 Via Sacra passing through the Forum, with theBasilica Julia on the right | |
   Via Sacra Shown within Augustan Rome | |
 Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| Location | Rome, Italy |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°53′N12°29′E / 41.89°N 12.49°E /41.89; 12.49 |
TheVia Sacra (Latin:Sacra Via, "Sacred Street") was themain street ofancientRome, leading from the top of theCapitoline Hill, through some of the most importantreligious sites of theForum (where it is the widest street), to theColosseum.
The road was part of the traditional route of theRoman triumph that began on the outskirts of the city and proceeded through theRoman Forum. Later it was paved. During the reign ofNero, it was lined withcolonnades.
The road provided the setting for many deeds and misdeeds of Rome's history, the solemn religious festivals, the magnificent triumphs of victorious generals, and the daily throng assembling in the Basilicas to chat, throw dice, engage in business, or secure justice. Many prostitutes lined the street as well, looking for potential customers. From the reign of Augustus, the Via Sacra played a role in theApotheosis ceremony by which deceased Roman emperors were formallydeified. The body of the emperor, concealed under a waxdeath mask, was carried on a pall from the Palatine hill down the Via Sacra into the Forum, where funeral orations were held before the procession ofknights andsenators resumed its course to theCampus Martius.[1]
While the western stretch of the Via Sacra which runs through the Forum follows the original ancient route of the road, the eastern stretch between the end of the forum and theColosseum, which passes underneath theArch of Titus, is a redirection of the road built after theGreat Fire of Rome in AD 64.[2] In the Republic and Early Empire, the route forked to the north near theHouse of the Vestals and passed through a saddle in theVelian Hill, now occupied largely by theBasilica of Maxentius and the modernVia dei Fori Imperiali. As part of his rebuilding program following the fire, Nero essentially straightened the road by redirecting it between the Velian andPalatine Hills, creating grand colonnades on either side for shop stalls and commerce.[3] At the east side was built under Hadrian and Antoninus Pius thetemple of Venus and Roma.
Media related toVia Sacra (Rome) at Wikimedia Commons
| Preceded by Via dei Fori Imperiali | Landmarks of Rome Via Sacra | Succeeded by Via Veneto |
