[ad_1]
ROME – For most people, the Colosseum conjures up bloody gladiator fights or doomed encounters between Christians and vicious lions and tigers.
However, the recent restoration of a 17th-century ancient Jerusalem mural on one of the Colosseum’s main interior arches sheds new light on another centuries-old use of the Roman icon: as a sacred place for Christian worship.
“This is part of the history of the Colosseum that broadens our understanding of the monument not only as a show arena, but also as a structure with a diverse past,” said Federica Rinaldi, archaeologist in charge of the Colosseum.
The ancient amphitheater only made headlines in the ancient amphitheater for 400 years, after it was built in Rome in 72 AD by Vespasian, the first of the Flavian emperors, and dedicated eight years later by his son Titus.
Centuries later, the Colosseum was occupied by Christian groups for religious ceremonies and was adopted by a number of popes who eventually consecrated it as a church, even as they mined its marble for the construction of new buildings around the city.
Although there is no documented evidence that Christians were killed for their faith, for a time it became a place of pilgrimage honoring Christian martyrs.
It was easy to overlook the restored mural, believed to have been painted in the 17th century. Placed above the Gate of Victory, a towering arch where gladiators walked during Roman times, the work was so faded that it was “practically illegible,” said Alfonsina Russo, Rome’s director. archaeological park Including the Colosseum.
Now that it has been restored and supported by a multimedia installation to make it easier to decipher, a bird’s-eye view of Jerusalem – an idealized depiction of the city at the time of Jesus Christ – can be seen. In the lower corner of the painting, Jesus is depicted both nailed to the cross and at the time of his resurrection.
This past week, Ms. Russo presents a “piece of the puzzle” in the long and complex history of the Colosseum that “deserves to be discovered and introduced to the public.” Restoration of the painting performed while the site was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
Scientific research has determined that the painting dates from the 17th century, although there is some controversy about its author. The depiction of Jerusalem appears to be based on a 1601 print of the ancient city by painter Antonio Tempesta.
From the 14th century, two Christian brotherhoods – associations of ordinary people – became members of the Colosseum and began to put up representations of the Passion of Christ. In the 16th century, a fraternity built a small church called Santa Maria della Pieta, which still exists inside the arena.
Archaeologist Ms. Rinaldi said one of the associations may have commissioned the painting.
Papal decrees and whims also changed the course of the monument’s history. Alessandro Zuccari, one pope threatened to demolish the Colosseum in order to build a wide road in the center of Rome, while another wanted to build a great monastery where monks would constantly pray “to drive out the ghosts of pagan times”. Art history at Sapienza University in Rome.
According to some sources, Pope Pius V, who reigned from 1566 to 1572, urged pilgrims to collect soil from the floor of the Colosseum, as it was soaked with the blood of the first Christian martyrs. In fact, Christians were martyred in other Roman arenas such as the Circus Maximus. “Of course we cannot rule out that Christians were not killed in the Colosseum, but in any case, there is no data or source that undeniably confirms this,” Rinaldi said.
The Colosseum eventually became a public church in 1756 when Benedict XIV blessed it in memory of Christ and the Christian martyrs. Eight years earlier, Benedict had persuaded the Roman governor to pass a law prohibiting anyone from desecration of the monument because it was a place of worship, and in 1750 he erected a huge wooden cross in its center.
According to Barbara Jatta, director of the Vatican Museums, after the unification of Italy in the 19th century, anti-clerical sentiments swept the country and all relations with the church were removed from the Roman monument.
Speaking at the book launch, Ms. Jatta said she had never noticed the painting before it was restored and had visited the Colosseum a few days ago “by gliding like a normal tourist” to see it.
Referring to the Pantheon, consecrated in 609 and dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the Christian martyrs, Mr. Zuccari said the Colosseum was not the only ancient Roman monument that had gone through the “Christianization process”.
The bones of many martyrs were brought from the catacombs of Rome to the Pantheon in a carload. Masses are still celebrated, said. Across the town, Michelangelo had parts of the Baths of Diocletian in a monumental church.
In 1965, Pope Paul VI resumed the tradition of celebrating the Passion of Christ at the Colosseum on Good Friday. It is now broadcast on television all over the world.
“The Colosseum is a complex place that is read in different ways over time, often from opposing perspectives,” said Marcello Fagiolo, a well-known art historian. And it continues to change.
About thirty years ago, it was adopted by the Colosseum. World Coalition Against the Death Penalty Rome-based St. It is illuminated through the Egidio Charity and now on occasions to protest the death penalty.
“It has become a symbol of the defense of human and civil rights in this perspective of universality,” Fagiolo said. “This is not just an archaeological monument; A living place in the city of Rome.”
[ad_2]
Source link