1300-1700
The Colosseum in ruins
In 1381 a section of the Colosseum was donated to the religious group called Confraternita del Santissimo Salvatore ad sancta Sanctorum, also called del Gonfalone, which in 1490 was granted permission to hold Passion plays in the amphitheatre. By now, the function of the amphitheatre had been rediscovered by the humanists, and had become commonplace to believe that it had been the place of martyrdom for many early christians. Thousands of people crowded the ruins of the Colosseum to participate. The Passion plays of the Gonfalone were held until 1539, when they were banned because they aroused hatred of the jews and were the source of many incidents and riots.
In this period the property of the monument was split between the Confraternity, the Roman Senate and the Camera Apostolica. The Confraternity started to use the stones of the Colosseum in the sections that had already fallen down, and though in the XV century the Popes started to repair some old Roman ruins, the removal of materials lasted for centuries.
It seems that in the XV century some excavations were made, which brought to light the drains that cross the substratum of the amphitheatre, and the wide pavement around it, which was again rediscovered in 1895.
A cartload being taken away in an
engraving of the 19th century
There is evidence that in 1439 the stones were used to repair the tribuna of the Basilica of St. John Lateran; that in 1452 alone 2.522 cartloads were taken away by a Giovanni Foglia from Como, and that ten years later the travertines were used for the building of the Scala Santa and for the square and the Loggia of the Blessings in St. Peter’s .
By now permission to carry away the stones was easily granted by the Popes (under payment, of course), who also took advantage of tapping such a vast and cheap source of building materials for their projects, while on the other hand their edicts officially promoted the preservation of the ancient monuments.
"By kissing the Holy Cross one acquires one year and 40 days of indulgence" - This pious reminder is still affixed inside the Colosseum
In the XV century the materials were used to mend the city walls, to build the Church of San Marco, Palazzo Venezia;
in the XVI to build Palazzo della Cancelleria, Palazzo Farnese, the Palazzi Senatorio and dei Conservatori on Capitol Hill, and in 1574 for the restoration of the Pons Emilius (a bridge that lasted only 23 years, being destroyed again in the terrible 1598 flood; since then it is called Ponte Rotto, or broken bridge);
in the XVII century Palazzo Barberini (and many others).
Some Popes (Sixtus V and Clemens X) planned to reclaim the building: Sixtus wanted to use the amphitheatre as a milling factory, with the machines on the ground floor and the houses of the workers on the top floors. More projects were made by Clemens, but nothing was ever concluded because of the lack of funds.
The little church inside the amphitheatre
In the XVII century the monument had again become a den of derelicts and criminals. After long years of abandon, in 1700 Pope Clemens XI had the arches closed, a cross placed in the arena and the site used as a manure deposit for the manufacture of saltpetre, destined to a nearby gunpowder factory. In 1703 three arches of the second SW ring fell down because of an earthquake and Clemens found a way to use the travertine for the building of the new monumental port on the river (porto di Ripetta).
After more decades of decay and just before the 1750 Jubileum, the monument was given some attention: the little church inside the Colosseum, dedicated to S. Maria della Pietà (see picture on the right), was restored in 1743. In 1749, Pope Benedetto XIV declared the monument a public church, consecrated to the memory of the Passion of Christ and His Martyrs; so at least the removal of the stones was stopped. The stations of the Via Crucis were placed all around the arena, a new cross was planted in the middle and the amphitheatre was declared a public church.
A picture of the Via Crucis at the Colosseum
The Pope also founded a religious Arciconfraternita dedicated to Jesus and Mary, which started holding holy processions. They used to start from their seat at Oratorio of the church of Santi Cosma e Damiano, went on the Via Sacra through the Forum and reached the amphitheatre. Visitors found the procession very spectacular, and have left written descriptions and pictures (see right).
What about modern days ? Is the looting over ? Read here an interesting thread of discussion in a newsgroup, where someone asks if it is legal to sell a "chunk" of the Colosseum on E-Bay...
