Porta Alchemica
Encyclopedia
Porta Alchemica or Alchemy
Gate or Magic Portal, is a monument built between 1678 and 1680 by Massimiliano Palombara
marquis of Pietraforte (1614–1680) in his residence, Palombara villa, located in the east of Rome
on the Esquilino hill in a position almost corresponding to Piazza Vittorio, where today was placed. Porta Alchemica is the only survivor of the five gates of the Palombara villa, there was a lost door on the opposite side enabling to give it a date of 1680, there were also four other inscriptions lost on the walls of the mansion inside the villa.
: stibium = antimony
) was hosted in the villa for a night. The "pellegrino", identifiable with the alchemist Giustiniani Bono, stayed for a night in the gardens of the villa in search of a mysterious herb capable of producing gold
, the next morning he was seen disappearing forever through the door, but left behind a few flakes of gold fruit of a successful alchemical transmutation, and a mysterious paper full of puzzles and magic symbols that would contain the secret of the Philosopher's Stone
. Perhaps the enigmatic paper could refer, for historical and geographic agreements, to the mysterious manuscriptVoynich
a part of the collection belonged to King Rudolf II of Boemia.
The marquis had engraved on the five gates of the villa Palombara and on the walls of the mansion, the content of the manuscript with symbols and riddles in the hope that one day someone would be able to them.
, at Riario palace (today Palazzo Corsini center of the Lincei National Academy, that later became an Academy attended by all famous personages, erudites and esoteric doctors of that time as Giovanni Cassini or Francesco Maria Santinelli) on the slopes of the Gianicolo hill. After the queen converted to Catholicism, abdicated the throne of Sweden
and spent much of the rest of his life exiled in Rome from 1655 until her death in 1689.
Queen Christina had an alchemical laboratory, under the supervision of Pietro Antonio Bandiera in Riario palace attended by people like the esotericists Giuseppe Francesco Borri
, and Athanasius Kircher
. According to a legend the same Porta Alchemica was built in 1680 as a celebration of a successful alchemical transmutation occurred in Riario laboratory.
Between 1678 and 1680 Borri aka Giustiniani Bono, collaborated with Athanasius Kircher for construction of Porta Alchemica in Palombara villa. Gian Lorenzo Bernini
, famous architect and Kircher friend, designed the door. On the door was transcribed the secret formula for producing gold discovery in those years in alchemical laboratory of queen Christina. It is supposed that because of this revelation Palombara, Bernini and Kircher were murdered by poison at 28 November 1680, probably by the same Borri.
In 1806, Abbé Francesco Cancellieri wrote an account, in Italian, of his studies of the inscriptions on the Porta Alchimica. This work was later translated into French, in 1895, by Pietro Bornia, and it appeared in the April/June 1895 issue of L'Initiation, revue philosophique des hautes etudes.
It is suggested as well that the geometrical construction of the gate is similar to that of the 21st emblem of Michael Maier
’s Atalanta Fugiens (Frankfurt,1617).
(1603–1638). The title page of the original of 1621 is very different, because the design that was inspired the marquis Palombara appears exactly only in the posthumous edition of 1677.
The emblem was taken over by Wienner von Sonnenfels in 1747 in Splendor lucis, oder Glanz des Lichts published at Vienna. Madathanus’ lower part of the emblem, "centrum in trigono centri", was reproduced in the well known work that circulated in the Gold- und Rosencreutz Orden, the Geheime Figuren der Rosencreutzer (Altona, 1785–88).
The same drawing appear in a bookmark possessed by Berenger Saunière, who became the parish priest at Rennes-le-Château in 1885.
To every planet is associated a watertight maxim, to read from the bottom up to right in order to come down from above on the left, according the direction indicated from the Hebrew maxim "Ruach Elohim".
Around the circle at top: “The center is in the triangle of the center.” Also: “There are three marvels: God and man, mother and virgin, triune and one.”
The Hebrew inscription, Ruach Elohim, means “Holy Spirit
.” Beneath it: “A dragon guards the entrance of the magic garden of the Hesperides, and, without Hercules, Jason would not have tasted the delights of Colchis.”
There are six sigils on the jambs, each with its phrase.
Saturn
/Lead
: “When in your house black crows give birth to white doves, then will you be called wise.”
