, and seven days. From the height a most glorious panorama of the Tiber valley is enjoyed.
A path through the woods leads down to
The villa was built by Giulio Romano, and it contains some of his frescoes, representing satyrs and loves, Juno and her peacocks, Jupiter and Ganymede, and other subjects of mythology. There is a fine fresco upon a ceiling, representing Phœbus driving his heavenly steeds, by Giovanni da Udine.
Passing out into the Via Triumphalis by the oak avenue, pausing a while at the top of the hill to admire "the vast and wondrous dome," and continuing our ramble, we descend the slopes of Monte Mario, the ancient Clivus Cinnæ.
The present gate was built in 1873; outside are some slight remains of the old one. A short distance down the Via Salara, on the left, Cavalier Bertoni has discovered the tomb of Lucilius and his sister Polla, with their portraits. It is a grand circular tomb, 117 feet in diameter. Paterculus (ii. 9) speaks of "Lucilius, who in the Numantine War served in the cavalry under Publius Africanus," B.C. 103. Opposite is the
Open on Tuesdays from 12 till 4. Permission to be obtained of the bankers Messrs. Spada and Co., 11 Via Condotti. The museum contains a fine collection of statues, busts, sarcophagi, &c. The grounds are splendid, and numerous antique statues are dispersed through them. Catalogues can be obtained of the custodian.
Grand Portico.—51. Augustus; 79. Agrippina; 61. Faustina (?); 72. Marcus Aurelius; 82. Hadrian.
Vestibule.—19. Caryatid, by Criton and Nicholaus of Athens.
Left Gallery.—48. Alexander; 45. Scipio; 40. Hannibal; 46. Brutus (?); 110. Faun.
Right Gallery.—93. Juno; 106. Faun and Bacchus; 120. Son of Augustus; 118. Seneca; 112. Numa; 143. Livia sacrificing. Vase, with the labours of Hercules, found at his temple on the Via Appia. 222. Relief—the Nile.
Staircase from Vestibule.—891. Rome Triumphant; 885. Relief—the Death of the Children of Niobe; 893. Antoninus Pius Distributing Corn (?); 894. Orphan Children of Faustina (?). (See page 44.)
Upper Floor, First Room.—905. Apollo; 906. An Athlete; 915. Cupid.
Noble Gallery.—Reliefs; 1008. Hercules and the Hesperides; 1009. Dædalus and Icarus; 1010. A Sacrifice; 1013. Antonius holding a Horse; 1018. Marcus Aurelius, Antoninus, Faustina, and Rome; 1014. Venus, Diana, Apollo, and Victory sacrificing.
Left Room.—1013. Relief—Antinoüs Crowned with the Lotus Flower, very beautiful.
Second Room.—952. Apollo Sauroctonos, by Praxiteles.
Beyond the villa is the
Priscilla is said to be the Christian name of the mother of Pudens. Anastasius (xxxi. 31) says this cemetery was made by Bishop Marcellus, A.D. 307. There is a burial vault here said to be the tomb of the family of Pudens; it has some rude frescoes—a woman coming out of a house; an orante in act of prayer, called a Madonna; a woman between two men, twice over. Other frescoes, in different chambers, are the Three Jews in the Fiery Furnace; Good Shepherd; four orantes and doves; seven men carrying a barrel, whilst two others lie on the ground. Scratched on the wall is Oratius D. Nobilibus Antonius Bosius; and underneath was a marble slab—Bonaviæ Conjugi Sanctissimae; a Good Shepherd; a female figure seated, with a child in her lap, looking towards a male figure with hands extended, called the Virgin and Isaiah (query, Joseph)—between them is a star. This is the earliest painting of the Virgin known.
Leaving the catacomb, the hill on the left, beyond, was the site of
one of the most ancient cities of the Latin land. It was captured by the Romans under Romulus, and destroyed by Alaric A.D. 409, who encamped here when attacking Rome. Near by, the Anio flows into the Tiber,—"with whirlpools dimpled, and with downward force." A beautiful prospect of the surrounding country may be enjoyed. The Tiber rolling his yellow billows to the sea, serpent like, through green meadows; the blue Apennines, with snow-covered summits, looking patronizingly down upon the village-crowned hills at their base; the slopes of Monte Mario, dark with cork-wood foliage, on our left. Sir W. Gell says that the high point nearest the road was the citadel, below which is a cave that was once a sepulchre. One gate looked towards Fidenæ, up the Tiber; another towards Rome; perhaps also one toward Acqua Acetosa; and another in the direction of the meeting waters.
