The Janiculum walls (
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
: Mura gianicolensi) are a stretch of defensive walls erected in 1643 by
Pope Urban VIII
Pope Urban VIII ( la, Urbanus VIII; it, Urbano VIII; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death in July 1644. As po ...
as a completion of the
Leonine wall
Leonine may refer to:
Lions
* Leonine facies, a face that resembles that of a lion
Popes Leo
* Leonine City, a part of the city of Rome
* Leonine College, a college for priests in training, in Rome, Italy
* Leonine Prayers, a set of prayers tha ...
(defending the
Vatican Hill
Vatican Hill (; la, Mons Vaticanus; it, Colle Vaticano) is a hill located across the Tiber river from the traditional seven hills of Rome, that also gave the name of Vatican City. It is the location of St. Peter's Basilica.
Etymology
The anc ...
) and for a better protection of the area of
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
rising on the right bank of the
Tiber
The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the Riv ...
.
History
The need for a fortification, preventing access to Rome through its south-west side, derived from a conflict between two noble Roman families, the
Barberini
The House of Barberini are a family of the Italian nobility that rose to prominence in 17th century Rome. Their influence peaked with the election of Cardinal Maffeo Barberini to the papal throne in 1623, as Pope Urban VIII. Their urban palace ...
(the house of the Pontiff) and the
Farnese, due to economic interests and to the policy of expansion of the former against the latter. The ''
casus belli
A (; ) is an act or an event that either provokes or is used to justify a war. A ''casus belli'' involves direct offenses or threats against the nation declaring the war, whereas a ' involves offenses or threats against its ally—usually one b ...
'', cleverly arranged by Urban VIII himself, was the failure to pay to Barberinis the economic rents of the
Duchy of Castro
The Duchy of Castro was a fiefdom in central Italy formed in 1537 from a small strip of land on what is now Lazio's border with Tuscany, centred on Castro, Lazio, Castro, a fortified city on a tufa cliff overlooking the Fiora River which was its ...
and
Ronciglione
Ronciglione (locally ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Viterbo, Lazio (central Italy), about from Viterbo. The city is located in the Monti Cimini, Cimini mountains, over two tuff scarps, on the SE slope of the former volcano crater ...
(now in the Province of
Viterbo
Viterbo (; Viterbese: ; lat-med, Viterbium) is a city and ''comune'' in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo.
It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in its early history. ...
), governed by
Odoardo I Farnese
Odoardo Farnese (28 April 1612 – 11 September 1646), also known as Odoardo I Farnese to distinguish him from his grandson Odoardo II Farnese, was Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Castro from 1622 to 1646.
Biography
Odoardo was the eldest legit ...
, the Duke of
Parma and Piacenza and supported by
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
, the
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
of
Richelieu and the
Grand Duchy of Tuscany
The Grand Duchy of Tuscany ( it, Granducato di Toscana; la, Magnus Ducatus Etruriae) was an Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In th ...
.
In the summer of 1641 the Pope himself, leading an army of 15,000 men with
artilleries, marched against the Duchy, occupying its territory and the town of
Castro
Castro is a Romance language word that originally derived from Latin ''castrum'', a pre-Roman military camp or fortification (cf: Greek: ''kastron''; Proto-Celtic:''*Kassrik;'' br, kaer, *kastro). The English-language equivalent is '' chester''.
...
: in effect, the economic interests concealed political matters, as well as a kind of
feud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...
between rival families, and Urban was waiting for nothing but a pretext to set off the spark.
The "
War of Castro
The Wars of Castro were a series of conflicts during the mid-17th century revolving around the ancient city of Castro (located in present-day Lazio, Italy), which eventually resulted in the city's destruction on 2 September 1649. The conflict ...
", because of the involved powers, could however pose a threat also to the
Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...
, the Barberini House and its properties in Rome. The town, though adequately protected, was nevertheless perilously exposed on the side of
Janiculum
The Janiculum (; it, Gianicolo ), occasionally the Janiculan Hill, is a hill in western Rome, Italy. Although it is the second-tallest hill (the tallest being Monte Mario) in the contemporary city of Rome, the Janiculum does not figure among th ...
(what's more, too close to the
Vatican
Vatican may refer to:
Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum
The Holy See
* The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...
): on this side, the former wall erected by Emperor
Aurelian
Aurelian ( la, Lucius Domitius Aurelianus; 9 September 214 October 275) was a Roman emperor, who reigned during the Crisis of the Third Century, from 270 to 275. As emperor, he won an unprecedented series of military victories which reunited t ...
was no more in condition to guarantee an effective protection.
