There Once Was In Rome... - the Baths of Constantine

Constantine I, i.e. Constantine the Great (reigned AD 306-337), is probably the emperor who left the deepest mark in Rome's history, having been the first ruler who freed Christianity from proscription, thus letting it free to become, within a short time, the leading religion of the empire. This entailed enormous consequences for the city, both historical, such as the dawn of papal authority, that would have lasted until 1870 (and that, in some respects, has never ended), and artistic too, as the myriads of temples dedicated to Jupiter, Juno, Apollo, Minerva, etc., which represented the bulk of classical Rome's architecture, were soon disregarded, and replaced or, better, 'recycled' for the making of churches and basilicas.

the Baths of Constantine (Etienne du Perac, c.1575); a caption by the author says:
Remains of the baths of Constantine on the side looking south-west, where no decorations are seen, being badly damaged,
but only great walls and halls, especially in the garden of the Honourable Cardinal de Vercello; and after I drew this side,
houses and barns have been built there, so that today it can no longer be seen, having been covered by the aforesaid buildings.

As other great emperors has already done, also Constantine gave the roman people public baths where to spend their leisure time. They were built around 315, located on top of the Quirinal Hill, in the heart of the northern district that in roman times was called Alta Semita, once scarsely populated.

Despite the emperor's fame, the size of Constantine's baths was rather small, if compared to the other ones extant in Rome. Since the complex stood not too far from the huge baths built only a few years earlier by emperor Diocletian - these ones were more or less the size of a whole city district - maybe Constantine's establishment aimed to become more exclusive, for a selected public of rich citizens. Both Diocletian and Constantine's baths were supplied by the same source of water, a branch of the Aqua Marcia (see the Aqueducts monography for details).

When in the 6th century the aqueducts were damaged by the Goths who sieged the city, all of Rome's baths, including Constantine's, turned dry, and were soon abandoned. As any other ancient building, during the Middle Ages they were plundered by anybody who needed free building material: its bricks and marble were sought for more than the precious statues that once adorned its halls.

Around the 13th century, the remains of the Baths of Constantine were turned into a stronghold by the family who owned these ruins. When the late medieval chronicles and city guides began to mention these baths among Rome's noticeable features, very little of the original complex was left.

Quirinal hill, from the view of Rome in Liber Chronicarum Mundi: (from the left) two halls of the baths, the Dioscuri, and one of the two statues now standing by the base of Senators Palace, on Capitolium hill	One of the earliest graphic depictions of what was still left standing of the baths can be found in the view of Rome in Liber Chronicarum Mundi (or Nurenmberg Chronicle), dated 1493. On the top of Quirinal hill two human figures are distinctly seen from behind, each of which leads a horse: they are really a 'humanized' depiction of the two large marble statues of the Dioscuri, also known as Castor and Pollux, the sons of Jupiter, Roman copies of original Greek works that once decorated the complex built by Constantine (actually, it was a common belief that these statues were themselves original works by the famous Greek sculptors Praxiteles and Phydias, whose names, in fact, can be read on their base). The third figure, to their right, is very likely a further statue, mentioned further in the page. Left of the two Dioscuri, instead, are two round halls, still standing, which belonged to the Baths of Constantine.

Quirinal hill, from the view of Rome in Liber Chronicarum Mundi:
(from the left) two halls of the baths, the Dioscuri, and one of the
two statues now standing by the base of Senators Palace, on Capitolium hill

One of the earliest graphic depictions of what was still left standing of the baths can be found in the view of Rome in Liber Chronicarum Mundi (or Nurenmberg Chronicle), dated 1493. On the top of Quirinal hill two human figures are distinctly seen from behind, each of which leads a horse: they are really a 'humanized' depiction of the two large marble statues of the Dioscuri, also known as Castor and Pollux, the sons of Jupiter, Roman copies of original Greek works that once decorated the complex built by Constantine (actually, it was a common belief that these statues were themselves original works by the famous Greek sculptors Praxiteles and Phydias, whose names, in fact, can be read on their base). The third figure, to their right, is very likely a further statue, mentioned further in the page. Left of the two Dioscuri, instead, are two round halls, still standing, which belonged to the Baths of Constantine.

