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WALKING TOURS OF ROME

From Senate House to Church

22/9/2020

 
Map
Curia Julia (Senate House), Forum, Rome
The Curia Julia

The Curia Julia, also known as the Curia Senatus, dates back to the reign of Emperor Diocletian (r. 293-303 ) and was the seat of the Senate. The lower part of the front wall was originally veneered in marble, while the upper part was covered with stucco. ​

In the 6th century the Curia was converted into a church, that of Sant' Adriano al Foro, which accounts for its relatively good state of preservation. Sant' Adriano was deconsecrated in the 1930s and the building restored to its original form.

The interior of the Curia Julia is 25.20 m long by 17.61 m wide. There are three broad steps that could have fitted five rows of seats, room for about 300 senators. The walls are now bare, but they were originally veneered in marble two-thirds of their height. Thankfully, its striking floor remains intact, a beautiful green and maroon pavement in opus sectile. 

The bronze doors are copies; the original doors were removed to the cathedral in 1660, at the behest of Pope Alexander VII (r. 1655-67). 

Pavement in opus sectile (late 3rd century CE), the Curia Julia, Roman Forum
Pavement in opus sectile
View of the Roman Forum from the Palatine Hill
View of the Roman Forum from the Palatine Hill
Arch of Septimius Severus & church of Sant' Adriano al Foro (1575), print by Etienne Dupérac
Arch of Septimius Severus & church of Sant' Adriano al Foro (1575), print by Etienne Dupérac
Church of Sant' Adriano al Foro in Rome prior to excavations
Church of Sant' Adriano al Foro in Rome prior to excavations
Interior of the church of Sant' Adriano al Foro, Rome
Interior of Sant' Adriano al Foro

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    Walking Tours For Discerning Travellers

    My name is David Lown and I am an art historian from Cambridge, England. Since 2001 I have lived in Italy, where I run private and
    small-group walking tours
    of Rome.

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  • Home
  • Private Tours
  • Small-Group Tours
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • St Peter's Basilica
    • Altars >
      • Altar of St Joseph
      • Altar of St Gregory the Great
      • Altar of the Madonna of Succour
      • Altar of St Sebastian
      • Altar of the Lie
      • Altar of the Presentation of the Virgin
      • Altar of St Jerome
      • Altar of the Transfiguration
      • Altar of Pope Leo the Great
    • Monuments >
      • Countess Matilda of Canossa
      • Maria Clementina Sobieska
      • Queen Christina of Sweden
      • Pope Innocent VIII
      • Pope Paul III
      • Pope Gregory XIII
      • Pope Gregory XIV
      • Pope Leo XI
      • Pope Urban VIII
      • Pope Alexander VII
      • Pope Clement X
      • Pope Innocent XI
      • Pope Alexander VIII
      • Pope Innocent XII
      • Pope Benedict XIV
      • Pope Clement XIII
      • Pope Pius VII
      • Pope Leo XII
      • Pope Pius VIII
      • Pope Gregory XVI
      • Pope Pius X
      • Pope Benedict XV
      • Pope Pius XI
      • Pope Pius XII
      • Pope John XXIII
      • The Stuarts
    • Portico >
      • Door of Death
      • Door of Good and Evil
      • Central Door
      • Door of the Sacraments
      • Holy Door
    • Pieta
    • Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament
    • Cathedra Petri
    • Crossing >
      • Baldacchino
      • Confessio
      • Dome
      • St Longinus
      • St Helena
      • St Veronica
      • St Andrew
    • St Peter
    • Chapel of the Choir
    • Chapel of the Baptistery
    • Nave
  • Sistine Chapel
    • North Wall
    • South Wall
    • East Wall
    • Ceiling: Part One >
      • Ceiling: Part Two
      • Ceiling: Part Three
    • The Last Judgement
  • Fountains
    • Trevi Fountain
    • Fontana della Barcaccia
    • Fountain of the Triton
    • Fountain of the Bees
    • Fountain of Moses
    • Fountain of the Four Rivers
    • Fountain of the Acqua Paola
    • Fountain of the Turtles
    • Fountain of the Naiads
    • Fountain of the Cannonball
    • Piazza del Popolo
    • Fountain of the Pantheon
    • Fountains of Piazza Farnese
    • Fountain of Goddess Roma
    • Rioni Fountains
    • Street Fountains
    • Venice Marries the Sea
    • St Peter's Square
    • Fountain of the Moor
    • Fountain of Neptune
    • Fountain of the Porter
    • Fountain of the Seahorses
  • Gallery
    • Piazzas >
      • Piazza del Campidglio
      • Piazza del Quirinale
      • Piazza del Popolo
      • Piazza di Spagna
      • Piazza Navona
      • Piazza S. M. in Trastevere
      • Piazza San Pietro
    • Mosaics
    • Fountains
    • Churches
    • Ancient Rome
    • Palaces
    • Domes
    • Papal Coats of Arms
    • Street Shrines
    • Old Photographs
    • Borromini & the Baroque