The work was commissioned to Marcantonio De Rossi, a quite unknown architect, whose appointment was probably thanks to his friendship with the powerful
Olimpia Maidalchini
Olimpia Maidalchini Pamphilj (26 May 1591 – 27 September 1657), (also spelled Pamphili and known as Olimpia Pamphili), was the sister-in-law of Pope Innocent X (Pamphili). She was perceived by her contemporaries as having influence regarding pap ...
. The surveys began in 1641, the building at the end of the following year and in 1643 the work was completed.
The new wall, rising on the west side of Janiculum, had serious consequences on the former defensive structures; in particular, the whole stretch of the
Aurelian walls on that side of the river was demolished, as it rose within the new perimeter. For the same reason, the
bastion
A bastion or bulwark is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fi ...
of the Leonine wall, built by
Antonio da Sangallo the Younger
250px, A model of the Apostolic Palace, which was the main project of Bramante during Sangallo's apprenticeship.
250px, The church of Santa Maria di Loreto near the Rome.html"_;"title="Trajan's_Market_in_Rome">Trajan's_Market_in_Rome.
image: ...
close to
Porta Santo Spirito, as well as the Porta itself, were by now almost useless;
Porta Settimiana
Porta Settimiana is one of the gates of the Aurelian walls in Rome, Italy).
It rises at the northern vertex of the rough triangle traced by the town walls, built by Emperor Aurelian in the 3rd century, in the area of Trastevere an up through the ...
became useless as well, while Porta Portuensis, closed off the new wall, was demolished together with the Aurelian stretch and replaced with the new
Porta Portese
Porta Portese is an ancient city gate, located at the end of Via Portuense, where it meets Via Porta Portese, about a block from the banks of the Tiber in the southern edge of the Rione Trastevere of Rome, Italy.
History
The gate was built in ...
northward. The only structure that maintained its function was
Porta San Pancrazio, where the new wall almost coincided to the ancient Aurelian structure.
Finally, in the new wall only a gate was built from scratch. Completed in 1644,
Porta Portese
Porta Portese is an ancient city gate, located at the end of Via Portuense, where it meets Via Porta Portese, about a block from the banks of the Tiber in the southern edge of the Rione Trastevere of Rome, Italy.
History
The gate was built in ...
shows the coat of arms of
Pope Innocent X
Pope Innocent X ( la, Innocentius X; it, Innocenzo X; 6 May 1574 – 7 January 1655), born Giovanni Battista Pamphilj (or Pamphili), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 September 1644 to his death in January ...
, the successor of Urban VIII, who had died in the meanwhile. From here, with a backward lengthening of the former street, starts the
Via Portuensis
Via Portuensis was an ancient Roman road, leading to the Portus constructed by Claudius on the right bank of the Tiber, at its mouth. It started from the Pons Aemilius, and the first part of its course is identical with that of the Via Campana. Th ...
, that until then sprouted from
Porta Portuensis, just south.
Despite the fears of Urban, the wall had to face no serious threat for two centuries, until in 1849 it became one of the main scenes of the fights between the French army of the General
Oudinot
Nicolas Charles Oudinot, 1st Count Oudinot, 1st Duke of Reggio (25 April 1767 in Bar-le-Duc – 13 September 1847 in Paris), was a Marshal of the Empire. He is known to have been wounded 34 times in battle, being hit by artillery shells, sabers, ...
(helping the Pope, who was about to lose the
temporal power over the city) and the militias of the
2nd Roman Republic.
The first tangle, on April 29, 1849, took place at the crossing between ancient and new
Via Aurelia
The ''Via Aurelia'' (Latin for "Aurelian Way") is a Roman road in Italy constructed in approximately 241 BC. The project was undertaken by Gaius Aurelius Cotta, who at that time was censor.Hornblower, Simon, & Antony Spawforth. ''The Oxford Cl ...
; the next day the French troops advanced towards
Porta Angelica and
Porta Cavalleggeri
Porta Cavalleggeri was one of the gates of the Leonine Wall in Rome (Italy).
Gate
Its remains are now walled in the stretch of wall facing the square that takes its name after it: this is nevertheless a recreation, since the original location of ...
but, along the whole way up to
Porta San Pancrazio, the defenders, sheltered behind the wallsm seriously impeded the Frenchmen: the bayonet fitting and then the standoff of the troops led by
Garibaldi
Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patr ...
in the area of the Basilica of
San Pancrazio
The basilica of San Pancrazio ( en, St Pancras; la, S. Pancratii) is a Roman Catholic ancient basilica and titular church founded by Pope Symmachus in the 6th century in Rome, Italy. It stands in via S. Pancrazio, westward beyond the Porta S ...
forced the assailants to beat a retreat.
The second fight, in the same area of
Villa Pamphilj and
Porta San Pancrazio, began during the night between 2 and 3 June. After a battle lasted the whole day, with continuous turn-arounds and a very high death toll on both sides, the Frenchmen gained the upper hand, but the walls held up and the defenders didn't cede.
