Curia Julia

• Curia in Latin means ‘Meeting House’. The original building was the Senate House of the Roman Republic which was rebuilt by Julius Caesar.
• The Curia Julia became the Symbol of the Roman Empire.

Description

• The original building was the Curia Hostilia.
• This was replaced by the Curia Cornelia, under Sulla
• It was then rebuilt as the Curia Julia by Julius Caesar in 44 BCE. He started building the Curia Julia on the same site as the Curia Cornelia, and it was completed by Augustus in 29 BCE.
• It was later rebuilt again by Diocletian (284-305 CE).

The Building today

• It has survived today because it was incorporated into the Basilica of St. Adriano al Foro in the 7th Century CE.
• The Altar of Victory:
  • It held a Statue of Victoria, the Symbol of Military Victory.
  • This was placed at the end of the Curia Julia by Augustus to commemorate his Victory at the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE. The Altar was removed by Gratian in 382 CE. Both the Altar and the Statute are lost.
• The Floor:
  • Opus Sectile. This was a technique where materials were cut into pieces, then inlaid in floors and walls to create pictures.
• The Bronze Doors:
  • The Doors have also survived and are now located in the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

Basilica Sant’Adriano al Foro