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Old Basilica Of Saint Peter
Old St. Peter's Basilica was the building that stood, from the 4th to 16th centuries, where the new St. Peter's Basilica stands today in Vatican City. Construction of the basilica, built over the historical site of the Circus of Nero, began during the reign of Emperor Constantine I. The name "old St. Peter's Basilica" has been used since the construction of the current basilica to distinguish the two buildings. History Construction began by orders of the Roman Emperor Constantine I between 318 and 322, and took about 40 years to complete. Over the next twelve centuries, the church gradually gained importance, eventually becoming a major place of pilgrimage in Rome. Papal coronations were held at the basilica, and in 800, Charlemagne was crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire there. In 846, Saracens sacked and damaged the basilica. The raiders seem to have known about Rome's extraordinary treasures. Some holy—and impressive—basilicas, such as St. Peter's Basi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vatican Obelisk
The city of Rome harbours thirteen ancient obelisks, the most in the world. There are eight ancient Egyptian and five Ancient Rome, ancient Roman obelisks in Rome, together with a number of more modern obelisks; there was also until 2005 an Kingdom of Aksum, ancient Ethiopian obelisk in Rome. The Romans used special heavy cargo carriers called obelisk ships to transport the monuments down the Nile to Alexandria and from there across the Mediterranean Sea to Rome. On site, large Crane (machine)#History, Roman cranes were employed to erect the monoliths. Ancient Egyptian obelisks At least eight obelisks created in antiquity by the Egyptians were taken from Egypt after the Roman conquest of Egypt, Roman conquest and brought to Rome. Ancient Roman obelisks At least five obelisks were manufactured in Roman Egypt, Egypt in the Roman period at the request of the wealthy Romans, or made in Rome as copies of ancient Egyptian originals. Obelisk of Axum There was also an Ethio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
