Mausoleum of Helena

The Helenamausoleum is an ancient grave monument in Rome on the Via Casilina, the former Via Labicana. It was built under Emperor Constantine 326-330 and served as grave lay for Helena, the mother of the emperor († 328).

Location

To the mausoleum can be reached from Via Casilina through the Via Marcellino. Immediately adjacent are a catacomb, an early Christian basilica, of which only rudimentary remains are preserved, as well as the parish church of Santi Marcellino e Pietro ad Duas Lauros.

According to ancient sources ( Liber Pontificalis of 314 AD. ) Extended outside the city walls, a large imperial possession with estate of the Porta Maggiore to the third milestone of the Via Labicana. Was called This included an area that " ad Duas Lauros " ( to the two bay trees ). Here lay the parade ground and the cemetery of the Equites singulares, a mounted Imperial Guard. Numerous inscriptions provided with grave stones have been reused in the later erected at this point and buildings found in the excavations begun in 1956.

History

In the immediate vicinity of the rider cemetery a Christian catacomb was in the second half of the 3rd century built in a few martyrs, as Marcellinus, Peter, inter alia, were buried. After the end of the persecution of Christians and the Constantinian shift Emperor Constantine himself took the initiative to build the first large churches (including the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, San Giovanni in Laterano ). He was also on the imperial land on the Via Labicana on the cemetery grounds in honor of the martyrs build a 65 m long and 29 m wide basilica, of which only few remains have survived. The thesis is quite plausible that Constantine had found the cemetery for the construction of the Basilica deliberately destroyed, as the equites singulares had fought at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge on the part of his opponent Maxentius. Probably for the same reasons he had built over their barracks the Lateran Basilica.

The basilica served from the beginning as a burial place. The desire to be buried near the buried in the catacombs of saints was so strong that almost the entire floor of the church consisted of grave slabs. The members of the imperial family had become Christian wanted to such a grave, ad sanctos ' not do without. Therefore, a representative imperial mausoleum was built onto the Basilica. In Rome there are several examples from the early 4th century for such a combination of catacomb, Basilica and adjoining, circular mausoleum for a member of the imperial family (Santa Costanza, San Sebastiano, etc.).

Since Helena's death, the possessions belonged ad duas Lauros the church. In the 8th century, the mausoleum served as a fortress after by the robbery of the relics of Saints Marcellinus and Peter title, the Church had lost its meaning. In the following centuries it was used partly as a quarry and stripped of their marble ornaments, so that today only one - testifies ruins of the old gloss - albeit impressive.

Construction

The mausoleum - a circular building with its own porch - was added after completion of the basilica before its facade. ( Access to the basilica was built from now on from the south aisle. ) This particular location, as well as the impressive diameter of 20 m on the ground floor, already pointed out the importance of the person buried there. In the 3.75 m thick wall niches eight were admitted, rectangular in the main axes, around the diagonal.

The upper floor of the mausoleum has a smaller diameter, resulting in a clear structure from the outside. In this upper floor can be found seven outwardly facing annular niches where there are large windows that are likely to have created a spectacular brightness inside. In an arched dome of opus caementitium. To reinforce the concrete mass not as usual, stones, but empty amphorae, whereby the weight of the dome was significantly reduced and some of which are visible on the dome approach still served. Subheadings stirred the popular name "gate Pignattara " (pot tower).

Small residuals suggest that the entire building was plastered red outward. Inside, he was provided on both floors with elaborate incrustations of multiple rows of tall rectangular marble slabs. Even the floor was with square plates (1.80 m side length ) dressed from cipollino marble. In the vaults imprints of tesserae have received. Data on the motif of the dome mosaic unfortunately no evidence before more.

Sarcophagus of Helena

In the side opposite the main entrance of the mausoleum niche stood the sarcophagus. He was very representative of porphyry, around decorated with battle scenes and a length of 2.70 m and a height of 1.80. It is this battle scenes support the thesis that mausoleum and sarcophagus were originally intended for the Emperor himself, due to the relocation of the imperial residence from Rome to Constantinople Opel but no more were needed.

Despite the destruction and rebuilding of the sarcophagus remained until the 11th century at its site; he was first in the Lateran basilica, where he recorded the remains of Pope Anastasius IV, and later transferred to the Vatican Museum, where he is today.