Almost one century later, an etching by Etienne du Perac (c.1575, opening picture) shows the only side of the ancient structure left sttanding. In the centre stands a heap of rubble, under which many interesting fragments were likely buried. Behind the pile is a damaged hall with a vaulted ceiling, probably matching one of the two remains featured in the previous woodblock print. Du Perac left a depiction of the baths also in his map of Rome, which shows that by the late 1500s several houses had already replaced some of the ruins, as the caption of his previous etching also explains. Instead a map by Lorenzo Bufalini (below left), printed shortly earlier, features the whole floor plan of the ancient complex, likely based on the traces of the building's foundations, still free from the new houses.	the Baths of Constantine in Etienne du Perac's map (1577): the first houses (blue arrow) had just been built by the remains

Almost one century later, an etching by Etienne du Perac (c.1575, opening picture) shows the only side of the ancient structure left sttanding. In the centre stands a heap of rubble, under which many interesting fragments were likely buried. Behind the pile is a damaged hall with a vaulted ceiling, probably matching one of the two remains featured in the previous woodblock print.
Du Perac left a depiction of the baths also in his map of Rome, which shows that by the late 1500s several houses had already replaced some of the ruins, as the caption of his previous etching also explains.
Instead a map by Lorenzo Bufalini (below left), printed shortly earlier, features the whole floor plan of the ancient complex, likely based on the traces of the building's foundations, still free from the new houses.

the Baths of Constantine in Etienne du Perac's map (1577):
the first houses (blue arrow) had just been built by the remains

The same map also shows how despite many changes took place here during the following centuries, the modern streets of the district are still largely based on the old ones.

(left) the Baths of Constantine in Bufalini's map, drawn in 1551, and (right) the same district in a modern map: the blue area
shows where the complex stood; also note how the main streets basically kept their original direction

By the time Quirinal Palace was built, in the second half of the 1500s, a small palace already rested over the northernmost end of the ruins; this is clearly visible in a map by Antonio Tempesta (below left).

the Baths of Constantine (arrows) in Tempesta's map (1593), covered by a large building

In 1709 the works for the making of the nearby Palazzo Rospigliosi caused also the central part of the remains to be taken down.

Palazzo Rospigliosi

Finally, in 1723 the much larger Palazzo della Consulta (picture below), i.e. the present seat of the Constitutional Court, replaced the previous mansion, and practically nothing of the ancient complex was spared.

Then, when the street called via Nazionale was opened (in about 1875), even the last fragments left of the Baths of Constantine disappeared forever.
Nevertheless, a certain number of works that had originally belonged to the baths were saved: in fact, they were moved during the 16th century, for the purpose of embellishing Capitolium Square, which in those years was being refurbished.

(above ↑) the large allegory of the river Tiber by the base of Senators Palace; (right →) statue of Constantine on the balcony in Capitolium Square	The most important ones are the statues of Constantine and his son Costant II, now located on the balcony at the top of the famous staircase by Michelangelo, and the two huge allegories of rivers that Michelangelo used for decorating the staircase by the base of Senators Palace (see also Capitolium Square and Fountains, part III page 8); one of the latter likely matches the statue featured in the aforesaid woodblock print of 1493, when it still stood on Quirinal hill.

la statua di Costantino nel portico di San Giovanni	i Dioscuri (a destra), con Palazzo della Consulta sullo sfondo

A further statue of Constantine ended up below the porch of St.John's basilica (picture above left).
But the two most important specimens from the baths, the aforesais Dioscuri, were left on the same spot and still today they decorate Quirinal Square. The two imposing figures have always been the most important landmark of the district: they are referred to as marble horses by the 12th century guide Mirabilia urbis Romae and by the following version translated into archaic Italian called Le miracole de Roma (see the relevant page in the Language and Poetry section for more details), and they also appear in several views of the 1400s featuring the city's most important monuments.

In fact, as of the Middle Ages, the top of the Quirinal hill used to be called Montecavallo ("horse hill") after the two statues, a successful nickname, which even became the official name of Quirinal Square up to the late 19th century. Originally, the two Dioscuri were turned towards the baths, i.e. they faced the east; how their arrangement changed into the present position is described in Fountains, part III page 7.	the Dioscuri in two 15th century maps

In fact, as of the Middle Ages, the top of the Quirinal hill used to be called Montecavallo ("horse hill") after the two statues, a successful nickname, which even became the official name of Quirinal Square up to the late 19th century.
Originally, the two Dioscuri were turned towards the baths, i.e. they faced the east; how their arrangement changed into the present position is described in Fountains, part III page 7.

the Dioscuri in two 15th century maps