Basilica di Massenzio (Basilica of Maxentius)

Basilica di Massenzio (Basilica of Maxentius) Review

What remains of this gigantic basilica—or meeting hall—is only about one-third of the original, so you can imagine what a wonder this building was when erected. Today, the great arched vaults of this structure still dominate the north side of the Via Sacra. Begun under the emperor Maxentius about AD 306, the edifice was a center of judicial and commercial activity, the last of its kind to be built in Rome. Over the centuries, like so many Roman monuments, it was exploited as a quarry for building materials and was stripped of its sumptuous marble and stucco decorations. Its coffered vaults, like the coffering inside the Pantheon's dome, were later copied by many Renaissance artists and architects.