Термы Диоклетиана. Монастырь "Микеланджело"
Термы Диоклетиана, расположены рядом с вокзалом Термини. В древности они занимали настолько большую площадь, что сейчас на этой территории расположен не только музей, университет, церковь, но так же и площадь Республики (раньше она называлась Пьяца Эзедра, фромой она напоминает изгиб одной из сторон терм), в центре которой расположен фонтан с нимфами, на которой часто бывают манифестации (об этом я уже писал в одном из первых своих постов).
В состав Национального римского музея, который частично расположен в термах, входит так называемый монастырь "Микеланджело". Это прямоугольный комплекс зданий, в центре которого находится большой газон с фонтаном и фигурами животных. Называется монастырь так, потому что он создан по проекту Микеланджело. Строительство началось по распоряжению Папы Пия IV в 1561 году. Позднее в конце 19 века территория монастыря вошла в состав музея, точнее туда стали стаскивать всякие скульптуры, найденные на различных римских раскопках. Позднее часть их перетащили в другие отделения национального музея.
В центре газон расположены скульптуры животных. Первоначально они входили в комплекс Форума Траяна. Кстати, не все фигуры древние.
Если кому интересно, то ниже текст на английском с поясняющего стенда, расположенного там.
THE "MICHAELANGELO" CLOISTER
The great cloister of the charterhouse of S. Maria degli Angeli, commonly known as the 'Michaelangelo' Cloister because of its attribution to a drawing by Michelangelo, is a part, together with the construction of the monastery, of the great transformation of the Baths of Diocletian, ordered by Pope Pius IV in a papal bull dated July 27th, 1561.
The cloister is situated to the northeast of the church of S.Maria degli Angeli e dci Martiri, behind the presbytery, and close to the little Ludovisi cloister (so called because of the archaeological collection which was there formerly housed). It occupies the central built area of the baths and the northern corner of the ancient enclosure wall.
It was begun in 1565, as shown by the date engraved on the corner column near the eighteenth-century portal that connects the great cloister with the outside, and was completed at the end of the seventeenth century.
The works began with the construction of a first storey with open arcades, the rooms for the prior's apartment and the monks' cells. Some time later, a second, closed storey was built, emphasized by a wide moulding that was punctuated with pillars and polished plaster surfaces, and had alternating square or flat-oval windows decorated with false travertine.
Despite of the building's ancient origins, the architectural plan of the cloister is very similar to the charterhouses of central and southern Italy. It has a square plan, with ambulatories that function as covered walkways. It has no direct communication with the outside, the inner part being treated as a green space with a central fountain and a graveyard on one side, no longer visible today.
Given the cloister's advanced state of decay, the restoration work has been particularly complex, both because careful methodology was needed for the recovery and conservation of the original features, and because of the sheer size of the complex (each side is 80 meters long, each ambulatory is 4,50 meters wide).
The restoration works, preceded and supported by laboratory diagnosis on the plasters and by historical and iconographic research, made it possible to discover the original appearance of the cloister, bringing to light the ancient wall treatment techniques, which date to the late sixteenth century. The walls had been covered by several ochre-coloured paint layers during the nineteenth century.
The ancient coloured plasters found beneath the paint layers were still legible but were about to detach from the walls. After careful consolidation, all the original parts were brought back to their original appearance, so that it is once again possible to appreciate the colour variations and the vibrant surface treatment that highlights the architectural and false travertine decorative elements along the facade.
The restoration was accomplished using traditional materials and techniques similar to the ancient methods. The plaster surfaces were treated with as much care as it would be applied in restoring a wall painting. The polished plaster was finished with iron of a light gray colour, and with decorative elements done in false travertine. The latter followed the "rigatino" technique in imitating stone blocks, which was typically used in the late Roman sixteenth century.The restoration of the cloister proceeded together with the restoration of the masterpieces found along the ambulatories.
In recent years, the renovation of Palazzo Massimo, and most of all of Palazzo Altemps made it necessary to move some of the works found in the cloister.
This is the case of a large body of material from the Mattei collection. Meanwhile, many archaeological finds accumulated here from excavations in the suburbs and in Rome itself. A situation of general confusion gradually took over, with poorly arranged areas and improper juxtapositions of pieces.
Now a renewed display is offered, a fruit of a global rearrangement of the sculptures, all of them having been restored and placed on new stands, specifically designed to enhance the appreciation of the works, together with the whole cloister area.
The new stands contain in fact all the lighting, alarm and didactic systems, so that the architectural features and works of art can be appreciated with no distraction. The reorganization project is still going on, and other pieces will be put in place in the near future.
THE COLOSSAL ANIMAL HEADS OF THE "MICHELANGELO CLOISTER"
The monumental animal heads in preconnesio marble, - a ram, an elephant, a rhinoceros, a camel, a horse, a bull and an ox, - had been found in 1586 during reconstruction works of the Palazzo Bonelli or Bonelli Palace, future residence of Cardinal Michael Bonelli. The Palace stood in the area between Traina Column and the present-day Palazzo Valentini, which hosts the Roman Provincial Offices. It is more than probable that the sculptures were originally inside the Temple of the God Traiano, in the area connected to the Forum named after him. They were used by the Cardinal to decorate the Palace; most certainly the rhino and the elephant heads were carved for this reason, both of the Renaissance period. Some restored elements of the heads go back to that period as well, like the wisps of mane of the horse, the horns of the ox and the ram. The sculptures remained in the courtyard of the Bonelli Palace for about three centuries, and later, in 1878. they were placed in the Roman College, today the seat of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage. The present day position dates back to the beginnings of the 1900s; the heads circle the fountain of the garden, built in 1695.
