Rome — For most people, the Colosseum is reminiscent of the battle of bloody gladiators, or the fateful encounter between Christians and vicious lions and tigers.
However, the recent restoration of the 17th-century murals of ancient Jerusalem on one of the main interior arches of the Colosseum gives a new light to the use of Roman landmarks another century ago as a sacred place for Christian worship. Is guessed.
Archaeologist Federica Rinaldi, head of the Colosseum, said:
Gory’s entertainment was built in Rome in 72 AD by the first Flavian emperor, Vespasian, and was dedicated eight years later by his son Titus, and has been a hot topic in ancient amphitheaters for only about 400 years. became.
Over the centuries, the Colosseum was occupied by Christian groups for religious processes and adopted by a series of popes.
For some time, evidence that Christians were killed for faith has not been documented, but it has become a pilgrimage site in honor of Christian martyrs.
The restored murals, believed to have been painted in the 17th century, were often overlooked. Located above the Arc de Triomphe, where gladiators march during Roman times, the work had faded to the point of being “almost unreadable,” said Roman director Alfonsina Russo. Archaeological park Includes the Colosseum.
Restored for ease of decoding and added with a multimedia installation, it presents a bird’s-eye view of Jerusalem (an ideal depiction of the city in the time of Jesus Christ). Jesus is nailed to the cross and is depicted in the lower corner of the picture at the moment of resurrection.
This painting provides a “puzzle piece” in the long and complex history of the Colosseum. This “deserves to be explored and publicly known,” Russo said in a presentation of a recently published book last week. Painting restoration in 2020, when the site was closed due to a coronavirus pandemic.
According to academic research, the painting is believed to date from the 17th century, but its author is controversial. The depiction of Jerusalem seems to be based on the 1601 prints of the ancient city by the painter Antonio Tempesta.
Since the 14th century, two Christian compatriots, the Society of the General Public, have partnered with the Colosseum to begin expressing the Passion of Christ. In the 16th century, a group built a small church, Santa Maria della Pieta, in the arena. This church still exists today.
Archaeologist Rinaldi said one of his compatriots may have asked for the painting.
The Pope’s proclamation and whims have also shaken the history of the monument. One pope threatened to destroy the Colosseum and build a wide road in the center of Rome, while another pope was a huge monastery where the monks would have been constantly praying “to forever exorcise the ghosts of the pagan era.” I wanted to build it inside. Art history at Sapienza University of Rome.
Pope Pius V, who reigned between 1566 and 1572, was soaked in the blood of early Christian martyr, and urged pilgrims to collect soil from the Colosseum’s floor, according to some sources. rice field. In fact, Christians were martyred on other Roman stages such as Circus Maximus. “Of course, we cannot rule out that the Colosseum did not kill Christians, but in any case, there is no data or source of controversial confirmation of this,” Rinaldi said.
The Colosseum eventually became a public church in 1756, when Pope Benedict XIV consecrated in memory of Christ and the Christian martyr. Eight years ago, Benedict persuaded the Governor of Rome to pass a law prohibiting anyone from desecrating the monument because it was a devoted place, and in 1750 a huge wooden tree in the center. I built the cross.
After the unification of Italy in the 19th century, anti-clerical sentiment swept the country, and according to the Vatican Museums director Barbara Jatta, all relations with the church were removed from the Roman monument. ..
In a book presentation, Jatta said he didn’t notice until it was restored, and visited the Colosseum a few days ago and said, “I slipped in like a normal tourist.”
The Colosseum was not the only ancient Roman monument that went through the “Christianization process,” Zukkari quoted the Pantheon, consecrated in 609 and dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the Christian martyr. I said.
The bones of many martyrs were carried by the Cart Road from the Catacombs of Rome to the Pantheon. The public is still celebrated, He said.On the other side of the town, Michelangelo takes part in the Diocletia Baths Monumental church..
In 1965, Pope Paul VI reintroduced the tradition of celebrating the Passion of Christ at the Colosseum on Good Friday. It is currently being broadcast around the world.
“The Colosseum is a complex place that has been read differently over time, whether pagan, Christian, secular or anti-clerical,” said renowned art historian Marcello Faziolo. Says. And it keeps changing.
About 30 years ago, the Colosseum World Coalition Against Death Penalty It is occasionally illuminated through the Rome-based St. Egidio Charity and to protest the death penalty.
“From this universal point of view, this is a symbol of the protection of human and civil rights,” Faziolo said. “It’s not just an archaeological monument. It’s a place of life in the city of Rome.”