The Temple of the Sun was a temple in the Campus Agrippae in Rome. It was dedicated to Sol Invictus on 25 December 274[1] by the emperor Aurelian[2] to fulfill a vow he made following his successful campaign against Palmyra in 272 and funded by spoils from that campaign. A college of pontifices (Dei) Solis and annual games with circus races was established for the cult, as well as four-year games (agon Solis) to be held at the end of the Saturnalia.[3]
The temple was located in the Regio VII Via Lata. It was decorated with the spoils of war taken from Palmyra and was praised in the ancient sources for its beauty.[4] Although it stood to the east of the via Lata, its exact location is not certain. Near the temple was a porticus where wine was stored. Aurelian had decided that in the future the Roman citizens would also receive free wine and pork from the state in addition to bread and other foodstuffs. This suggests that the temple must have stood in the immediate vicinity of the Castra Urbana built by Aurelian and the Forum Suarium (the wine market), and this location coincides with where the church of San Silvestro in Capite is currently situated.
It was the fourth temple dedicated to the Sun in Rome – the other three were in the Circus Maximus, on the Quirinal Hill and in Trastevere.[5] The appearance of the temple is not described in the ancient sources. No remains of the temple have been found and no images of the temple on coins are known.
Andrea Palladio in the 16th century (he visited Rome three times in the 1540s) drew the remains of a large complex east of the via Lata, which the German historian Christian Hülsen attributed to the Temple of the Sun. This complex consisted of a rectangular site surrounded by colonnades, which was split into two parts.
A first courtyard (55m x 75m) had the short sides made up of two hemicycles and the walls were adorned with two orders of columns framing niches; the arched entrances were framed by giant columns for the courtyard's entire height. A small square room (15m x 15m) separated it from a second larger courtyard (130m x 90m), placed on the same axis, with three rectangular niches open on the long sides (the two lateral ones were wider, with two entrances each with columns and equipped with a small apse) and three other niches on the short side at the courtyard's end, the central niche was semicircular, while the lateral ones were rectangular, and all three possessing two-column entrances.
In the centre of this space was a tholos or circular building, some 25 metres across (from the lowest of the three steps), presumed to have been the temple. There are sixteen columns outside the cella, which is some 10 metres across, and has two entrances. Justinian I took eight porphyry columns from it, 6.88 m high, for Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.[6][7] However, the identification of this complex as the Sun Temple is uncertain. The Arch of Portugal is believed to have been one of the entrances to the temple site.
^Hijmans, Steven E (2009), Sol : the sun in the art and religions of Rome(Thesis/dissertation), University Library Groningen] [Host], ISBN978-90-367-3931-3, chapter 5
^Gregorovius, Ferdinand, History of the City of Rome in the Middle Ages, Vol. 1, (1894), p. 38
^R. MacMullen, "Christianizing The Roman Empire A.D. 100–400, Yale University Press, 1984, ISBN0-300-03642-6
Bibliographyedit
L. Richardson, Jr, A New Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome, Baltimore & London 1992. pp. 363–364 ISBN0801843006
M. Clauss, Die römischen Kaiser – 55 historische Portraits von Caesar bis Iustinian, Munich 2010, pp. 241–251, ISBN978-3406472886
January 01, 1970
temple, rome, 90256, 48112, 90256, 48112the, temple, temple, campus, agrippae, rome, dedicated, invictus, december, emperor, aurelian, fulfill, made, following, successful, campaign, against, palmyra, funded, spoils, from, that, campaign, college, pontifices, . 41 54 09 N 12 28 52 E 41 90256 N 12 48112 E 41 90256 12 48112The Temple of the Sun was a temple in the Campus Agrippae in Rome It was dedicated to Sol Invictus on 25 December 274 1 by the emperor Aurelian 2 to fulfill a vow he made following his successful campaign against Palmyra in 272 and funded by spoils from that campaign A college of pontifices Dei Solis and annual games with circus races was established for the cult as well as four year games agon Solis to be held at the end of the Saturnalia 3 The temple was located in the Regio VII Via Lata It was decorated with the spoils of war taken from Palmyra and was praised in the ancient sources for its beauty 4 Although it stood to the east of the via Lata its exact location is not certain Near the temple was a porticus where wine was stored Aurelian had decided that in the future the Roman citizens would also receive free wine and pork from the state in addition to bread and other foodstuffs This suggests that the temple must have stood in the immediate vicinity of the Castra Urbana built by Aurelian and the Forum Suarium the wine market and this location coincides with where the church of San Silvestro in Capite is currently situated It was the fourth temple dedicated to the Sun in Rome the other three were in the Circus Maximus on the Quirinal Hill and in Trastevere 5 The appearance of the temple is not described in the ancient sources No remains of the temple have been found and no images of the temple on coins are known Contents 1 Palladio s sketch 2 See also 3 References 4 BibliographyPalladio s sketch editAndrea Palladio in the 16th century he visited Rome three times in the 1540s drew the remains of a large complex east of the via Lata which the German historian Christian Hulsen attributed to the Temple of the Sun This complex consisted of a rectangular site surrounded by colonnades which was split into two parts A first courtyard 55m x 75m had the short sides made up of two hemicycles and the walls were adorned with two orders of columns framing niches the arched entrances were framed by giant columns for the courtyard s entire height A small square room 15m x 15m separated it from a second larger courtyard 130m x 90m placed on the same axis with three rectangular niches open on the long sides the two lateral ones were wider with two entrances each with columns and equipped with a small apse and three other niches on the short side at the courtyard s end the central niche was semicircular while the lateral ones were rectangular and all three possessing two column entrances In the centre of this space was a tholos or circular building some 25 metres across from the lowest of the three steps presumed to have been the temple There are sixteen columns outside the cella which is some 10 metres across and has two entrances Justinian I took eight porphyry columns from it 6 88 m high for Hagia Sophia in Constantinople 6 7 However the identification of this complex as the Sun Temple is uncertain The Arch of Portugal is believed to have been one of the entrances to the temple site If still in use by the late 4th century the temple would have been closed during the persecution of pagans in the late Roman Empire 8 See also editList of Ancient Roman templesReferences edit Manfred Clauss Die romischen Kaiser 55 historische Portraits von Caesar bis Iustinian ISBN 978 3 406 47288 6 p 250 Jerome Chronicon ab Abr 2291 275 AD Cassiodorus Chronicles 990 Historia Augusta Divus Aurelianus 35 3 Aurelius Victor De Caesaribus 35 37 Hijmans Steven E 2009 Sol the sun in the art and religions of Rome Thesis dissertation University Library Groningen Host ISBN 978 90 367 3931 3 chapter 5 Ward Perkins John Bryan Roman Imperial Architecture pp 417 418 1981 Penguin Books ISBN 0140561455 Gregorovius Ferdinand History of the City of Rome in the Middle Ages Vol 1 1894 p 38 R MacMullen Christianizing The Roman Empire A D 100 400 Yale University Press 1984 ISBN 0 300 03642 6Bibliography editL Richardson Jr A New Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome Baltimore amp London 1992 pp 363 364 ISBN 0801843006 M Clauss Die romischen Kaiser 55 historische Portraits von Caesar bis Iustinian Munich 2010 pp 241 251 ISBN 978 3406472886 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Temple of the Sun Rome amp oldid 1200066608, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
