Villa Gordiani is a
park
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...
along the
Via Prenestina
The Via Praenestina (modern Italian: Via Prenestina) was an ancient Roman road in central Italy.
Initially called Via Gabiana, from Gabii, the ancient city of Old Latium to which it ran, it received a new name having been extended as far as Pr ...
, in
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 ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. It is home to several ancient Roman remains, traditionally identified with the villa of the Gordian imperial family, which included three Roman emperors of the 3rd century,
Gordian I
Gordian I ( la, Marcus Antonius Gordianus Sempronianus Romanus; 158 – April 238 AD) was Roman emperor for 22 days with his son Gordian II in 238, the Year of the Six Emperors. Caught up in a rebellion against the Emperor Maximinus Thrax, he ...
,
Gordian II
Gordian II ( la, Marcus Antonius Gordianus Sempronianus Romanus; 192 – April 238) was Roman emperor with his father Gordian I in 238 AD, the Year of the Six Emperors. Seeking to overthrow Maximinus Thrax, he died in battle outside Carthage ...
and
Gordian III
Gordian III ( la, Marcus Antonius Gordianus; 20 January 225 – February 244) was Roman emperor from 238 to 244. At the age of 13, he became the youngest sole emperor up to that point (until Valentinian II in 375). Gordian was the son of Anton ...
.
History
The complex, which is mentioned in ancient sources such as the ''
Historia Augusta
The ''Historia Augusta'' (English: ''Augustan History'') is a late Roman collection of biographies, written in Latin, of the Roman emperors, their junior colleagues, designated heirs and usurpers from 117 to 284. Supposedly modeled on the sim ...
'', had a portico with some 200 columns, in different stones. It also included basilicas and baths.
During the 13th century, the ''Tor de' Schiavi'' (literally "Tower of the Slaves", although the name derives from the dello Schiavo family, who acquired it in 1571) was built over the remains. In 1422 the area was acquired by the
Colonna
The House of Colonna, also known as ''Sciarrillo'' or ''Sciarra'', is an Italian noble family, forming part of the papal nobility. It was powerful in medieval and Renaissance Rome, supplying one pope (Martin V) and many other church and politica ...
family. The monumental entrance of the villa is an octagonal structure dating perhaps to the late 3rd-early 4th century, when the villa was enlarged and restored.
The complex and the garden were restored in the 1960s, and has now the status of an archaeological park. It is divided in two sectors by the Via Prenestina.
Gallery
File:VillaGordianiAulaAbsidata03.jpg, Aula absidata
File:Villa Gordiani 30.JPG, Basilica paleocristiana
File:Villa Gordiani 02.JPG, Cisterne
File:Mausoleo Tor de' Schiavi Villa Gordiani 7.JPG, Mausoleum
File:Aula Ottagonale Villa Gordiani Prenestina 4.JPG, Tor dei Schiavi
See also
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Roman gardens
Roman gardens and ornamental horticulture became highly developed under Roman civilization, and thrived from 150 BC to 350 AD. The Gardens of Lucullus (''Horti Lucullani''), on the Pincian Hill in Rome, introduced the Persian gardens, Persian ga ...
*
Ancient Roman architecture index
*
History of Roman and Byzantine domes
Domes were a characteristic element of the architecture of Ancient Rome and of its medieval continuation, the Byzantine Empire. They had widespread influence on contemporary and later styles, from Russian and Ottoman architecture to the Italian ...
Sources
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External links
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Parks in Rome
Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Rome
Go
Rome Q. VII Prenestino-Labicano
Rome Q. XXII Collatino
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