iDC Rome: The Marcus Aurelius Rides Again

Marcus Aurelius Moves to the Capitoline

When the rennovation began, Pope Paul III insisted - against Michelangelo’s will - that the ancient bronze equestrian statue standing at Saint John Lateran be the centerpiece of the new urban space. Paul’s decision to place the ancient Roman emperor on the new Campidoglio was probably meant to convey various ideas.

Though scholars had shown in the 1400s that the rider on the horse was Marcus Aurelius, rather than Constantine, it was still widely believed that the statue portrayed the emperor who had legalized Christianity. As well, at Saint John Lateran, the sculpture had been a symbol of law and government.

In 1536, Pope Paul III Farnese decided to rennovate the Capitoline Hill and asked Michelangelo to undertake the job. Though the Capitoline had been one of the most important sites in ancient Rome - it was the home of the Temple of Jupiter Optimius Maximus - the area had fallen into decline in the Middle Ages.

A visit by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V probably provoked the rennovation of this symbolic space. To honor the Holy Roman Emperor, Pope Paul III planned a triumphal procession. As in ancient triumphs, the march was to cross the Capitoline Hill, but the Pope was embarrassed when the area proved too muddy and overgrown to host the procession.

Drawing of the Campidoglio in the sixteenth century. Note that at the center stands the Marcus Aurelius, newly moved to this location.


Marcus Aurelius Moves to the Capitoline


	When the rennovation began, Pope Paul III insisted - against Michelangelo’s will - that the ancient bronze equestrian statue standing at Saint John Lateran be the centerpiece of the new urban space. Paul’s decision to place the ancient Roman emperor on the new Campidoglio was probably meant to convey various ideas. Though scholars had shown in the 1400s that the rider on the horse was Marcus Aurelius, rather than Constantine, it was still widely believed that the statue portrayed the emperor who had legalized Christianity. As well, at Saint John Lateran, the sculpture had been a symbol of law and government.


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