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Curia
Julia was built in 44 BC, when Julius Caesar replaced the restored
Curia Cornelius Faust Cornelius Sulla, who herself replaced the more
ancient Curia Hotilia. Caesar did this to redesign both spaces
within Komitas and the Roman Forum. However, this work was
interrupted by the murder of Caesar at the Theater of Pompey, where
the Senate met temporarily, until the work was completed. The
project was ultimately completed by Caesar's successor, Augustus
Caesar, in 29 BC.
Curia Julia - one of the few Roman
buildings, which is still preserved mainly untouched due to its
transformation into the Basilica of Sant Adriano al Foro in the 7th
century and a few late restorations. However, the roof, the upper
facades of the side walls and the rear facade are modern and belong
to the reconstruction of the deconservation church in the 1930s.
Curia was later restored by Emperor Domitian in 94 AD e., and then
the emperor Diocletian in the 3rd century. Inside you can see two
panels that were removed from the rostra for preservation. One
depicts a meeting with a simple woman with a child, the other
depicts the act of burning tax documents. Thus, Guy Julius Caesar
eliminated all the debts of Roman citizens.
Origins: The Earlier Curiae
The tradition of a dedicated
Senate meeting house in Rome dates back to the Roman Kingdom
(8th–6th centuries BC). The first known structure was the Curia
Hostilia, traditionally built by the third king of Rome, Tullus
Hostilius (r. 673–642 BC), in the Comitium area of the Forum. This
site originated from an even earlier Etruscan temple honoring a
truce after the Sabine conflict.
The Curia Hostilia served as the
primary meeting place for the Senate during much of the Republic. It
was damaged and rebuilt multiple times due to fires and political
violence. A major incident occurred in 52 BC when it burned during
riots surrounding the funeral of Publius Clodius Pulcher (his body
was cremated inside or nearby).
Faustus Cornelius Sulla (son of
the dictator Sulla) then rebuilt it as the Curia Cornelia, enlarging
it to accommodate the increased number of senators. This version was
short-lived.
Construction of the Curia Julia (44–29 BC)
Julius Caesar initiated the Curia Julia in 44 BC as part of his
broader redesign of the Roman Forum and Comitium. He aimed to:
Replace the damaged Curia Cornelia.
Integrate the Senate house
more closely with his new Forum of Caesar.
Reduce the prominence
of the old Comitium (the open assembly space) and reorient the
Senate building along more "rational," rectangular lines aligned
with his forum.
This shift symbolized the Senate’s gradual
subordination under emerging autocratic power. Construction was
interrupted by Caesar’s assassination in 44 BC (at the Curia of
Pompey in the Theatre of Pompey, where the Senate was temporarily
meeting). His heir, Octavian (later Augustus), completed and
dedicated the building in 29 BC.
Augustus celebrated the project
in his Res Gestae Divi Augusti: He built the Senate House and
claimed to restore the Republic while consolidating power. A statue
of Victory (Victoria) on a globe, extending a wreath, was placed
inside as a symbol of Roman (and Augustan) military success,
particularly referencing the Battle of Actium (31 BC). An altar
stood before it.
Architecture and Interior
The building
follows Vitruvius’s recommendations for curiae: roughly rectangular
(about 25.20 m long by 17.61 m wide), with a height approximately
half the sum of length and width for optimal acoustics. The exterior
featured brick-faced concrete with marble slabs at the base and
stucco imitating marble above. A flight of steps led to bronze doors
(originals now in St. John Lateran; current ones are replicas). A
colonnaded porch (chalcidicum) once fronted it.
Inside:
Three broad, low steps on the sides seated up to ~300 senators.
Walls originally veneered in marble up to two-thirds height.
Striking opus sectile floor with geometric patterns in porphyry,
serpentine, and other colored stones (stylized rosettes,
cornucopias).
Altar and statue of Victory at the far end.
Other decorations included paintings by Augustus and a golden shield
honoring his virtues.
The design reflected both functionality and
imperial propaganda.
Imperial Period and Restorations
The
Curia witnessed the transition from Republic to Empire. The Senate
continued meeting there, though real power shifted to the emperor.
Domitian (r. 81–96 AD) restored it around 94 AD.
A fire in 283 AD
(during Emperor Carinus) heavily damaged it.
Diocletian (r.
284–305 AD) rebuilt it to similar dimensions; the surviving
structure largely dates to this phase.
Further restoration in 412
AD by Urban Prefect Annius Eucharius Epiphanius.
Medieval to
Modern Era: Survival as a Church
In 630 AD (or around 623–630),
Pope Honorius I converted the Curia into the church of Sant’Adriano
al Foro (St. Hadrian). This adaptive reuse preserved it remarkably
well while other Forum buildings were quarried for materials. It
retained key Roman features like the floor, steps, and windows.
The bronze doors were removed in the 17th century (under Pope
Alexander VII) for St. John Lateran. Baroque additions overlaid the
structure over time.
