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Teatro di Marcello (CLOSED)

Typology: Monuments

Address

Address: Via del Teatro di Marcello
Zone: Rione Ripa (Circo Massimo-Bocca Verità-Aventino) (Roma centro)

Contacts

Opening times

The monument can be visited only from the outside

Scheduled events

Description

History
The theatre, begun by Caesar and completed by Augustus (27 B.C.-14 A.D.) as early as 17 B.C., when the Ludi Saeculares were held there, was dedicated in 13 or 11 B.C. to the memory of Marcellus, nephew and heir of the emperor who died prematurely. The building was erected on the site where theatrical performances had already taken place, with movable wooden structures occupying part of the curved side of the Circus Flaminius. A later restoration by Vespasian, limited to the stage, and by Alexander Severus is known. In the 13th century the theatre was transformed into a fortress and in the 16th century into a palace by the Savelli family. The building, designed by Baldassarre Peruzzi, was purchased in the 18th century by the Orsini family. In the years 1926-1932 the lower part, corresponding to the Roman structures, was purchased by the Municipality of Rome, freed from the buildings that were leaning against it and restored.
Structure
The building is the only one of the three permanent theatres of Rome (together with the Theatre of Pompey and the Theatre of Balbo) of which most of the external façade is preserved. This was entirely in travertine and originally had 41 arches framed by pillars with half-columns, Doric on the lower floor and Ionic on the upper floor. The third floor, now completely lost, had a closed attic with Corinthian pilasters. On the keystones of the arches were large marble theatrical masks; the overall height of the building must have been about 33 metres, while the capacity of the cavea (130 metres in diameter) was 15,000 spectators, and could reach 20,000 in special conditions, as also reported in the Regional Catalogues. Beyond the orchestra was the stage, of modest depth, with a probably rectilinear elevation, decorated with columns and statues of white and coloured marble, flanked by two halls or parascenes with a triple nave. Behind the stage was a large exedra, in the centre of which were the two small temples (of the Pietà and, perhaps, of Diana), predating the construction of the theatre and incorporated into it, also represented in the Forma Urbis Severiana. The theatre, probably still in use in the 4th century AD, was covered by a velarium. The sources also report that there were 36 bronze vases to facilitate the acoustics.

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Last checked: 2023-05-18 14:42
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