The Septizodium (also called ''Septizonium'' or ''Septicodium'') was a building in ancient

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. It was built in 203 AD by Emperor

Septimius Severus Lucius Septimius Severus (; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary suc ...

. The origin of the name "Septizodium" is from ''Septisolium'', from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for temple of seven suns, and was probably named for the seven planetary deities (Saturn, Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus) or for the fact that it was originally divided into seven parts. The building had no known practical purpose and was probably meant to be a decorative

façade A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loan word from the French (), which means ' frontage' or ' face'. In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important aspect ...

, known as a nymphaeum. Ancient and medieval sources describe its purpose as being intended to impress Severus' fellow north Africans as they entered the city, as it was located at the place where the

Via Appia The Appian Way (Latin and Italian: ''Via Appia'') is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. Its importance is indicated by its common name, ...

passes the

Palatine A palatine or palatinus (in Latin; plural ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times.

and leads east towards the Forum Romanum. Other examples of septizodia are known, all from Africa.

Ammianus Marcellinus Ammianus Marcellinus (occasionally anglicised as Ammian) (born , died 400) was a Roman soldier and historian who wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from antiquity (preceding Procopius). His work, known as the ''Res Gestae ...

refers to the building in an ambiguous passage: "The plebs...had come together at the Septemzodium, a popular place, where Marcus Aurelius built a Nymphaeum in a rather ostentatious style." By the 8th century, the edifice was already ruined and had been incorporated in one of the numerous baronial fortresses of the medieval city, held in the 12th-13th century by the Frangipani family. In August 1241, after the death of

Pope Gregory IX Pope Gregory IX ( la, Gregorius IX; born Ugolino di Conti; c. 1145 or before 1170 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decre ...

, the 11 cardinals who were able to get into Rome through the lines of Emperor Frederick II's army came together in the ramshackle palace of the Septizodium. The two-month-long election was arduous, not only because of the deep political crisis but the physical hardships. There was a frightful heat and the rain leaked through the roof of the chamber of the cardinals, mingled with the urine of

Matteo Rosso Orsini Matteo Rosso Orsini (1178–1246), called the Great, was an Italian politician, the father of Pope Nicholas III. He was named ''senatore'' of the City of Rome by Pope Gregory IX in 1241: in this capacity he took a firm stand against the ventur ...

's guards on the rooftiles. One of the cardinals fell ill and died. The new pope, Celestine IV, was also very worn out, and died 16 days after his election. In 1588, during the reign of Pope Sixtus V, the eastern facade of the building was demolished under the direction of

Domenico Fontana Domenico Fontana (154328 June 1607) was an Italian architect of the late Renaissance, born in today's Ticino. He worked primarily in Italy, at Rome and Naples. Biography He was born at Melide, a village on the Lake Lugano, at that time joint p ...

. The stones obtained were used for the basement of the

Flaminio Obelisk Flaminio may refer to: Geography * Flaminio (Rome), a quartiere * Flaminio – Piazza del Popolo (Rome Metro), an underground station * Rignano Flaminio, a comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome * Stadio Flaminio, a stadium in Rome Other * Il Fla ...

Piazza del Popolo Piazza del Popolo is a large urban square in Rome. The name in modern Italian language, Italian literally means "People's Square", but historically it derives from the Populus, poplars (''populus'' in Latin language, Latin, ''pioppo'' in Italian) ...

, the restoration of the

Column of Marcus Aurelius The Column of Marcus Aurelius ( la, Columna Centenaria Divorum Marci et Faustinae, it, Colonna di Marco Aurelio) is a Roman victory column in Piazza Colonna, Rome, Italy. It is a Doric column featuring a spiral relief: it was built in honour o ...

, the pope's tomb in St. Mary Major and other structures.

References

Sources

*Ammianus Marcellinus: ''The Later Roman Empire (AD 354–378)'' translated by Walter Hamilton. Penguin, London 1986. *Theodor Dombart: ''Das palatinische Septizonium zu Rom''. Beck, Munich, 1922 *Karl Hampe: ''Ein ungedruckter Bericht über das Konklave von 1241 im römischen Septizonium''. (= Sitzungsberichte der Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften, Philosophisch-Historische Klasse; Jg. 1913, Abh. 1). Winter, Heidelberg 1913 *Christian Hülsen: ''Das Septizonium des Septimus Severus''. 46. Programm zum Winkelmannsfeste der Archäologischen Gesellschaft zu Berlin, 1886, S. 1-36
Platner, Samuel Ball and Thomas Ashby, ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome'' (1929): "Septizonium"
{{Authority control Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Rome Buildings and structures completed in the 3rd century Buildings and structures demolished in the 16th century Palatine Hill Septimius Severus Sites of papal elections

See also

References

Sources