Mausoleum of Helena
 The Mausoleum of Helena | |
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| Location | Regio IX Circus Flaminius |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°52′44.04″N 12°32′55.72″E / 41.8789000°N 12.5488111°E |
| Type | Mausoleum |
| History | |
| Builder | Augustus |
| Founded | 28 BC |
The Mausoleum of Helena is an ancient building in Rome, Italy, located on the
History
The area where the mausoleum is located is part of a late-Roman complex of building known as Ad Duas Lauros,[1] which, according to ancient sources,[2] extended from the Porta Maggiore until the third mile of the ancient Via Labicana. They include the Catacombs of Marcellinus and Peter and the Palaeo-Christian basilica with the same name; of the latter, little remains today, as it was used as the base for the modern church of Santi Marcellino e Pietro ad Duas Lauros.
Access to the mausoleum and the catacombs is to the left of the church.
Before the construction of the mausoleum, the area was used as a cemetery of the
After the death of Helena, Ad Duas Lauros was assigned to the Roman popes. The mausoleum was damaged by the use of its materials for other constructions. In the 8th century it became a defensive fortress. However, it continued to house Helena's tomb until the 11th century, when
Lanzoni
Architecture
The building is on the circular plan, and is constituted by two cylinders, the upper one being of smaller diameter (27.74 metres (91.0 ft), internal diameter 20.18 metres (66.2 ft)). The original height was 25.42 metres (83.4 ft), while today it has reduced to some 18 metres (59 ft).
Internally, the lower cylinder has an octagonal shape. At the vertexes are niches, alternatively rectangular and semicircular; one of them housed the entrance. In correspondence with the niche, in the upper ring, were eight arcaded windows. In order to obtain a lighter dome, it included fragments of amphorae (such as in the
The rectangular niche facing the entrance most likely contained the sarcophagus of Helena, in red porphyry. The external walls of the sarcophagus are decorated with war scenes, as it was probably originally to be used for Helena's son, the emperor Constantine.
See also
- Sarcophagi of Helena and Constantina
- Catacombs of Marcellinus and Peter
- List of ancient monuments in Rome
References
Citations
- ^ Ad Duas Lauros website Archived 2010-05-18 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Liber Pontificalis, 314 AD
- ^ Francesco Lanzoni, Le diocesi d'Italia dalle origini al principio del secolo VII (an. 604), vol. I, Faenza 1927, pp. 120–126
- ^ Louis Duchesne, Le sedi episcopali nell'antico ducato di Roma, in Archivio della romana società di storia patria, Volume XV, Roma 1892, p. 497
- ^ Giuseppe Cappelletti, Le Chiese d'Italia, vol. I, p. 623
- ISBN 978-88-209-9070-1), p. 977
Sources
- Giardina, Andrea (1986). Società romana e impero tardoantico / Istituzioni, ceti, economia (in Italian). Rome: Laterza. ISBN 978-88-420-2690-7.
External links
- Lucentini, M. (31 December 2012). The Rome Guide: Step by Step through History's Greatest City. Interlink. ISBN 9781623710088.
Media related to Mausoleo di Sant'Elena (Rome) at Wikimedia Commons
| Preceded by Mausoleum of Augustus |
Landmarks of Rome Mausoleum of Helena |
Succeeded by Mausoleum of Maxentius |