AURELIAN'S WALLS - part 3

The road keeps gradually ascending, up to a crossing where it reaches Porta Latina [map ref. 3]. The present shape of this small gate is a result of emperor Honorius's alterations, carried out at the beginning of the 5th century AD, with a white stone facing to protect the more fragile Roman brick structure. The left tower, though, was rebuilt in the 12th century (a closer look reveals a certain difference in the brick and stone texture). On the outer side, the arch's keystone is roughly carved with the Christian Chi-Ro monogram, i.e. ☧ (a "P" crossed by an "X", from the first two letters in the Greek name for Christ); a similar decoration on the opposite side of the gate, partly covered by weeds and tree branches, features a 6-pointed star: also this is a Christian symbol. Emperor Honorius, who was actually known to be very keen on religion, had these carvings added to the gate, a form of protection.	Porta Latina; note the white stone facing

The road keeps gradually ascending, up to a crossing where it reaches Porta Latina [map ref. 3].
The present shape of this small gate is a result of emperor Honorius's alterations, carried out at the beginning of the 5th century AD, with a white stone facing to protect the more fragile Roman brick structure. The left tower, though, was rebuilt in the 12th century (a closer look reveals a certain difference in the brick and stone texture).
On the outer side, the arch's keystone is roughly carved with the Christian Chi-Ro monogram, i.e. ☧ (a "P" crossed by an "X", from the first two letters in the Greek name for Christ); a similar decoration on the opposite side of the gate, partly covered by weeds and tree branches, features a 6-pointed star: also this is a Christian symbol. Emperor Honorius, who was actually known to be very keen on religion, had these carvings added to the gate, a form of protection.

Porta Latina; note the white stone facing

	Despite its small dimensions, the gate stood by the origin of an important road, via Latina, which ran south-east, and reached Labici (see map of ROME'S ANCIENT SURROUNDINGS); there it joined via Labicana (or Casilina), which left Rome through Porta Maggiore (see part II page 2), and carried on towards Casilinum, not too far from Naples. Via Latina's name, and more generally the adjective 'Latin', come from the geographic aerea called Latium, where this road led to. The name Latium, now indicating a wide region in central Italy, originally referred only to the plains between the Albani hills and the Tyrrenian coast, south of Rome.

Despite its small dimensions, the gate stood by the origin of an important road, via Latina, which ran south-east, and reached Labici (see map of ROME'S ANCIENT SURROUNDINGS); there it joined via Labicana (or Casilina), which left Rome through Porta Maggiore (see part II page 2), and carried on towards Casilinum, not too far from Naples.
Via Latina's name, and more generally the adjective 'Latin', come from the geographic aerea called Latium, where this road led to. The name Latium, now indicating a wide region in central Italy, originally referred only to the plains between the Albani hills and the Tyrrenian coast, south of Rome.

You may wish to pay a brief visit to the ancient church located only a few meters inside the gate, St.John by Porta Latina, which features some interesting frescoes from the 1100s.

the oratory of St.John in Oil	You'll also notice a very small octagonal building standing along the way just passed the gate: this was believed to be the spot where St.John, set to death in boiling oil, miraculously survived unharmed such torture (whence its name: oratory of St.John in Oil). The present shrine is an early Renaissance work by Donato Bramante, with some Baroque alterations added about 150 years later by Francesco Borromini.	fresco in St.John by Porta Latina: Adam and Eve

The route towards the next gate passes by a few thicker towers, some of which were roughly rebuilt in the middle ages. Very soon the wall makes a turn on the right: the buildings of the modern Appio-Latino district quite abruptly come to an end, and the urban area almost turns into countryside.

About 200 metres or yards ahead, the wall reaches the southernmost gate of ancient Rome, one of the most important ones, and one of the most beautiful ones too: Porta San Sebastiano [map ref. 4].

Porta San Sebastiano	Originally called Porta Appia, the name is likely to have changed during the Middle Ages, after the famous catacombs dedicated to St.Sebastian, located about 2 Km (1¼ miles) south of this spot. The gate stands along the famous via Appia, an important Roman road, still in use today. Its first 7 Km - 4 miles are accessible to cars, and a few traces of the original stone paving can be seen along the way; outgoing traffic is then diverted towards via Appia Nuova, the New Appian way, coming from Porta San Giovanni (previously described), while the few further remains of the original Roman road gradually fade as they enter the countryside. Porta San Sebastiano's structure is not very different from the small Porta Latina, but the overall look is surely more massive. Also in this case, some alterations to the original Roman gate were carried out by Honorius in the 5th century, such as the reduction of the two original archways to a single passage, likely for safety reasons.