In the 1930s, under Benito Mussolini (who
sought to revive Rome’s imperial glory for the 2000th anniversary of
Augustus’s birth), the church was deconsecrated and stripped back.
The Italian government acquired it in 1923. Restoration revealed the
ancient core, with modern roof and upper walls added. It opened as
an archaeological monument in 1938.
Significance and Today
The Curia Julia symbolizes the heart of Roman political life for
over six centuries (from ~29 BC to the early 7th century AD). It
hosted debates on laws, wars, and empire administration, bearing
witness to figures from Cicero and Caesar to later emperors.
Its
reorientation and integration with Caesar’s forum marked the
Republic’s end and the Empire’s beginning. Today, it stands as one
of the few near-intact ancient buildings in the Forum, with visitors
able to enter and see the opus sectile floor, steps, and restored
interior (often used for exhibits). Access is via the Roman Forum
ticket.
The appearance of the Curia had previously been
misunderstood on the basis of a drawing by Antonio da Sangallo the
Younger, who had portrayed it as a set of buildings composed, in
addition to the main building, by a Chalcidicum, a Secretarium Senatus
and an Atrium Minervae.
The Chalcidicum in reality must have been
nothing more than the colonnaded portico in front of the Curia, also
represented on a coin from the Augustan era; the Secretarium Senatus,
which was erroneously referred to as the secretariat, was actually a
special court for senators and was established only in the late imperial
era, probably by adapting one of the tabernae of the nearby Forum of
Caesar; finally, the Atrium Minervae would have been nothing more than
an erroneous designation of the Forum of Nerva.
Recent studies,
supported by excavations, have instead ascertained the presence behind
the Curia of some environments, generally identified as the Atrium
Libertatis.
The Curia was contiguous to the Forum of Caesar, so
much so that it seemed an appendage (certainly not a casual position,
with which the dictator probably wanted to emphasize his patronage over
Roman institutions). The building that can still be admired today has a
rectangular plan, with four external pillars on the sides that act as
buttresses. The two facades are crowned by tympanums; on the main one
there are three arched windows and a single portal profiled in
travertine; on the sides of the portal there are also some medieval
burial niches. The bronze entrance portal from the Diocletian era is a
copy of the original, which was brought to San Giovanni in Laterano in
the 17th century.
The large internal compartment respects the
proportions recommended by Vitruvius for the curias, according to which
the height must have been about half the sum of length and width (the
current measurements are 21 meters high with a base of 18 x 27 meters).
The considerable height is to be recognized as a probable device for
acoustics. The wooden roof is obviously modern and in ancient times it
was with flat beams.
The flooring has been partially rebuilt with
ancient marble according to the Diocletian era layout, as well as the
architectural decoration of the walls, marked by niches that housed
statues, framed by columns on shelves. The Byzantine paintings, on the
other hand, visible above all on the counter-façade, date back to the
transformation into a church in the seventh century.
The hall is
divided into three sectors, with three wide and low steps on the right
and left, where the approximately three hundred seats for the senators
were located.
On the back wall, between two doors, is the base
for the presidency, where the base of the statue of Victory is also
located. This statue on which the senators swore loyalty to the Republic
had been brought to Rome from Taranto by Octavian and was an object of
particular symbolic devotion for the Roman institutions. It was the
subject of a bitter controversy between Christians and pagans at the end
of the 4th century. It was removed for the first time in 357 by Emperor
Constantius II, a fervent Aryan, but was relocated to the Senate during
the reign of Julian. In 382 Graziano, accepting the requests of Ambrose
of Milan, bishop of the then capital of Pars Occidentis, again had her
removed from the hall. There followed in 384, under the reign of
Valentinian II, the dispute between Ambrose of Milan and Quintus
Aurelius Simmaco, a pagan senator and fierce opponent of Christianity
who, from praefectus urbi, worked hard for the reintegration of the Ara
in the Senate. On the death of Valentinian II, the altar was placed
again in the hall by Eugenio (392-394) to be definitively removed in 394
by Theodosius after the victory at Frigido over Eugenio.
Today
inside the Curia two large reliefs are exhibited, found in the center of
the Forum and called Trajan's plutei or anaglyphs. They are perhaps
balustrades of a tribune, probably erected in place of the equestrian
statue of Domitian and it appears less likely, albeit according to
rather persistent beliefs, that they were part of the Rostra. Scenes
from the principality of Trajan are represented:
the one on the left
has a Scene of the amnesty of citizens' debts (incomplete);
the one
on the right has The institution of alimenta (low-interest agricultural
loans for the support of poor children).
