Basilica Sotterranea di Porta Maggiore

Immediately outside the Porta Maggiore today, the point of convergence of the most important group of aqueducts of the Roman Empire, hides, below seven meters from the level of the main Via, the most interesting monument, brought to light by chance, in Following a land subsidence along the railway line Rome-Cassino in April 1917. During the Roman era suburban area, was called "ad Spem Veterem", given the existence of an ancient temple dedicated to Spes, which, unfortunately, was not found in the ground track, but mentioned by ancient authors that connect the site to the vast property of the Gens Statilia, which also belongs to the Columbarium still visible about two hundred meters from the underground. The complex consists of an access corridor that leads into a vestibule, through which you enter the main hall of the basilica type. The system architecture follows an east-west orientation and originally included an external input consists of a long tunnel covered with a barrel vault that, from the east above ground, with a significant slope down along the northern side of the Basilica and then bend at a right angle and connect with the Vestibule. Today the hall, which was to be also decorated as the rest, there remains only the last part that leads into the vestibule, characterized by a quadrangular plan with vaulted roof pierced by a skylight; from here you enter the main room: a rectangular hall divided by six pillars into three naves covered with barrel vaults. The central nave is wider than the aisles, has an apse at the bottom. The articulated plan, then that will become canonical for Christian places of worship, is a precious decoration that stretches out on the floor a mosaic texture in black and white, while on the walls and sometimes alternating polychrome frescoes and stucco figures. In the classroom with three naves dominating the white color of the stucco decoration: in the apse depicts Sappho in the act of launching from the rock of Lefkada; under the center of the vault of the nave stands the figure of Ganymede, who was kidnapped by a winged Genius. On all three barrel vaults molded cornices define geometric mirrors in which you have, with considerable variety of themes, figurative representations that lead to the repertoire of classical mythology, ritual or mystical scenes of everyday life, while on the walls of the above a wainscot painted in red, lie large panels with stylized landscape paintings. In the vestibule the decoration is enriched by the use of polychromy is on time, again divided into squares, figures, both on the walls where the themes are repeated landscape enlivened by the presence of birds and floral garlands. The elegance of decorative fabric and organic are the Basilica unified work of art in the first decades of the first century AD, both in the choice of subjects for the style of construction, which are found towards more stringent - always in Rome - with contemporary examples provided by the aforementioned Columbarium of Statili from cryptoporticus on the Palatine, the Hall of the Golden Vault of the Domus Aurea.

Note:

The underground Basilica di Porta Maggiore is still off-limits to visitors, given the protracted land reclamation from the infiltration of rainwater, which since 2003 are being carried out by the company under the Italian Railway Network and Monitoring of High Archaeological Superintendency of Rome . However, in a short time you will be able to carry out a project to reintroduce the monument to the public: the area in front of the entrance will have a new attitude and a suitable street furniture that also provides for the setting up of an educational space, equipped with computer support that will enable to illustrate the work already carried out and the works that are being carried out at the same time you can admire, even if through a virtual tour, stucco and frescoes that decorate the rooms, waiting to return to the public usability the entire complex.