The Colosseum in ruins
In 1381 a section of the Colosseum was donated to the religious group called Confraternita del Santissimo Salvatore ad sancta Sanctorum, also called del Gonfalone, which in 1490 was granted permission to hold Passion plays in the amphitheatre. By now, the function of the amphitheatre had been rediscovered by the humanists, and had become commonplace to believe that it had been the place of martyrdom for many early christians. Thousands of people crowded the ruins of the Colosseum to participate. The Passion plays of the Gonfalone were held until 1539, when they were banned because they aroused hatred of the jews and were the source of many incidents and riots.
In this period the property of the monument was split between the Confraternity, the Roman Senate and the Camera Apostolica. The Confraternity started to use the stones of the Colosseum in the sections that had already fallen down, and though in the XV century the Popes started to repair some old Roman ruins, the removal of materials lasted for centuries.
It seems that in the XV century some excavations were made, which brought to light the drains that cross the substratum of the amphitheatre, and the wide pavement around it, which was again rediscovered in 1895.
A cartload being taken away in an
engraving of the 19th century
There is evidence that in 1439 the stones were used to repair the tribuna of the Basilica of St. John Lateran; that in 1452 alone 2.522 cartloads were taken away by a Giovanni Foglia from Como, and that ten years later the travertines were used for the building of the Scala Santa and for the square and the Loggia of the Blessings in St. Peter’s .
By now permission to carry away the stones was easily granted by the Popes (under payment, of course), who also took advantage of tapping such a vast and cheap source of building materials for their projects, while on the other hand their edicts officially promoted the preservation of the ancient monuments.
"By kissing the Holy Cross one acquires one year and 40 days of indulgence" - This pious reminder is still affixed inside the Colosseum
In the XV century the materials were used to mend the city walls, to build the Church of San Marco, Palazzo Venezia;
in the XVI to build Palazzo della Cancelleria, Palazzo Farnese, the Palazzi Senatorio and dei Conservatori on Capitol Hill, and in 1574 for the restoration of the Pons Emilius (a bridge that lasted only 23 years, being destroyed again in the terrible 1598 flood; since then it is called Ponte Rotto, or broken bridge);
in the XVII century Palazzo Barberini (and many others).
Some Popes (Sixtus V and Clemens X) planned to reclaim the building: Sixtus wanted to use the amphitheatre as a milling factory, with the machines on the ground floor and the houses of the workers on the top floors. More projects were made by Clemens, but nothing was ever concluded because of the lack of funds.
The little church inside the amphitheatre
In the XVII century the monument had again become a den of derelicts and criminals. After long years of abandon, in 1700 Pope Clemens XI had the arches closed, a cross placed in the arena and the site used as a manure deposit for the manufacture of saltpetre, destined to a nearby gunpowder factory. In 1703 three arches of the second SW ring fell down because of an earthquake and Clemens found a way to use the travertine for the building of the new monumental port on the river (porto di Ripetta).
After more decades of decay and just before the 1750 Jubileum, the monument was given some attention: the little church inside the Colosseum, dedicated to S. Maria della Pietà (see picture on the right), was restored in 1743. In 1749, Pope Benedetto XIV declared the monument a public church, consecrated to the memory of the Passion of Christ and His Martyrs; so at least the removal of the stones was stopped. The stations of the Via Crucis were placed all around the arena, a new cross was planted in the middle and the amphitheatre was declared a public church.
A picture of the Via Crucis at the Colosseum
The Pope also founded a religious Arciconfraternita dedicated to Jesus and Mary, which started holding holy processions. They used to start from their seat at Oratorio of the church of Santi Cosma e Damiano, went on the Via Sacra through the Forum and reached the amphitheatre. Visitors found the procession very spectacular, and have left written descriptions and pictures (see right).
What about modern days ? Is the looting over ? Read here an interesting thread of discussion in a newsgroup, where someone asks if it is legal to sell a "chunk" of the Colosseum on E-Bay...
No comments:
Post a Comment