However, the walls of Urban had been built to resist the 17th-century artillery and, two centuries after, the firepower was quite different: indeed, after making eight breaches in the walls to the left of Porta San Pancrazio and destroying the Porta itself, during the night between 21 and 22 June the Frenchmen overlooked the walls. The desperate standoff in the whole area kept them stuck until 30 June, when the armistice was signed. On 3 July they entered Rome.
The signs of the later reconstruction of the wall are still visible, especially in the stretch that flanks Viale delle Mura Gianicolensi, before the crossing with Via Fratelli Bonnet (but also beyond):
Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...
, as soon as he had strengthened his own position, quickly reconstructed the stretch of wall that had been damaged, as shown by some plates.
The same area on the left of Porta San Pancrazio was the scene of another fight, on September 20, 1870, between the troops of General
Nino Bixio
Gerolamo "Nino" Bixio (, ; 2 October 1821 – 16 December 1873) was an Italian general, patriot and politician, one of the most prominent figures in the Italian unification.
Life and career
He was born Gerolamo Bixio in Genoa. While still a boy ...
and the papal defenders; but the
Bersaglieri
The Bersaglieri, singular Bersagliere, (, "sharpshooter") are a troop of marksmen in the Italian Army's infantry corps. They were originally created by General Alessandro La Marmora on 18 June 1836 to serve in the Royal Sardinian Army, which ...
entered Porta Pia at the same time, and the papal troops gave up before the artilleries could destroy the wall again.
The layout
![V Sciarra lungo le mura 1170970](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/V_Sciarra_lungo_le_mura_1170970.JPG)
The area of
Porta Portese
Porta Portese is an ancient city gate, located at the end of Via Portuense, where it meets Via Porta Portese, about a block from the banks of the Tiber in the southern edge of the Rione Trastevere of Rome, Italy.
History
The gate was built in ...
, just a few meters from the present
Ponte Sublicio
Ponte Sublicio, also known as Ponte Aventino or Ponte Marmoreo, is a bridge linking Piazza dell'Emporio to Piazza di Porta Portese in Rome (Italy), in the Rioni Ripa, Trastevere and Testaccio and in the ''Quartiere'' Portuense.
The most ancie ...
, is the lowest of the whole layout: the rise to the
Janiculum hill
The Janiculum (; it, Gianicolo ), occasionally the Janiculan Hill, is a hill in western Rome, Italy. Although it is the second-tallest hill (the tallest being Monte Mario) in the contemporary city of Rome, the Janiculum does not figure among th ...
begins soon beyond, partly due to the raising of the ground level. Between the end of the 17th and the beginning of the 18th century, the whole area became the centre of various settlements relevant to river transports: just within the gate rose the
Port of Ripa Grande, that was the main dock of the
Tiber
The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the Riv ...
, in front of the ancient ''Emporium'', while just outside, in 1714,
Pope Clement XI
Pope Clement XI ( la, Clemens XI; it, Clemente XI; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721.
Clement XI w ...
built the new “Papal Arsenal”, used for the maintenance of the river commercial fleet of the Pope; the Arsenal operated until the end of the 19th century, when the building of the ''muraglioni'' (embankments) of the Tiber interrupted any activity related to the river. The only surviving memory of the Port are two ramps descending to the river.
After a short stretch north-westward, the wall makes a right angle southwest and goes on in a non-linear way flanking Viale delle Mura Portuensi up to Largo Bernardino da Feltre, just where probably it crossed the ancient Aurelian layout. Three coats of arm of Urban VIII are visible along this stretch, where the wall is not particularly high due to the raising of the ground level: they were placed in 1644, when the Pope had already died.
Obviously nothing is left of the bastion that rose where Viale Trastevere - opened during the kingdom of
Umberto I
Umberto I ( it, Umberto Rainerio Carlo Emanuele Giovanni Maria Ferdinando Eugenio di Savoia; 14 March 1844 – 29 July 1900) was King of Italy from 9 January 1878 until his assassination on 29 July 1900.
Umberto's reign saw Italy attempt colo ...
- now runs; the wall is again visible, though quite degraded, along the rise of Viale Aurelio Saffi, on the right. In correspondence to the first curve on the left there is a tunnel dug under the wall, used as an
air-raid shelter
Air raid shelters are structures for the protection of non-combatants as well as combatants against enemy attacks from the air. They are similar to bunkers in many regards, although they are not designed to defend against ground attack (but many ...
during
war period.
The wall goes on climbing and, in correspondence to the last, narrow curve of Viale Saffi, a blind arch is visible, probably used as a tunnel to pass on the other side. After a further, short stretch southward, the wall suddenly turns right, always flanking the street, that now changes its name into Viale delle Mura Gianicolensi.