Beyond, the road crosses the Anio by
rebuilt in 1878. Upon the old bridge Titus Manlius, in A.U.C. 395, killed the Gaulish giant, and on account of putting the giant's chain on his own neck took the title of Torquatus (Livy, vii. 10).
Beyond the bridge is an unknown tomb. Five miles from Rome is Castel Giubeleo, the site of
"a large and populous city, forty stadia from Rome" (Dionysius, ii. 53; xiii. 28); founded by the Albans, and made a Roman colony by Romulus, but soon revolted. It was whilst Servius Tullius was fighting the citizens that he sent and destroyed Alba Longa (Livy). The place was ultimately taken by Lartius Flavus, the consul, by means of a mine (Dionysius, v. 70).
There are no remains of the city, but the site is undoubted. The arx was to the right of the road on the high hill before arriving at Castel Giubeleo. It is not known when this city was destroyed, but in A.D. 27, in the time of Tiberius, the temporary amphitheatre fell and killed a large number of people. (See Suetonius, "Tiberius," xl.; "Caligula," xxxi.; Tacitus, "Annals," iv. 62.)
This gate was built by Michael Angelo in 1564. It was nearly destroyed by the Italian troops in 1870, but is now restored.
A fine view of the Villa Albani and the Sabine Hills may be had from this spot.
To the left of the gate a tablet marks where the Italian army entered Rome on the 20th September 1870.
Porta Pia taking its place. The former is flanked by two round towers. Opposite is the Villa Patrizi, in which is the small catacomb of S. Nicomedus. Beyond, on the right, is the Villa Lezzani and the Chapel of S. Giustina.
Proceeding down the Via Nomentana a little way, on the right is the
open on Thursdays, from 11 till 4, with permission to be obtained of Messrs. Spada and Co. The gallery has many fine paintings and sculptures, and the gardens are adorned with fountains, statues, and mock ruins.
About a mile further on is the
founded by Constantine, on the site where the body of the saint was found. The aisles are formed by thirty-two columns of fine marble, and the altar canopy is supported by four columns of porphyry. In the second chapel on the right is a beautiful altar inlaid with mosaic work. Pio Nono's escape when the floor fell in, April 15, 1855, is commemorated by a fresco by Tojetti. The feast of the saint is on the 21st January, when the lambs are blessed with great ceremony. Here we have the best idea of a basilica.
Entrance in the church. Open on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday.
Part of this catacomb under the garden of the monks is well worth a visit. The entrance to it is through the church, and the exit through S. Costanza. The original stairs at the entrance were excavated in 1873, and four pagan tombs were found and two openings from them into the catacomb, showing that the Catacombs were general cemeteries, and not exclusively Christian. This catacomb is interesting, as it is left just as it was found in 1871, many of the graves being unopened.—The neighbouring
was erected to the memory of Constantine's daughter, Constantina, who was anything but a saint according to Marcellinus. It is worth visiting on account of its dome, supported by twenty-four clustered columns in granite, and covered with mosaics. The sarcophagus is now in the Vatican Museum.
S. Costanza is a mausoleum and a baptistery, not properly a church. The mosaic pictures of the fourth century are the finest known of that period. Those over the doors are of the eighth century.
"At this time [A.D. 360] Julian sent the body of his wife Helen, recently deceased, to Rome, to be buried in the suburb on the road to Nomentum, where also Constantina, his sister-in-law, the wife of Gallus, had been buried" (Marcellinus, xxi. i. 5).
A quarter of a mile beyond the church, on the left, is the entrance to
(Custodian, Valentino.)
