Cyprus-Malta-Rome 2016Israel-Poland 2014

Rome: ancient temples and the Jewish Ghetto

Joanna August 8, 2016 2 4

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There is one more part of Rome that I would like to talk about: the Basiilica of St. Nicholas in Prison and its area. It is located near two ancient temples: Temple of Portunus (the one closer to us) and  Temple of Hercules Victor.

Walking around this part of the city we can see that many new buildings contain remains of ancient structures:

One of them is the Basilica of St. Nicholas in Prison; it has been built over three Roman pagan temples from the Republican times. The left wall of the church contains 6 columns of the southern temple – Temple of Spes (Hope):

Juno Sospita’s temple was in the middle and the northern temple was the one devoted to Janus Bifrons.

Today’s Basilica is from the 16th century,

but if you would like to go back in time, visit the crypt. There, you can see the remains of the three temples and you can walk in the narrow alleyways between them. The row of small rooms is puzzling. These may have been shops selling items associated with the temples.

This is the right wall of the church:

The dedication to St Nicholas was made by the Greek population in the area. In the 11th century, it was known as the church of Petrus Leonis, referring to the converted Jewish family, the Pierleoni, who rebuilt the nearby Theatre of Marcellus as a fortress. (Wikipedia)

Here is the nearby Theatre of Marcellus:

Next to the Theater of Marcellus and the Portico of Octavia is  the district of the old Jewish Ghetto, established in 1555:

The Great Synagogue of Rome is the largest synagogue in Rome:

Thank you for visiting Rome with me!