Temple of Minerva Medica (Nymphaeum)

By the Editors of the Madain Project

The so-called "Temple of Minerva Medica" is a late 3rd or early 4th century CE nymphaeum built during the Imperial period of ancient Rome. It is located between the Via Labicana and Aurelian Walls and just inside the line of the Aqua Anio Vetus. Once thought to be the lost Temple of Minerva mentioned by Cicero and other sources, likely built during the Republican or early Imperial period. Once part of the Horti Liciniani on the Esquiline Hill, it now faces the modern Via Giolitti.

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Overview

Its decagonal design and grand scale exemplify the architectural innovation of late Imperial Rome. The building's true purpose as a nymphaeum highlights the Roman emphasis on integrating nature, leisure, and art within urban settings.

The nymphaeum was erected during a period marked by significant architectural experimentation. Over time, the original function of the building was forgotten, leading to various misinterpretations. Although believed to have been in late 3rd or 4th century CE, there is no mention of it in ancient literature or inscriptions. In Flavio Biondo's 15th-century CE work; Roma Instaurata, these ruins are called Le Galluzze, a name of uncertain meaning that had been applied earlier to some ruins near the basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. Its incorrect identification with the temple of Minerva, mentioned by Cicero's Republican-era temple, dates to the 17th century CE, based on the incorrect impression that the Athena Giustiniani had been found there.

The structure suffered considerable damage over the centuries, with its dome collapsing in 1828 CE.

Architecture

circa 275-325 CE

The structure represents a transition in Roman secular architecture between the octagonal dining room of the Golden House and the dome of the Pantheon, and the architecture of nearby Byzantine churches.

The nymphaeum is notable for its decagonal (ten-sided) plan, a distinctive departure from the more common circular or octagonal designs of similar Roman structures. Built using opus latericium (brickwork), the edifice originally featured a dome approximately 24 meters in diameter and 33 meters in height, showcasing the Romans' advanced engineering capabilities. The interior comprised nine niches surrounding the central space, each likely housing statues or fountains, while ten round-arched windows above the niches allowed natural light to illuminate the interior. Both the interior and exterior walls were most likely adorned with marble, adding to the structure's opulence.

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References

Cicero, De Divinatione 2.123.
MacDonald, William L. The Architecture of the Roman Empire, Volume II: An Urban Appraisal. Yale University Press, 1986.
Jord. II.130‑131.
Pierre De La Ruffinière Du Prey. "Soane and Hardwick in Rome: A Neo-Classical Partnership." Architectural History, vol. 15, 1972, pp. 51–114. JSTOR. Accessed 7 Feb. 2025.
Hans Georg Wehrens: Rom – Die christlichen Sakralbauten vom 4. bis zum 9. Jahrhundert – Ein Vademecum. (Rome - The Christian sacred buildings from the 4th to the 9th century - A Vademecum), publisher Herder, Freiburg 2016.
Ball, Larry F. The Domus Aurea and the Roman Architectural Revolution. Cambridge University Press, 2003.
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Richardson, Lawrence. A New Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992.
Claridge, Amanda. Rome: An Oxford Archaeological Guide. Oxford University Press, 1998.
John Henry Parker (1876). The Archaeology of Rome: The Aqueducts. J. Parker and Company.
Platner, Samuel Ball, and Thomas Ashby. A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome. Oxford University Press, 1929.
Coarelli, Filippo. Rome and Environs: An Archaeological Guide. University of California Press, 2007.
Ward-Perkins, John B. Roman Imperial Architecture. Yale University Press, 1994.
Nielsen, Inger Hjorth. "Richard Wilson and Danish Artists in Rome in the 1750s." The Burlington Magazine, vol. 121, no. 916, 1979, pp. 439–49. JSTOR. Accessed 7 Feb. 2025.
Durm, figs. 306‑308, 313, 339; Choisy, pl. X. i. pp82‑84; Sangallo, Barb. 12; Giovannoni in Ann. d. Società d. Ingegneri, 1904, 165‑201; LS III.158‑161; JRS 1919, 176, 182; RA 182‑188; cf. HJ 360, n44, for references to other illustrations and plans).
Wilson Jones, Mark. Principles of Roman Architecture. Yale University Press, 2000.
Gorski, Gilbert J., and James E. Packer. Roman Architecture and Urbanism: From the Origins to Late Antiquity. Cambridge University Press, 2015.

Temple of Minerva Medica (Nymphaeum)

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