Temple of Minerva Medica
See all Temple of Minerva Medica photos.
See all Temple of Minerva Medica photos.
Temple of Minerva Medica
See all Temple of Minerva Medica photos.
See all Temple of Minerva Medica photos.
A Tourist in Rome - Temple of Minerva Medica
| Location: | 41.89389, 12.51189 Via Giovanni Giolatti at Via Pietro Micca |
| Metro: | Manzoni, located along my Southeastern Sights Walking Tour |
| Time: | about 15 minutes |
| Cost: | Free |
| Hours: | Viewable at any time |
Unfortunately, the Temple of Minerva Medica was covered and being restored when I visited in October of 2013. It stands between the railroad tracks leading to Termini and a busy street and can be easily seen from trains approacing and leaving Termini. The building is not actually a temple but rather a 4th century AD nymphaeum in a large villa. Other sources state it's a triclinium (dining room) in a large estate during the 3rd century AD. The 10-sided structure supports the remains of a concrete dome of 82 feet in diameter which collapsed in 1828. That makes it the third largest dome in Rome, after the Pantheon and the Baths of Caracalla. The building was originally faced with marble and intricately decorated with statues, but spoilation has erased all of this.
During my 2014 trip to Rome, the workers working on the restoration left a gate open and I was able to sneak inside and take the rushed first 4 photos below. More progress has been made on the outside of the building, as shown in the 5th photo below. The 6th photo below was taken through the window of my train pulling into Termini station.
