Capitolium Of Brixia
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The Capitolium of Brixia or the Temple of the Capitoline Triad in Brescia was the main temple in the center of the
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
town of Brixia (
Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...
), in
Northern Italy Northern Italy (, , ) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the four Northwest Italy, northwestern Regions of Italy, regions of Piedmo ...
, in the modern region of
Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...
. It is represented at present by fragmentary ruins, but is part of an archeological site, including a Roman theater and museum in central Brescia. It forms part of the Longobards in Italy: Places of Power (568–774 A.D.) UNESCO
World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
inscribed in 2011.


History

The temple was built in AD 73 during the rule of emperor
Vespasian Vespasian (; ; 17 November AD 9 – 23 June 79) was Roman emperor from 69 to 79. The last emperor to reign in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for 27 years. His fiscal reforms and consolida ...
. The prominent elevated location and the three identifiable cellae, each with their own polychrome marble floor, all help confirm that this temple would have represented the ''capitolium'' of the town, that is the temple dedicated to the
Capitoline Triad The Capitoline Triad was a group of three deities who were worshipped in ancient Roman religion in an elaborate temple on Rome's Capitoline Hill (Latin ''Capitolium''). It comprised Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. The triad held a central place in th ...
of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. The Capitolium replaced an earlier set of temples, a "Republican Sanctuary", consisting apparently of four discrete temples that had been erected around 75–90 BC, and refurbished during the reign of
Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...
. The three cellae of the capitolium have been rebuilt, and the walls of the left cella are used as a
lapidarium A lapidarium is a place where stone (Latin: ) monuments and fragments of archaeological interest are exhibited. They can include stone epigraphy, epigraphs; statues; architectural elements such as columns, cornices, and acroterions; bas relief ...
to display local epigraphs found during the 19th centuries. In front of the cellae are the partially reconstructed remains of a portico, which was composed of Corinthian columns that supported a pediment with a dedication to the emperor Vespasian. The complex, and other Roman ruins are located at one end of Via dei Museii, once the original
Decumanus Maximus In Roman urban planning, a ''decumanus'' was an east–west-oriented road in a Roman city or '' castrum'' (military camp). The main ''decumanus'' of a particular city was the ''decumanus maximus'', or most often simply "the ''decumanus''". In t ...
of Brixia, which coursed some 5 meters below the present street level. Broad stairs rose up to the portico from the Decumanus. Almost entirely buried by a landslide of the Cidneo Hill, the temple was rediscovered in 1823. Reconstruction was performed soon after by
Rodolfo Vantini Rodolfo Vantini (1792 – 1856) was an Italians, Italian architect. He is remembered for his Neoclassical architecture, Neoclassical contributions to architecture in his native city of Brescia and in the surrounding regions of northern Italy. Hi ...
. During excavation in 1826, a bronze statue of a winged Victory was found inside it, likely hidden in late antiquity to preserve it from pillage. Since 2021 the restored statue of the winged Victory is exhibited again in the Capitolium Archeological Area Museum.Brescia Museums
, entry on Capitolium.


See also

* List of Ancient Roman temples *
Temple of Jupiter (Pompeii) The Temple of Jupiter, Capitolium, or Temple of the Capitoline Triad, was a temple in Roman Pompeii, at the north end of its Forum (Roman), forum. Initially dedicated to Jupiter (mythology), Jupiter alone, it was built in the mid-2nd century BC ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Capitolium Brescia Buildings and structures completed in the 1st century Monuments and memorials in Brescia Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Italy Roman sites of Lombardy Capitoliums