The Wall of Aurelian (Mura Aureliane) - the last of the three great fortifications (after the walls of Romulus and Serviev), designed to protect Rome. A grandiose building with a length of 19 km was erected in 271-275 years of our era. Most of the buildings have survived to this day and is one of the most significant sights of Rome.
Story
The growing capital of a prosperous empire could no longer fit in surrounded by the Servius Wall (lat. Murus Servii Tullii). Barbarians, atrocities in the northern regions of the country, in 270 tried to become masters in Rome, because Emperor Aurelian, successful in conquests and politics, ordered the construction of new city fortifications. So, in the years 271-275 AD, the Eternal City was surrounded by a new system of protection of the capital, which went down in history under the name "Aurelian's Wall".
Building
The Servius Wall enclosed the seven hills of Rome. The new fortifications also included the Trastevere district and the Field of Mars (Latin Campus Martius)).
The impressive idea of the best builders of the empire became the pride of the townspeople.
It is not known how many towers were originally but by the 6th century there were 383. Height - up to 8 meters, width - up to 4 meters. Every 3 meters, loopholes were built, 5 underground corridors were dug, 116 restrooms were built. 18 gates were made to enter, some of which are double.
It was required to erect defenses in Rome as soon as possible. Instead of the tuff used to build the Serviev Wall, concrete was used, which was then faced with red brick. Also, to save money, the structure included already existing structures: the Cestius pyramid (Piramide Cestia), the Kastrenze amphitheater (amphitheatrum Castrense), the Aqua Claudia aqueduct.Aurelian did not live to see the completion of this grandiose project. The construction was completed already during the reign of Emperor Proba.
Restorations
The first major restoration of the building was carried out under the emperor Maxentius in 306-312. In the 5th century, under Emperor Flavius Honorius Augustus, the height of the walls was doubled. The king of the east-ready Totil captured the city in 546 and ordered the destruction of the fortifications in Rome. A third of the city fortifications was demolished. There is a legend that he was stopped by respect for the antiquity of the city.
During the Renaissance, the destroyed parts of the fortifications were restored. Michelangelo himself worked on the restoration of the gates of Pius. The wall of Aurelian served the city as a reliable defense for centuries. Only in 1870 did the arrows of the royal Italian army break through a wall in the area of Port Pius and enter the city.
At the end of the 20th century, the city fortifications in Rome were again restored. Immediately after this, one of the most historically valuable parts of the wall between the Appian and Latin gates collapsed due to heavy rains.
Goal
Of the 18 main portals of the Aurelian wall, the gates have survived to this day:
- St. Sebastian (Appian) (Porta San Sebastiano) - The best preserved from the time of ancient Rome. The gate got its name back in the early Christian period, since the catacombs of St. Sebastian are nearby.
- Porta San Giovanni - named after the Lateran Basilica (Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano) located nearby. Built near the ancient Donkey Gate (Porta Asinaria).
- Porta Pia - built by Pope Pius IV of the Medici family according to the project of Michelangelo Buonarroti to replace the previously destroyed Nomentana Gate (lat. Porta Nomentana).
- Porta San Paolo - named after the Basilica of San Paolo fuori le Mura (Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura). In antiquity they were called Porta Ostiensis, because they led to the road to the port of Ostia. Next to them is the pyramid of Cestius.
- Porta San Pancrazio - Earlier in their place were the gates of Aurelius, leading to Via Aurelia.
- Porta Latina - from here came the Latin road. Their right tower has been preserved since antiquity, the left was built in the Middle Ages.
- Porta del Popolo - named after the church of Santa Maria del Popolo (Basilica di Santa Maria del Popolo). The ancient name is the Flaminius Gate.
- Porta Maggiore or the Great Gate. They were part of the Aqua Claudia and Anio Novus aqueducts, rebuilt into the gates in 52 AD, that is, they are older than the Aurelian wall.
- Porta Pinciana - Built during the time of Honorius, named after one of the hills of Rome. Interestingly, they were walled up several times, then reopened.
- Porta Portese (Port) - in the form that reached us were built in 1644.
- Tiburtina Gate (Porta Tiburtina) so named because they are based on the monumental arch of Tiburtine (Tivolsky) travertine, built in 5 BC
Interesting Facts
There is an episode in the famous “Roman Vacations” where the main characters Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn approach the wish wall, which is hung with thank-you tablets. Many tourists are trying to find this place in Rome.
The standard guidebooks do not contain information on this issue, many believe that this place is the fiction of the film's writers. The Aurelian wall shot in the scene can be found on Viale del Policlinico, near Piazza Girolamo Fabrizio. True, this is not a place of fulfillment of desires: here before hung signs with thanks to the saints. Will the wall help fulfill your wishes? Who knows. You can always try it.
How to get there
To date, 12 km of Aurelian's fortifications have been preserved. It is convenient to start the inspection from the section of the wall at the Appian Gate, at the beginning of the Appian Way (Via Appia). There is also a fortification museum. Well preserved sections between Muro Torto (Villa Borghese area), Corso d'Italia and Castro Pretorio, as well as from the Port of San Giovanni to the gates of Ardeatina (now they do not exist), from the Port of San Paolo to the Tiber.
Museum
Address: Via di Porta San Sebastiano (near Domine Quo Vadis Church)
In 1990, the Museum of the Wall (Museo delle Mura) was founded, dedicated to the history of these fortifications. Seven halls of the museum contain documentary evidence from the life of the wall from the moment of its construction to the present day. The exposition highlights not only the technical details of the construction, but also the political significance of the structure at different points in the history of the state.
- Working hours: Wednesday - Saturday, from 9:00 to 14:00.
- Site: www.museodellemuraroma.it