The scenes are
particularly interesting because they take place in the Forum, of which
they give a rare ancient representation: you can recognize in both the
statue of Marsyas next to the Ficus navia, formerly the center of the
square, and the southern side of the same. In the one on the left you
can see (from the right) the Rostra, the temple of Vespasian and Titus
(with the Corinthian order), an arch, perhaps from the Tabularium, the
Temple of Saturn (Ionic), the void of the Vicus Iugarius and the arches
of the basilica Giulia. In the one on the right you can see the
continuation of the basilica Giulia, the arch of Augustus, the Rostrums
of the temple of the Divine Julius; the emperor is depicted in front of
the basilica Julia seated on a podium, perhaps the same from which the
reliefs come. On the reverse of both are depicted the sacrificial
animals of Roman solemnities: pig, sheep and bull.
Brief History
Julius Caesar commissioned it in 44 BC to replace an
earlier, fire-damaged senate house. Augustus (Octavian) completed it
after Caesar's assassination. The Senate met here for centuries to
debate laws, foreign policy, and imperial matters. In the 7th century
AD, it was converted into the church of Sant'Adriano al Foro, which
preserved its structure remarkably well (most Forum ruins were quarried
for materials). In the 1930s, Mussolini's regime restored it to its
ancient form by removing later church additions.
Inside, you'll see:
A large rectangular hall with a raised platform for speakers.
The
famous opus sectile floor (geometric inlaid marble) from Diocletian's
restoration around 283–305 AD.
Two ancient marble reliefs known as
the Plutei of Trajan (originally displayed here; they depict scenes of
Roman justice and imperial generosity).
The building feels
surprisingly intact compared to the rest of the Forum's ruins.
How to Visit: Practical Information (as of 2026)
The Curia is part of
the Parco Archeologico del Colosseo (Roman Forum + Palatine Hill). You
cannot visit it separately — you need a ticket for the Forum/Palatine
area.
Tickets:
Standard combined ticket (Colosseum + Roman
Forum + Palatine): ~€18–€24 for adults (prices can vary with add-ons).
Reduced: €2 for EU 18–25.
Free: Under 18, and on the first Sunday of
the month (but expect huge crowds and possible restrictions on SUPER
sites).
Forum Pass SUPER or Full Experience tickets include
guaranteed access to the Curia and other special sites.
Buy tickets
online in advance via the official site (ticketing.colosseo.it). On-site
sales are limited or unavailable. Book early, especially in peak season
(spring–fall).
Opening Hours (Roman Forum area generally):
Opens ~8:30–9:00 AM.
Closes 7:15 PM in summer (last entry ~6:15 PM);
earlier in winter (down to 4:30 PM).
Curia-specific access varies and
can change for restorations or events. Recent patterns show it often
open on weekends (Sat–Sun or Sat–Mon), sometimes closed weekdays. Always
check the official Parco Colosseo website or your ticket for the exact
days.
Location & Access:
Main entrances: Via dei Fori
Imperiali (near Colosseum) or other Forum gates.
The Curia sits at
the northwest end of the Forum, near the Arch of Septimius Severus and
the Basilica Aemilia. It's easy to spot — a brick building with a gabled
roof.
In-Depth Visiting Tips
Best Time to Visit:
Early
morning (right at opening) for cooler temperatures, better light, and
fewer crowds.
Late afternoon can work but check closing times.
Weekdays are generally less crowded than weekends.
Spring
(April–June) and fall (Sept–Oct) offer the best weather. Avoid midday
summer heat (little shade in the Forum).
Plan your Forum visit for a
day when the Curia is confirmed open (prioritize weekends if needed).
How Much Time?
Allow 2–4+ hours for the full Forum + Palatine.
Spend 15–30 minutes inside the Curia (it's not huge but impactful). Use
an audio guide or app for context.
What to Bring & Wear:
Comfortable walking shoes (uneven ancient stones and hills).
Water
bottle (refill stations available; it gets hot).
Sunscreen, hat, and
sunglasses.
Portable charger for your phone (for maps/photos).
A
good guidebook, Rick Steves audio guide, or official app.
Navigation & Experience:
Enter from the Arch of Titus/Colosseum side
or Via dei Fori Imperiali. Head toward the Curia early in your route.
Inside the Curia: Quiet, reverent atmosphere. Imagine senators in togas
debating while standing where Caesar and Cicero once stood.
Combine
with nearby sights: Rostra (speaker's platform), Arch of Septimius
Severus, Temple of Saturn, and Basilica Julia.
For deeper insight,
consider a guided tour (many include the Curia and Forum highlights).
Crowds & Logistics:
Security checks and lines are common — arrive
early.
No re-entry once you exit the Forum/Palatine area.
The site
is mostly accessible but has some uneven terrain and steps.
Photography is allowed (no flash inside the Curia).
Additional
Tips:
Download the official Parco Colosseo app or use offline maps.
If your Colosseum ticket has a timed slot, visit the Forum/Palatine on
the same day or the day before/after (depending on ticket type).
Respect the site — no touching artifacts or climbing.
For the best
experience, pair it with a visit to the Capitoline Museums (nearby) to
see more Forum artifacts.