Coordinates: 41°54′28″N, 12°25′49″E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

Not to be confused with the older and larger Circus Maximus.

The Circus of Nero or Circus of Caligula was a circus in ancient Rome. For other uses, see Circus Maximus (disambiguation). ... Found all over the Roman Empire, a circus is a building for public entertainment, including chariot racing. ... Area under Roman control  Roman Republic  Roman Empire  Western Empire  Eastern Empire Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew from a city-state founded on the Italian Peninsula circa the 9th century BC to a massive empire straddling the Mediterranean Sea. ...

Construction

It was begun by Caligula on the property of his mother Agrippina on the Ager Vaticanus (today's rione of Borgo), and finished by Nero. The circus building's alignment is the same on the same axis as both new and old St Peter's to the left as you look at the western front from the piazza. Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (August 31, 12 – January 24, 41), more commonly known by his nickname Caligula, was the third Roman Emperor and a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from 37 to 41. ... Agrippina the Elder, wife of Germanicus (Vipsania) Agrippina (PIR1 V 463) 14 BC – 18 October AD 33), most commonly known as Agrippina Major or Agrippina the Elder, was one of the most prominent women in the Roman Empire in the early 1st century AD. She was the daughter of Marcus... Rione (plural: rioni) is the name given to a ward in several Italian cities, the best-known of which is Rome. ... Logo of the rione Borgo is the XIV rione of Rome. ... Nero[1] Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (December 15, AD 37 – June 9, AD 68)[2], born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also called Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus, was the fifth and last Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. ... Interior view, with the nave of the Cattedra in the back St. ... Drawing of Old Saint Peters Basilica at about 1450. ... A piazza is an open square in a city, often used as a marketplace, found in Italy. ...

Nearby Roman cemetery

See also: Saint Peter's tomb

The Via Cornelia ran parallel with the north side of the Circus, and its course can be traced with precision, for pagan tombs have been discovered at various times along its edges. Sante Bartoli's memoirs record that when Alexander VII was building the left wing of Bernini's colonnade and the lefthand fountain, a tomb was discovered with a bas-relief above the door representing a marriage-scene ("vi era un bellissimo bassorilievo di un matrimonio antico"). Others were soon found. The best discovery, that of pagan tombs exactly on the line of St Peter's tomb, was made in the presence of Grimaldi, November 9, 1616: On December 23, 1950, in his pre-Christmas broadcast on radio, Pope Pius XII announced the discovery of Saint Peters tomb far below the high altar of St. ... The Via Cornelia was an ancient road of Rome that ran parallel with the north side of the Circus of Nero, diverging from the via Triumphalis. ... Alexander VII, né Fabio Chigi (February 13, 1599 – May 22, 1667) was Pope from April 7, 1655 until his death in 1667. ... A self portrait: Bernini is said to have used his own features in the David (below, left) Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini) (December 7, 1598 - November 28, 1680), who worked chiefly in Rome, was the pre-eminent baroque artist. ...

" "On that day, I entered a square sepulchral room the ceiling of which was ornamented with designs in painted stucco. There was a medallion in the centre, with a figure in high relief. The door opened on the Via Cornelia, which was on the same level. This tomb is located under the seventh step in front of the middle door of the church. I am told that the sarcophagus now used as a fountain, in the court of the Swiss Guards, was discovered at the time of Gregory XIII in the same place, and that it contained the body of a pagan."

Pope Gregory XIII (1502-1585) Gregory XIII, né Ugo Buoncampagno (January 7, 1502 – April 10, 1585) was pope (1572 – 1585). ...

Place of martyrdrom

Main article: Saint Peter's tomb

The circus was the site of the first organized, state-sponsored martyrdoms of Christians in 65. Two years later, Saint Peter and many other Christians shared their fate. The circumstances were described in detail by Tacitus in a well-known passage of the Annals, (xv.45). On December 23, 1950, in his pre-Christmas broadcast on radio, Pope Pius XII announced the discovery of Saint Peters tomb far below the high altar of St. ... Historically, a martyr is a person who dies for his or her religious faith. ... Headline text Events By place Roman Empire Gaius Calpurnius Piso conspires against Roman emperor Nero. ... Saint Peter, also known as Simon ben Jonah/BarJonah, Simon Peter, Cephas and Kepha — original name Simon or Simeon (Acts 15:14) — was one of the Twelve Apostles whom Jesus chose as his original disciples. ... Gaius Cornelius Tacitus Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (c. ... The Annals, or, in Latin, Annales, is a history book by Tacitus covering the reign of the 4 Roman Emperors succeeding to Caesar Augustus. ...

The site for crucifixions in the Circus would have been along the spina ("spine"), as suggested by early Acts of Peter describing the spot of his martyrdom as inter duas metas ("between the two metae or turning-posts", which would have been equidistant between the two ends of the circus). This identification is likely to be genuine given the trauma of the event for the Christian community. An obelisk found at the centre of this circus's spina was re-erected in St Peter's Square in the 16th century by the architect Domenico Fontana. The site of Spina, the Etruscan port city on the Adriatic, at the ancient mouth of the Po south of the lagoon where Venice would one day rise, was lost until modern times, when drainage schemes in the delta of the Po in 1922 first officially revealed a necropolis of... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... There are eight ancient Egyptian and five ancient Roman obelisks in Rome, together with a number of more modern obelisks; there was also formerly (until 2005) an ancient Ethiopian obelisk in Rome. ... Berninis piazza was extended by Mussolinis grand avenue of approach. ... Domenico Fontana (1543 – 1607) was an Italian architect of the late Renaissance. ...

St Peter would probably have been buried near the location of his martyrdom, in the cemetery mentioned above and on a site suggested by the basilica (see below).

Constantine's basilica

A reconstruction of the Basilica around 1450.

Main article: Old Saint Peter's Basilica

Some time in the 5th century the exact spot of Peter's martyrdom was marked by a chapel "of the Crucifixion." The origin and meaning of the name were confused in the course of time with Christ Crucified and the chapel itself was lost. A basilica ("Old St Peter's") was then erected by Constantine over the site, using some of the existing walling of the Circus of Nero. The basilica was sited so that its apse was centred on Peter's tomb (now beneath the high altar of "New St Peter's"). Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (831x551, 501 KB) (Vaticano) como se encontrava ainda em 1450 – Basílica da época de Constantino. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (831x551, 501 KB) (Vaticano) como se encontrava ainda em 1450 – Basílica da época de Constantino. ... Drawing of Old Saint Peters Basilica at about 1450. ... This article is about an architectural feature; for the astronomical term see apsis. ... Interior view, with the nave of the Cattedra in the back St. ...

External link

• Lacus Curtius website: Circus of Nero, plan superposed with the Basilicas, showing the tomb of Peter, and text by Rodolfo Lanciani describing the largely inadvertent archaeology