Arch of Constantine

Rome, Italy

The Arch of Constantine is situated between the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill. It was erected by the Roman Senate to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312. Dedicated in 315, it is the largest Roman triumphal arch. The arch spans the Via triumphalis, the way taken by the emperors when they entered the city in triumph.

Though dedicated to Constantine, much of the decorative material incorporated earlier work from the time of the emperors Trajan (98-117), Hadrian (117-138) and Marcus Aurelius (161-180), and is thus a collage. The last of the existing triumphal arches in Rome, it is also the only one to make extensive use of spolia, reusing several major reliefs from 2nd century imperial monuments, which give a striking and famous stylistic contrast to the sculpture newly created for the arch.

The arch is 21 m high, 25.9 m wide and 7.4 m deep. Above the archways is placed the attic, composed of brickwork reveted (faced) with marble. A staircase within the arch is entered from a door at some height from the ground, on the west side, facing the Palatine Hill. The general design with a main part structured by detached columns and an attic with the main inscription above is modelled after the example of the Arch of Septimius Severus on the Roman Forum.

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Address

Piazza del Colosseo 58, Rome, Italy
See all sites in Rome

Details

Founded: 315 AD
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Italy

More Information

www.aviewoncities.com
en.wikipedia.org
www.ancient.eu

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Colosseum (0,1 km)
Sistine Chapel (3,3 km)
St. Peter's Basilica (3,4 km)
Basilica of Santa Maria in Ara Coeli (0,8 km)
Altare della Patria (0,8 km)
St. Peter's Square (3,1 km)
Pantheon (1,5 km)
Vatican Historical Museum (3,5 km)
Apostolic Palace (3,2 km)


Villa d'Este (26,5 km)

User Reviews

Samvel Khudoyan (14 months ago)
The arc kind of links Colosseum with Roman Forum. Nice place to pose for a picture.
João Manuel Miranda (14 months ago)
A great example of the roman empire work in a city full of history and mother of a civilization. One of the many masterpieces. An imposing monument.
Kim Tingkær (15 months ago)
Was our meeting place with the guide to go to Colosseum. The Arch it self is part of the whole experiense and story. Nice.
Jam Yoo (15 months ago)
Four stars because we’ve never actually been there but Barbara D says who has been, “cool arc. But what is an arc? Nice architecture.” Barbara DMs son who is an architect says who’s been there as well “any architect would be astonished...:)”
Mort Schubert (2 years ago)
This is an architectural wonder. Wonderful in itself. Too bad it is fenced in so one cannot move close to, and around, it. Also, the place is very dusty. Forget about going back to your hotel in clean shoes and clothes! No benches to rest on! If you need to sit frequently, either you sit on the pavement or some patch of rare, dirty grass or this is not the place for you. Too many visitors during the day; best to go there in late afternoon. This is also the time brides show up for their wedding album shooting session. Once again: an amazing construction; totally worth the effort. Allot it more than five minutes (probably, what a guide will say you need); we spent more than an hour there and felt we could return for more. Maybe, as soon as next year!
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