Hadrian’s Temple of Roma and Venus in Rome Italy

Temple of Roma and Venus (center)

The Roman emperor Hadrian built the largest temple in Rome dedicated jointly to the goddesses Roma and Venus. 

Statue of Roma standing

Statue of Roma seated

The temples were back to back, under one roof, with the temple of Roma facing west toward the traditional Roman Forum and the temple of Venus faced eastward toward the Coliseum.

Hadrian’s windowless temples would seem to have an Egyptian influence from his travels there and getting people into a spiritual mood amidst darkness and candlelight.  This, on a raised platform away from the street and foot traffic in the shadow of the Coliseum.

Venus apse

The image of Venus used in her temple was likely a copy of the Praxiteles Greek Venus with a Roman hairdo so famous at the time.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_of_the_Quintilii

The Roma temple end of the complex was built on with a church of the new Mary, and opposed to the church of the old Mary, its name later changed to Santa Francesca.

The apse of the Venus temple is still visible to the public, where on Good Friday Easter stories and pageants are presented for the tourists.

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Coliseum in Rome Named after Sun God Colossus Statue of Sol Invictus

The Flavian Amphitheatre, was originally built by the Flavian dynasty, Vespasian and his son Titus, the general that burned down Jerusalem in 70 CE.

The Flavian Amphitheatre or the Coliseum in Rome eventually took on the name of the Colossus of Nero that changed its name and facial image over many centuries and stood in two different places outside the Coliseum.

Hadrian moved the colossus statue to make way for the largest temple in Rome dedicated jointed to the goddesses Roma and Venus  (roma – amor) built across from the coliseum.

The colossus was renamed in favor of the dominant Roman Sun god Sol Invictus.  Sol Invictus was an image that the Emperor Constantine used next to his own in coinage implying his equal status with the sun god.

The giant statue stood anywhere from 90 to 110 (27m to 33m) feet tall, approximately two-thirds of the height of the coliseum.

The bronze from the statue and most of the marble of the Coliseum was removed and recycled into the building of Saint Peter’s Basilica across the river Tiber.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_Invictus