Stone Square

Near the Pantheon, within walking distance of via del Corso, in the center of Rome, there is a small square dominated by the ruins of a huge Roman temple, used throughout the centuries for different purposes. We are talking about Piazza di Pietra, and the monument whose story we are going to tell is the temple of Hadrian. Erected in honor of the emperor Hadrian, passed away in 138 AD, under commission of his adopted son and successor Antoninus Pius, this temple must have had considerable dimensions, as we can see from the only side we can still admire.

Near the Pantheon, within walking distance of via del Corso, in the center of Rome, there is a small square dominated by the ruins of a huge Roman temple, used throughout the centuries for different purposes. We are talking about Piazza di Pietra, and the monument whose story we are going to tell is the temple of Hadrian. Erected in honor of the emperor Hadrian, passed away in 138 AD, under commission of his adopted son and successor Antoninus Pius, this temple must have had considerable dimensions, as we can see from the only side we can still admire.


It was rectangular, and it was surrounded by a row of columns: 8 on the short and 13 on the long side. The only part still standing is the northern one, one of the long sides, and the columns that can still be seen are 11. Two are missing. They are very large columns, 15 meters tall and with a diameter of almost 1.5 meters! Their shafts are fluted and they end, on the upper side, with magnificent Corinthian capitols. They rest on a majestic podium more than 4 meters tall, made of large blocks of Peperino (volcanic tuff) originally covered in marble sheets. Nowadays, although it is still visible, it is completely underground; the street “grew” 4 meters taller throughout the centuries, so now we walk at the same height of the base of the columns. Also the large cella of the temple, partially survived, is in Peperino, and it was completely covered both inside and outside in pure white marble. Moreover, inside the cella there were splendid semi-columns, each with a sculpted figure at its base representing a Roman province. Some of these beautiful reliefs are preserved at the Capitoline Museums. The temple of Hadrian was originally set at the center of a wonderful square, decorated with porticoes on all its sides, that opened towards the ancient via Lata, now via del Corso, with a large triumphal arch. This arch became a ruin through the centuries and was removed in the 1600s. When the Western Roman Empire fell, the temple, like many classical monuments, was abandoned and got seriously damaged during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, when its materials (marble in particular) were robbed. It came back “to life” many centuries later. In 1695 Francesco Fontana, was entrusted by Innocent XII with the construction of a palace for the Vatican Customs, with the help of his father Carlo, that was a very famous architect in that period. The remains of the temple of Hadrian were used to build this palace. From 1831 it became the headquarter of the stock market, the third one in Italy, and about 40 years later, in 1873, the Chamber of Commerce of Rome moved here too. Still today this institution is in this location. The current aspect of the building is due to a renovation at the end of the 1800s carried out by Vespignani, when the Chamber of Commerce was moved here. Nevertheless, this stone giant with its massive columns shows its charm even now, and after 2000 years its columns still intimidate. One last fun fact: if we look at the 8th column of the temple (from via del Corso), at a height of 2 meters circa, we can see a small crucifix delicately carved. The author is unknown, but, considering its form and design, it is believed to be a medieval object. That’s too bad that no one looks at this little jewel!       

 

Giuseppe Rosselli

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