Septizodium
Rome, Italy
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The Septizodium was an ornamental nymphaeum erected in Rome in 203 AD by Emperor Septimius Severus, likely named for its seven divisions or the seven planetary deities it may have honored. Built at the intersection of the Via Appia and the Palatine—where travelers entering the city from the southeast could view it—the structure served no practical purpose but functioned as a grand decorative façade designed to impress visitors, particularly those from Severus' native North Africa. By the 8th century the building lay in ruins and had been incorporated into medieval baronial fortifications; the Frangipani family held it in the 12th and 13th centuries, and in 1241 it housed cardinals during a contentious papal conclave following Pope Gregory IX's death. In 1588, Pope Sixtus V ordered its eastern façade demolished under architect Domenico Fontana, with the salvaged stones repurposed for prominent Roman monuments including the Flaminio Obelisk and the Column of Marcus Aurelius.
Movement
- Type
- nymphaeum, archaeological site
- Place
- Rome, Italy
This building on
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Location