Remains of the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine in Rome. The Latin word basilica (derived from Greek, Basiliké Stoà, Royal Stoa) was originally used to describe a Roman The building's northern aisle is all that remains.

The Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine (sometimes known as the Basilica Nova 'new basilica' or Basilica Maxentius) was the largest building in the Roman Forum. The Latin word basilica (derived from Greek, Basiliké Stoà, Royal Stoa) was originally used to describe a Roman This page refers to the main forum in the center of Rome See Imperial forums or Other forums in Rome (below for other forums in Rome and

History

Construction began on the northern side of the forum under the emperor Maxentius in 308, and was completed in 312 by Constantine I after his defeat of Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius (c 278 - 28 October 312) was Western Roman Emperor from 306 to 312 Events By Place Roman Empire November 11 — The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire the Events By Place Roman Empire October 28 — Battle of Milvian Bridge: Constantine I defeats Maxentius and Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus (27 February ca. 272 &ndash 22 May 337 commonly known as Constantine I, Constantine the Great, or Saint Constantine The Battle of the Milvian Bridge took place on October 28, 312, between the Roman Emperors Constantine I and Maxentius ^[1]

The building consisted of a central nave covered by three groin vaults suspended 39 meters above the floor on four large piers, ending in an apse at the western end containing a colossal statue of Constantine (remnants of which are now in a courtyard of the Palazzo dei Conservatori of the Musei Capitolini). In Romanesque and Gothic Christian Abbey, Cathedral Basilica and church Architecture, the nave is the A groin vault or groined vault (also sometimes known as a double barrel vault or cross vault) is produced by the intersection at In Architecture, a pier is an upright support for a Superstructure, such as an Arch or Bridge. APSE standing for Ada Programming Support Environment is a program or set of programs to support Software development in the Ada programming language. The Colossus of Constantine was a colossal Acrolithic statue of Constantine the Great ( c The Capitoline Hill, between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the seven hills of Rome. The Capitoline Museums ( Italian Musei Capitolini) are a group of art and archeological Museums in Piazza del Campidoglio The lateral forces of the groin vaults were held by flanking aisles measuring 23 by 17 metres (75 x 56 feet). An aisle is in general a space for walking with rows of seats on either side or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other The aisles were spanned by three semi-circular barrel vaults perpendicular to the nave, and narrow arcades ran parallel to the nave beneath the barrel vaults. An arcade is a passage or walkway covered over by a succession of Arches or vaults supported by columns The nave itself measured 25 metres by 80 metres (83 x 265 feet) creating a 4000 square meter floor. Like the great imperial baths, the basilica made use of vast interior space with its emotional effect. This page is on buildings used for Roman bathing For the activity in general see Ancient Roman bathing.

Reconstruction of the plan.

Running the length of the eastern face of the building was a projecting arcade of archs. On the south face was a projecting (prostyle) porch with four columns (tetrastyle). Prostyle is an architectural term defining free standing Columns that are widely spaced apart in a row A portico is a Porch that is leading to the entrance of a building or extended as a Colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway supported by Columns

All that remains of the bascilica is the north aisle with its three concrete barrel vaults. ^[1] The ceilings of the the barrel vaults show advanced weight-saving structural skill with octagonal ceiling coffers. A coffer (or coffering) in Architecture, is a sunken panel in the shape of a square rectangle or Octagon in a Ceiling, Soffit or

In modern usage, a basilica has come to be defined as a place of worship; during ancient Rome, it was a combination of a court-house, council chamber and meeting hall. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC There were, however, numerous statues of the gods displayed in niches set into the walls. The niche in classical architecture is an Exedra or an Apse that has been reduced in size retaining the half-dome heading usual for an apse The wrestling events were held here during the 1960 Summer Olympic Games. The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an International Multi-sport event held in Rome, Italy

On the outside wall of the basilica, facing onto the via dei Fori Imperiali, are contemporary maps showing the various stages of the rise of the Roman Empire. The Via dei Fori Imperiali is a road in the centre of the city of Rome that runs in a straight line from the Piazza Venezia to the Colosseum, which is itself

Detail of the coffered vaults of concrete

Engineering

The Basilica Maxentius is a marvel of Roman engineering work. At the time when it was built it was the largest structure to be built and thus is a unique structure taking both aspects from Roman baths as well as typical Roman basilicas. At the time it used the most advanced engineering techniques which we known, including innovations taken from the Markets of Trajan and the Baths of Diocletian. Trajan's Market ( Mercatus Traiani) is a large complex of Ruins in the city of Rome, located on the Via dei Fori Imperiali, at the opposite end The Baths of Diocletian ( Thermae Diocletiani) in Rome were the grandest of the public baths or Thermae built by successive emperors

Similar to many basilicas at the time such as the Basilica Ulpia, the Basilica Maxentius featured a huge open space in the central nave, but unlike other basilicas instead of having columns support the ceiling the entire building was built using arches, a much more common appearance in Roman baths than basilicas. The Basilica Ulpia was an ancient Roman civic building located in the Forum of Trajan. Another difference from traditional basilicas is the roof of the structure. While traditional basilicas were built with a flat roof, the Basilica Maxentius was built with a folded roof, decreasing the overall weight of the structure and decreasing the horizontal forces exerted on the outer arches. ^[2]

Christian legend

A anachronistic medieval Christian legend, recorded in the Golden Legend and elsewhere, had it that the basilica, which supposedly contained a statue of Romulus, fell down on the night of Christ's birth. The Golden Legend (Legenda Aurea by Jacopo da Varagine is a collection of fanciful hagiographies or lives of the Saints that became a late medieval Romulus (c 771 BC– c 717 BC and Remus (c 771 BC–c 753 BC are the traditional founders of Rome, appearing in Roman mythology This was one element feeding the depiction of the stable of the Nativity of Jesus as a ruined temple from the late Middle Ages on. For depictions in painting and sculpture see Nativity of Jesus in art. From the sixteenth century many artists used the actual ruins as a loose base for their depictions. ^[3]

References

See also

• Colossus of Constantine

External links

• Media related to Basilica of Maxentius from the Wikimedia Commons. Taschen is an Art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. The Colossus of Constantine was a colossal Acrolithic statue of Constantine the Great ( c
• A reconstruction at the Plan de Rome