The restoration of the Temple of Venus, the largest building in ancient Rome, ends

The restoration of the Temple of Venus in Rome ends, fifteen months after the work began. The end of work was announced this afternoon by the Colosseum Archaeological Park, which manages the temple, and Fendi, which sponsored the restoration with 2.5 million euros. The temple is the largest building in ancient Rome and owes its extraordinariness, in addition to its exceptional size, to the originality of its architectural design, which combined Hellenistic proportions and spatiality with Roman urban planning and construction technique, creating a completely innovative form. More than 200 columns of gray granite and proconnesio enveloped a single rectangular volume, divided between the two opposing halls of worship: the one dedicated to the goddess Venus Felix, goddess of generative nature, mother of Aeneas, progenitor of Augustus and thus of the imperial family, facing the Colosseum; the one dedicated to the goddess Roma Eterna, sacred personification of the city and its rule over the territories of the Empire, facing the Capitol.

The architecture was highlighted by the richness of the architectural decorations, whose splendor was increased by theuse of gold leaf in the stuccoes, the porphyry columns, and the symphony of polychrome marbles in the floor surfaces: the purplish red of the porphyry and the pavonazzetto brecciato, contrasted with the iridescent green of the cipolin and the antique yellow. The walls, covered with marble slabs, housed marble statues in the niches, while giant seated cult statues of deities stood out in the apses.

Restoration operations, which began in September 2020 and ended in July 2021, with subsequent work related to the enhancement and accessibility of the area, involved the employment of more than 60 professionals. The restoration involved both the architectural and decorative apparatus of the two cells, from the roofing to the surfaces and the floor levels. In addition, to complete the work, a lighting intervention was carried out with the aim of contributing to the reconstruction and reintegration of the monument’s image, a sign of how light can also be a tool for knowledge and communication of the restoration work carried out. The light beams, which alternate warm and cold tones on the different surfaces, outline the ancient masonry and re-propose the volumes of the goddesses’ cells, the design of the flooring, the coffers, the porphyry columns, and the scanning of the niches, for what, the Archaeological Park’s note reads, is intended to be “a magical play of light and shadow.”

Also, big post-restoration news, is the opening to the public of the cell of the goddess Roma, together with the full accessibility of the monument, which will be possible soon thanks to the installation of two small hoists, which the Park promises will be of reduced visual impact, on the northern side of the Temple.

A special volume embellished with shots by Stefano Castellani(The Temple of Venus and Rome, Electa 2021) was also produced for the occasion. The book, in its raw canvas cover with bronze laminated graphics, is meant to recall the fundamental colors of the monument, the splendor of which is revealed by leafing through the rich photographic reportage that juxtaposes archival images with photos taken during and after the different phases of the restoration works, but also of the exceptional Fendi Couture fashion show hosted in the Venus cell in July 2019. In two languages, English and Italian, the volume is introduced by Dario Franceschini, Minister of Culture; the spirit and the exceptional results of the public-private partnership are recounted by Alfonsina Russo, Director of the Colosseum Archaeological Park, and Silvia Venturini Fendi, Artistic Director FENDI Accessories and Men’s Line.

“Today,” says Silvia Venturini Fendi, “I have the pleasure of working closely with the Colosseum Archaeological Park on the restoration of the Temple of Venus and Rome, a site that holds many special memories for me and for many people around the world. The Palatine Hill and its area represent the heart of Roman mythology, the spiritual cradle of our city, a place of extraordinary historical significance. You can feel it in the air, and in the evening, when the sun sets over the Temple of Venus and Rome on the edge of the Velia, there is a moment when time seems to stand still and the buzz of modern life fades into the background.”

The sponsorship of the restoration of the Temple of Venus is the latest in a series that began in 2013 with the restoration of the Trevi Fountain, completed in 2015, and continued with the FENDI for Fountains project, which includes the restoration of the “four fountains” complex and the restoration and conservation of the fountains of the Janiculum, Moses, Pincio Nymphaeum and Peschiera, which began earlier this month. “Emotion and art,” Alfonsina Russo stressed, “represent an inseparable combination of culture in all its expressions. This collaboration allows us to reach a very high moment of synthesis of Italian identity centered on the charm and beauty of places and monuments that harmoniously dialogue with contemporary creativity, of which FENDI represents one of the main excellences. Thanks to FENDI, the largest known temple of ancient Rome, dedicated to the goddesses Roma Aeterna and Venus Felix, is restored to its original splendor, and the volume we are publishing also enhances its universal significance from a scientific point of view.”

Pictured is the temple of Venus. Photo Stefano Castellani

The restoration of the Temple of Venus, the largest building in ancient Rome, ends

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