Jupiter
/Tin
: “The diameter of the sphere, the tau in the circle, and the cross of the globe bring no joy to the blind.”
Mars
/Iron
: “He who can burn with water and wash with fire makes a heaven of earth and a precious earth of heaven.”
Venus
/Bronze
: “If you make the earth fly upside down, with its wings you may convert torrential waters to stone.”
Mercury
: “When azoth and fire whiten Latona, Diana comes unclothed.”
Antimony
: “Our dead son lives, returns from the fire a king, and enjoys occult conjugation.”
On the base, Vitriol: “It is an occult work of true wisdom to open the earth, so that it may generate salvation for the people.”
In another plate, now lost, was the device VILLAE IANUAM TRANANDO RECLUDENS IASON OBTINET LOCUPLES VELLUS MEDEAE 1680 (Passing by opening the door of the villa, Iason obtained the rich fleece of Medea 1680).
And on the doorstep, “SI SEDES NON IS,” an ambiguous quasi-palindrome
, meaning both “If you sit, do not go,” and “If you do not sit, go.”
. A patron of the home, childbirth and infants in ancient Egypt
, Bes was also known in imperial Rome, where in pre-Christian age several people followed Egyptian cults.
Originally the two statues did not belong to Villa Palombara. They were found somewhere near the Quirinal Hill
, where in ancient times stood a large temple dedicated to the Egyptian gods Isis
and Serapis
; century after century, many of its rich decorations, reliefs, small obelisks, etc. were unearthed, and were relocated in different parts of the city.
During the works for the opening of piazza Vittorio, in 1888 also these statues were moved from their original location to the Porta Alchemica.
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
Gate or Magic Portal, is a monument built between 1678 and 1680 by Massimiliano Palombara
Massimiliano Palombara
Massimiliano Palombara was marquis of Pietraforte and Conservator of Rome . He is the author of the La Bugia , a book of verses, written in 1656 in Rome.-External links:* La Bugia...
marquis of Pietraforte (1614–1680) in his residence, Palombara villa, located in the east of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
on the Esquilino hill in a position almost corresponding to Piazza Vittorio, where today was placed. Porta Alchemica is the only survivor of the five gates of the Palombara villa, there was a lost door on the opposite side enabling to give it a date of 1680, there were also four other inscriptions lost on the walls of the mansion inside the villa.
Legend
According to a legend dated 1802 sent us by the scholar Francesco Girolamo Cancellieri, a pilgrim "stibeum" (from LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
: stibium = antimony
Antimony
Antimony is a toxic chemical element with the symbol Sb and an atomic number of 51. A lustrous grey metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite...
) was hosted in the villa for a night. The "pellegrino", identifiable with the alchemist Giustiniani Bono, stayed for a night in the gardens of the villa in search of a mysterious herb capable of producing gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, the next morning he was seen disappearing forever through the door, but left behind a few flakes of gold fruit of a successful alchemical transmutation, and a mysterious paper full of puzzles and magic symbols that would contain the secret of the Philosopher's Stone
Philosopher's stone
The philosopher's stone is a legendary alchemical substance said to be capable of turning base metals into gold or silver. It was also sometimes believed to be an elixir of life, useful for rejuvenation and possibly for achieving immortality. For many centuries, it was the most sought-after goal...
. Perhaps the enigmatic paper could refer, for historical and geographic agreements, to the mysterious manuscriptVoynich
Voynich
Voynich may refer to:* Ethel Lilian Voynich , British novelist and musician* Wilfrid Michael Voynich , Polish revolutionary, discoverer of the Voynich manuscript, husband of Ethel...
a part of the collection belonged to King Rudolf II of Boemia.
The marquis had engraved on the five gates of the villa Palombara and on the walls of the mansion, the content of the manuscript with symbols and riddles in the hope that one day someone would be able to them.
History
The interest of the marquis Palombara for alchemy was born probably on his attendance since 1656, the roman court of queen Christina of SwedenChristina of Sweden
Christina , later adopted the name Christina Alexandra, was Queen regnant of Swedes, Goths and Vandals, Grand Princess of Finland, and Duchess of Ingria, Estonia, Livonia and Karelia, from 1633 to 1654. She was the only surviving legitimate child of King Gustav II Adolph and his wife Maria Eleonora...