Porta San Sebastiano

Originally called Porta Appia, the name is likely to have changed during the Middle Ages, after the famous catacombs dedicated to St.Sebastian, located about 2 Km (1¼ miles) south of this spot.
The gate stands along the famous via Appia, an important Roman road, still in use today. Its first 7 Km - 4 miles are accessible to cars, and a few traces of the original stone paving can be seen along the way; outgoing traffic is then diverted towards via Appia Nuova, the New Appian way, coming from Porta San Giovanni (previously described), while the few further remains of the original Roman road gradually fade as they enter the countryside.

Porta San Sebastiano's structure is not very different from the small Porta Latina, but the overall look is surely more massive. Also in this case, some alterations to the original Roman gate were carried out by Honorius in the 5th century, such as the reduction of the two original archways to a single passage, likely for safety reasons.

At first, it is advisable to walk down via Appia, just enough to take a general view of this complex, as it used to appear to travellers or merchants reaching Rome from the south: really an impressive sight, also because the gate stands at the top of a slightly sloping stretch of the Appian way.
Then, once back by the base of the gate, you can take a close look at the white stone facing, whose lower part, though, is in marble.
Curious elements, often overlooked, are several round humps, bulging from the stone facing in the lower part of the two towers: they come in different sizes, randomly scattered all over the wall. They are apotropaic decorations (i.e. set there against evil or ill-fortune), also found on the previous gate, Porta Latina, although much more numerous and evident on this gate.

Further down, at man's height, you will notice a number of names, inscribed by travellers during the past centuries, some of which come with a date, or with Christian symbols or with indications, such as the ones shown below.

"this way goes to St.John's" says the inscription on the right,
left by Angelo Bordoni, who misspelt his own name

the round humps on the base of one tower

the angel carved below Porta San Sebastiano

The most interesting feature of this gate, though, can be seen below the arch, on the left (western) pillar, just inside the crease of the portcullis which once closed the passage: a carving featuring archangel Michael in the attitude of slaying a dragon with a spear, holding an orb with the other hand, and an inscription in Latin dated 1327.

The text, translated on the right, commemorates a battle that took place here, between Robert king of Naples and a local army largely made of common people; the king's troops, simply referred to as 'strangers', belonged to the Guelfs, a party sympathetic to the pope, while the locals, who won the battle, were Ghibellines, the faction who supported the emperor.

IN THE YEAR OF THE LORD 1327, 11TH INDICTION, ON THE PENULTIMATE DAY OF THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER, ST.MICHAEL'S DAY, STRANGERS ENTERED THE CITY, AND THEY WERE DEFEATED BY THE PEOPLE OF ROME, IN THE PRESENCE OF IACOBO DE' PONZIANI, HEAD OF THE DISTRICT

Inside the gate, on the left, is the small Aurelian Wall Museum, open daily (except on Mondays) from 9 AM to 7 PM, or to 1:30 PM on Sundays and holidays. A number of exhibits illustrate its history, and it is also possible to walk above the stretch of wall which reaches the following Porta Ardeatina (described in page 3): presently, this is the only part of the set of Roman walls which can be visited. Immediately behind Porta San Sebastiano, in front of the museum, are the remains of an ancient arch [map ref. A], named after tribune Marcus Livius Drusus (late 2nd century BC), though actually built in the 3rd century AD; it belonged to the no longer existing aqueduct called Aqua Antoniniana, which sprang from the larger aqueduct Aqua Marcia by the 3rd mile of via Latina and, following the southern city boundary, carried water towards the Baths of Caracalla, located about 800 metres - ½ mile west of Porta San Sebastiano. The only other fragment of this branch can be seen in the nearby piazza Galeria (see the map of the route).	the Arch of Drusus

Inside the gate, on the left, is the small Aurelian Wall Museum, open daily (except on Mondays) from 9 AM to 7 PM, or to 1:30 PM on Sundays and holidays. A number of exhibits illustrate its history, and it is also possible to walk above the stretch of wall which reaches the following Porta Ardeatina (described in page 3): presently, this is the only part of the set of Roman walls which can be visited.

Immediately behind Porta San Sebastiano, in front of the museum, are the remains of an ancient arch [map ref. A], named after tribune Marcus Livius Drusus (late 2nd century BC), though actually built in the 3rd century AD; it belonged to the no longer existing aqueduct called Aqua Antoniniana, which sprang from the larger aqueduct Aqua Marcia by the 3rd mile of via Latina and, following the southern city boundary, carried water towards the Baths of Caracalla, located about 800 metres - ½ mile west of Porta San Sebastiano. The only other fragment of this branch can be seen in the nearby piazza Galeria (see the map of the route).

the Arch of Drusus

Before Aurelian's walls were built, the road below the Arch of Drusus, now called via di Porta San Sebastiano, was the first stretch of the Appian Way: the latter had its origin by Porta Capena, the southernmost gate of the earlier set of walls, which was located some 800 metres or ½ mile further north (see the Servian Walls and the reference map showing Rome's ancient roads): this gives an idea of how much Rome's urban area had considerably spread by AD 270, when Aurelianus decided to rebuild the set of walls.