A stroll through the Forum on Friday morning left us gaping with delight when we discovered that the Temple of Romulus was open to the public. We’d never been in before, so we rushed the door and stood in awe as we looked around the interior.
Built by the Roman Emperor Maxentius (reigned AD 306-312), who dedicated the building to his son Romulus who died at age four in AD 309, the exterior building is fitted out with a fine pair of bronze doors (that actually came from an earlier building of c. AD 200 and were re-used here, a couple of lovely porphyry columns (also spolia or re-used materials), and a beautifully carved, white marble door frame.
The Temple of Romulus–which remains marvelously intact even today–was transformed into a vestibule or antechapel for the Church of SS. Cosmas and Damian in 527 AD. We were happy to see fragments of medieval frescoes inside, including those shown on the right, below, that make it appear as if luxurious drapery covers the buildings walls, and the altarpiece said to by the 13th century painter, Jacopo Torriti.
The Friday opening of the Temple of Romulus is part of a program called Archeologia d’Estate, in which generally inaccessible monuments are open to the public for the months of June, July, August, and September. For those of you eager to pay a visit to some of these sites, the schedule is as folows;
On Tuesdays, the House of Livia and the House of the Griffins on the Palatine are open.
On Thursdays, the House of the Griffins and the Loggia Mattei (in which one can also see the frescoes from the Aula Isiaca) are open.
On Fridays, the Oratory of the 40 Martyrs and the Temple of Romulus in the Forum are open.