Signor Armellini has, it is reported, succeeded in deciphering an inscription in this catacomb, in which the name of S. Peter occurs. The supposed inscription is in an archway and on the stucco, the letters being in red colour. This cubiculum is lighted from the top by an old luminarium, and in shape is not unlike a basilica without aisles. At a short distance in front of the apse, jutting out from the right wall, is a chair of tufa, which looks across the chamber; opposite is a column, coming out in the same manner, above which is a niche for a lamp. The apse itself is filled up about four feet above the floor of the chamber, the filling up forming a tomb, the top of which was probably used as an altar (arcosolium). The vault of the apse is covered with scroll-worked stucco in very low relief, coloured red; this has fallen off, only some slight traces of it remaining, presenting in one or two instances the appearance of letters, which, we should say, it was impossible to make out. This is the inscription in which Signor Armellini reads the name of Peter. But even supposing that it is an inscription, and that Peter's name is there, it does not prove that Peter baptized there; for, in fact, the catacomb was made long after S. Peter's death. In the acts of the martyrs Liberius and Damasus, it is mentioned that in this catacomb S. Peter baptized (query, not the apostle). This is followed by Bosio, Aringhi, and De Rossi. This catacomb is supposed to have belonged to the descendants of Ostorius, the pro-prætor in Britain who sent Caractacus and his wife prisoners to Claudius. Of course the simple mention of S. Peter in the inscription does not prove that he ever was in Rome, for we have every evidence to the contrary. This catacomb is about two miles outside the Porta Pia, on the Via Nomentana, and adjoins that of S. Agnese, and is also known by the name of "Peter's Fountain," though there is no water there. Boldetti informs us that a vial of blood found in the Ostorian Cemetery bore these words: "Primitius in pace post multas angustias fortissimus martyr." This catacomb is also mentioned by Tertullian.
Resuming our ramble along the Via Nomentana, after a short walk we reach the railway bridge, from which we obtain a beautiful view of the Campagna and the distant hills, whilst at our feet is the Anio, spanned by the
a Roman bridge, very picturesque, rebuilt, A.D. 565, by Narses, the eunuch, and conqueror of Italy. Its present upper part is, however, medieval. Just beyond is the ridge of
where the plebeians retired when they made their secession, B.C. 492, and where Menenius Agrippa addressed to them the famous fable of the "Belly and its Members" (Livy, ii. 32; Dionysius, vi. 86), so beautifully illustrated by S. Paul: "As the members of a natural body all tend to the mutual decency, service, and succour of the same body; so we should do one for another, to make up the mystical body of Christ" (see 1 Cor. xii.). "They erected an altar upon the summit of the hill, where they had encamped, which they named the altar of Jupiter Terribilis" (Dionysius, vi. 90). A second secession here took place after the death of Virginia, B.C. 449 (Livy, iii. 52).
Beyond the osteria (inn), on the left, is the so-called
The shepherds have handed down this tradition, but we have no historic record of where she was buried. Dionysius (xi. 39) gives this account of her funeral:—
"The relatives of the virgin still increased the disaffection of the citizens by bringing her bier into the forum, by adorning her body with all possible magnificence, and carrying it through the most remarkable and most conspicuous streets of the city: for the matrons and virgins ran out of their houses lamenting her misfortune, and some threw flowers upon the bier, some their girdles or ribbons others their virgin toys, and others even cut off their curls and cast them upon it. And many of the men, either purchasing ornaments in the neighbouring shops, or receiving them by the favour of the owners, contributed to the pomp by presents proper to the occasion: so that the funeral was celebrated through the whole city."
"And close around the body gathered a little train
Of them that were the nearest and dearest to the slain.
They brought a bier, and hung it with many a cypress crown,
And gently they uplifted her, and gently laid her down."—Macaulay.
About three miles from the bridge are the
discovered in 1853. S. Alexander suffered under Trajan, A.D. 117. In the fourth century a church was built over the oratory and catacomb. In 1867 Pius IX. laid the foundations of a church to be erected over these remains. To visit them a permit is necessary from the cardinal vicar, 70 Via della Scrofa.
(Porta S. Lorenzo.)
This gate was built by Augustus, B.C. 3, over the line of the Pomœrium, being one of the arches of the Marcian Aqueduct, B.C. 145. The Aquæ Tepula and Julia likewise passed over it. The inscriptions refer to Augustus, and to repairs by Vespasian, Caracalla, and Honorius, who added the picturesque brick towers in 402.
A new road has now been made to the Cemetery, which is passed by the tramway to Tivoli. Three quarters of a mile on the road is the
founded in 308 by Constantine, in the place where was the cemetery of S. Cyriaca, which contained the body of S. Lorenzo. It was enlarged and restored at different periods. Finally, in 1864, Pius IX. caused the architect Vespignani to make great improvements, and it was then that the column of red granite with the statue of the martyr was placed in the adjacent square.
The poet Bishop Vida describes the martyrdom of S. Lawrence, and thus foretells his monument:—