At the corner there is a quite battered plate, in memory of the works of restoration:
Next to the plate, a plaque
remembers the events of 1849. Furthermore, the entire stretch of wall from here up to
Porta San Pancrazio is a sequence of signs, more or less visible, of restorations (patchings, traces of subsidences and collapses), that evidently lasted at least until 1861, according to the just mentioned plate of
Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...
.
All along this first stretch, up to the crossing with Via Fratelli Bonnet, the inner side of the wall encircles the area of
Villa Sciarra and is only partially visible since, in some places, it is covered by an embankment giving a modern example of the ancient
agger, probably similar to the one next to the
Servian Wall
The Servian Wall ( la, Murus Servii Tullii; it, Mura Serviane) was an ancient Roman defensive barrier constructed around the city of Rome in the early 4th century BC. The wall was built of volcanic tuff and was up to in height in places, wide ...
. About halfway, there is an open
postern
A postern is a secondary door or gate in a fortification such as a city wall or castle curtain wall. Posterns were often located in a concealed location which allowed the occupants to come and go inconspicuously. In the event of a siege, a postern ...
, serving as a secondary access to Villa Sciarra. Passing through this access gives an idea of the outstanding thickness of the base of the wall.
The stretch, starting soon after the two modern arches on Via Fratelli Bonnet allowing the viability, is the one most damaged by the military events of 1848, commemorated by two plates newly restored, placed just where a sizeable breach was opened. The first plate was placed by the Pope soon after the first restorations and is combined with the three coats of arms of the
Odescalchi
The House of Erba-Odescalchi () and the House of Odescalchi are branches of an Italian noble family formed by the union of the Erba and Odescalchi families. The Odescalchi family was, since the election of Benedetto Odescalchi as Pope Innocen ...
and Mastai-Ferretti families and of the Municipality of Rome:
The second plate, that is almost a spite with a totally opposite style, dates back to the period immediately following the fall of the
temporal power:
The highest point of the wall is dominated by
Porta San Pancrazio, rebuilt in 1854 by the architect
Virginio Vespignani
Virginio Vespignani (12 February 1808 – 4 December 1882) was an Italian architect.
Vespignani was born in Rome. A student of Luigi Poletti, he was highly interested in classical architecture, becoming one of Roman neoclassical's main figur ...
(a plate remembers his intervention) in a 19th-century style having nothing to do with the style the gate had before the events of 1849 nor even with the original style of the
Aurelian wall. Presently the gate rises isolated in order to ease viability.
The following downhill stretch shows completely different characteristics, as regards both history (it has suffered no damages from bombings and assaults) and landscape (the quite steep slope didn't allow a building growth in the close vicinity). Viale delle Mura Aurelie follows the wall in a quite winding way, according to the profile of the walls and bastions.
After bypassing the first bastion, the wall shows a
travertine
Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a pro ...
aedicula, in a quite elevated position, containing a statue of
St. Andrew
Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Peter ...
. According to the plate, this is the place where the head of the Saint, held within
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...
since the 15th century, was discovered after being abandoned by the thief that had purloined it:
[In 1964 ]Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...
returned the relic to the town of Patras
)
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demographics1_title2 =
, demographics1_info2 =
, timezone1 = EET
, utc_offset1 = +2
, ...
, the hometown of the Apostle, as a sign of détente between Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
and greek Orthodox
The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek language, Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the Eastern Orthodox Church, entire body of Orthodox (Chalced ...
Churches.
The wall of Urban VIII ends about 1 km beyond, joining the bastion erected by
Pope Pius V
Pope Pius V ( it, Pio V; 17 January 1504 – 1 May 1572), born Antonio Ghislieri (from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri, O.P.), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1566 to his death in May 1572. He is v ...
in 1568 in the area of the present Palazzo di
Propaganda Fide
Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...
, just before Largo di Porta Cavalleggeri. All along this last stretch - not particularly interesting anyway - 12 coats of arms of Urban VIII and 3 of Pius IX are scattered; in the section corresponding to the square that houses the
monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi there is a walled-in and quite recessed
postern
A postern is a secondary door or gate in a fortification such as a city wall or castle curtain wall. Posterns were often located in a concealed location which allowed the occupants to come and go inconspicuously. In the event of a siege, a postern ...
; a plate in remembrance of the restoration works carried up in 1849 in the area of
Porta San Pancrazio and two further plates in remembrance of as many further restorations by Pius IX; the first one, dated 1857, is not easily readable:
The second one, dated 1870, is probably the last artifact of this kind dating back to the age of the
temporal power:
Notes
Bibliography
* Mauro Quercioli, ''“Le mura e le porte di Roma”'', Newton & Compton, Rome, 1982
External links
*
{{Monuments of Rome
Walls of Rome