Here in the photo we admire the enormous remains, seen from the Colosseum, of the largest known temple of ancient Rome: the Temple of Venus and Rome, which was inaugurated and commissioned by the emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD. Visiting the Flavian Amphitheater or the Roman Forum it is very easy to see the walls which, after millennia, still breathe monumentality. Walls reused over the centuries, as I always say during any tour in Rome, walls that, among other things, are still exalted for numerous reasons. Let's see them together.

The works began in 121 and ended in 141, when Antoninus Pius, successor of Hadrian, completed the work. However, it was Hadrian himself who inaugurated the temple (when it was not yet fully completed) in 131 AD. Why such a hurry? We might think that, after all, this place of worship was special to him, as the emperor was very proud of it, being among other things its designer and inventor. Certainly Hadrian had an open mind and was certainly educated in the art of architecture, but perhaps he was not exactly capable, if we are to listen to what happened following the inauguration of the temple. It seems, in fact, that there were those who strongly criticized the emperor for his temple: I am speaking, in this case, of the famous architect Apollodorus of Damascus (who greatly helped Trajan, Hadrian's predecessor, in his monumental public works, such as in the homonymous Forum), who even had the audacity to openly criticize the project drawn up by Hadrian. Apparently Apollodorus stated that "if the statues of the Gods wished to rise from their thrones, they would butt their heads". It was therefore a harsh criticism of the size of the ceiling, too low compared to the gigantic statues representing Venus Felix and Rome that Hadrian had designed. It seems that the emperor was very resentful, so much so that he had Apollodorus killed. This temple, whose underlying podium on which it stood was 145 meters long, was among the most reused and destroyed in antiquity, considering its position and importance. It is not known exactly when it was actually razed to the ground, but it is certain that Paul I, pope of the eighth century, conceived here the dispute between Saint Peter and Simon Magus (triumph of the first, champion of Christianity, over the second who wanted to buy the Spirito Santo to the sound of coins), which then led to the construction of the Church of Santa Francesca Romana, in the 9th century, right above the temple (as you can read here). In fact, for one thing, the red porphyry and other polychrome marbles that adorn the church today were taken directly from the floor of the ancient temple. Not to mention the remains of furnaces, useful for destroying marble and more, found two centuries ago by archaeologists. Clear sign of recycled materials!

Finally, it is curious to know how this temple was dedicated, as mentioned, to two divinities. Consequently, there were two enormous cult statues, representing, enthroned, Venus and the goddess Roma. We must imagine the latter, in its typical iconography, as a warrior woman seated or surrounded by war trophies. Anything to claim the military supremacy of Rome against all the peoples who, almost by nature according to Roman culture, had to subject themselves to the city. For this reason there were two apses, having the back in common, which faced two opposite directions: Venus looked towards the Colosseum, while the Goddess Rome observed, imposingly, the Roman Forum. An incredible and interesting building, therefore, which has survived the centuries almost unscathed, despite, in this case, the term recycling fits particularly well.