В состав Национального римского музея, который частично расположен в термах, входит так называемый монастырь "Микеланджело". Это прямоугольный комплекс зданий, в центре которого находится большой газон с фонтаном и фигурами животных. Называется монастырь так, потому что он создан по проекту Микеланджело. Строительство началось по распоряжению Папы Пия IV в 1561 году. Позднее в конце 19 века территория монастыря вошла в состав музея, точнее туда стали стаскивать всякие скульптуры, найденные на различных римских раскопках. Позднее часть их перетащили в другие отделения национального музея.
В центре газон расположены скульптуры животных. Первоначально они входили в комплекс Форума Траяна. Кстати, не все фигуры древние.
Если кому интересно, то ниже текст на английском с поясняющего стенда, расположенного там.
THE "MICHAELANGELO" CLOISTER
The great cloister of the charterhouse of S. Maria degli Angeli, commonly known as the 'Michaelangelo' Cloister because of its attribution to a drawing by Michelangelo, is a part, together with the construction of the monastery, of the great transformation of the Baths of Diocletian, ordered by Pope Pius IV in a papal bull dated July 27th, 1561.
The cloister is situated to the northeast of the church of S.Maria degli Angeli e dci Martiri, behind the presbytery, and close to the little Ludovisi cloister (so called because of the archaeological collection which was there formerly housed). It occupies the central built area of the baths and the northern corner of the ancient enclosure wall.
It was begun in 1565, as shown by the date engraved on the corner column near the eighteenth-century portal that connects the great cloister with the outside, and was completed at the end of the seventeenth century.
The works began with the construction of a first storey with open arcades, the rooms for the prior's apartment and the monks' cells. Some time later, a second, closed storey was built, emphasized by a wide moulding that was punctuated with pillars and polished plaster surfaces, and had alternating square or flat-oval windows decorated with false travertine.
Despite of the building's ancient origins, the architectural plan of the cloister is very similar to the charterhouses of central and southern Italy. It has a square plan, with ambulatories that function as covered walkways. It has no direct communication with the outside, the inner part being treated as a green space with a central fountain and a graveyard on one side, no longer visible today.
Given the cloister's advanced state of decay, the restoration work has been particularly complex, both because careful methodology was needed for the recovery and conservation of the original features, and because of the sheer size of the complex (each side is 80 meters long, each ambulatory is 4,50 meters wide).
The restoration works, preceded and supported by laboratory diagnosis on the plasters and by historical and iconographic research, made it possible to discover the original appearance of the cloister, bringing to light the ancient wall treatment techniques, which date to the late sixteenth century. The walls had been covered by several ochre-coloured paint layers during the nineteenth century.
The ancient coloured plasters found beneath the paint layers were still legible but were about to detach from the walls. After careful consolidation, all the original parts were brought back to their original appearance, so that it is once again possible to appreciate the colour variations and the vibrant surface treatment that highlights the architectural and false travertine decorative elements along the facade.
The restoration was accomplished using traditional materials and techniques similar to the ancient methods. The plaster surfaces were treated with as much care as it would be applied in restoring a wall painting. The polished plaster was finished with iron of a light gray colour, and with decorative elements done in false travertine. The latter followed the "rigatino" technique in imitating stone blocks, which was typically used in the late Roman sixteenth century.The restoration of the cloister proceeded together with the restoration of the masterpieces found along the ambulatories.
In recent years, the renovation of Palazzo Massimo, and most of all of Palazzo Altemps made it necessary to move some of the works found in the cloister.
This is the case of a large body of material from the Mattei collection. Meanwhile, many archaeological finds accumulated here from excavations in the suburbs and in Rome itself. A situation of general confusion gradually took over, with poorly arranged areas and improper juxtapositions of pieces.
Now a renewed display is offered, a fruit of a global rearrangement of the sculptures, all of them having been restored and placed on new stands, specifically designed to enhance the appreciation of the works, together with the whole cloister area.
The new stands contain in fact all the lighting, alarm and didactic systems, so that the architectural features and works of art can be appreciated with no distraction. The reorganization project is still going on, and other pieces will be put in place in the near future.
THE COLOSSAL ANIMAL HEADS OF THE "MICHELANGELO CLOISTER"
The monumental animal heads in preconnesio marble, - a ram, an elephant, a rhinoceros, a camel, a horse, a bull and an ox, - had been found in 1586 during reconstruction works of the Palazzo Bonelli or Bonelli Palace, future residence of Cardinal Michael Bonelli. The Palace stood in the area between Traina Column and the present-day Palazzo Valentini, which hosts the Roman Provincial Offices. It is more than probable that the sculptures were originally inside the Temple of the God Traiano, in the area connected to the Forum named after him. They were used by the Cardinal to decorate the Palace; most certainly the rhino and the elephant heads were carved for this reason, both of the Renaissance period. Some restored elements of the heads go back to that period as well, like the wisps of mane of the horse, the horns of the ox and the ram. The sculptures remained in the courtyard of the Bonelli Palace for about three centuries, and later, in 1878. they were placed in the Roman College, today the seat of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage. The present day position dates back to the beginnings of the 1900s; the heads circle the fountain of the garden, built in 1695.