, at Riario palace (today Palazzo Corsini center of the Lincei National Academy, that later became an Academy attended by all famous personages, erudites and esoteric doctors of that time as Giovanni Cassini or Francesco Maria Santinelli) on the slopes of the Gianicolo hill. After the queen converted to Catholicism, abdicated the throne of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and spent much of the rest of his life exiled in Rome from 1655 until her death in 1689.
Queen Christina had an alchemical laboratory, under the supervision of Pietro Antonio Bandiera in Riario palace attended by people like the esotericists Giuseppe Francesco Borri
Giuseppe Francesco Borri
Giuseppe Francesco Borri was an alchemist, prophet and doctor.- Education :In 1644, together with his brother, Borri entered a Jesuit seminary in Rome. There he was taught by the Jesuit scholar Athanasius Kircher, who had an important influence on him...
, and Athanasius Kircher
Athanasius Kircher
Athanasius Kircher was a 17th century German Jesuit scholar who published around 40 works, most notably in the fields of oriental studies, geology, and medicine...
. According to a legend the same Porta Alchemica was built in 1680 as a celebration of a successful alchemical transmutation occurred in Riario laboratory.
Between 1678 and 1680 Borri aka Giustiniani Bono, collaborated with Athanasius Kircher for construction of Porta Alchemica in Palombara villa. Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Gian Lorenzo Bernini was an Italian artist who worked principally in Rome. He was the leading sculptor of his age and also a prominent architect...
, famous architect and Kircher friend, designed the door. On the door was transcribed the secret formula for producing gold discovery in those years in alchemical laboratory of queen Christina. It is supposed that because of this revelation Palombara, Bernini and Kircher were murdered by poison at 28 November 1680, probably by the same Borri.
In 1806, Abbé Francesco Cancellieri wrote an account, in Italian, of his studies of the inscriptions on the Porta Alchimica. This work was later translated into French, in 1895, by Pietro Bornia, and it appeared in the April/June 1895 issue of L'Initiation, revue philosophique des hautes etudes.
It is suggested as well that the geometrical construction of the gate is similar to that of the 21st emblem of Michael Maier
Michael Maier
Michael Maier was a German physician and counsellor to Rudolf II Habsburg, a learned alchemist, epigramist and amateur composer.- Biography :...
’s Atalanta Fugiens (Frankfurt,1617).
The Emblem
The particular drawing on the pediment of Porta Alchemica, with the two triangles overlap and inscriptions in Latin, appears almost exactly the same on the page title of the alchemical book Aureum Saeculum Redivivum of Henricus Madatanus aka Adrian von MynsichtAdrian von Mynsicht
Adrian von Mynsicht was a German alchemist. He is best known for the allegorical work Aureum Saeculum Redivivum , published under the pseudonym Henricus Madathanus, and usually dated to 1621/2...
(1603–1638). The title page of the original of 1621 is very different, because the design that was inspired the marquis Palombara appears exactly only in the posthumous edition of 1677.
The emblem was taken over by Wienner von Sonnenfels in 1747 in Splendor lucis, oder Glanz des Lichts published at Vienna. Madathanus’ lower part of the emblem, "centrum in trigono centri", was reproduced in the well known work that circulated in the Gold- und Rosencreutz Orden, the Geheime Figuren der Rosencreutzer (Altona, 1785–88).
The same drawing appear in a bookmark possessed by Berenger Saunière, who became the parish priest at Rennes-le-Château in 1885.
The signs
The seven signs are taken from Johannes de Monte-Snyder, Commentatio de Pharmaco Catholico published in the "Chymica Vannus" (Amsterdam) in 1666, and follow the sequence of planets, associated to the correspondents metals: Saturn-lead, Jupiter-tin, Mars-iron, Venus-bronze, Mercury, Antinomy and Vitriol.To every planet is associated a watertight maxim, to read from the bottom up to right in order to come down from above on the left, according the direction indicated from the Hebrew maxim "Ruach Elohim".
The inscriptions
The monument has numerous symbols and inscriptions used in alchemy. The inscriptions are hard to read from the monument itself.Around the circle at top: “The center is in the triangle of the center.” Also: “There are three marvels: God and man, mother and virgin, triune and one.”
The Hebrew inscription, Ruach Elohim, means “Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
.” Beneath it: “A dragon guards the entrance of the magic garden of the Hesperides, and, without Hercules, Jason would not have tasted the delights of Colchis.”
There are six sigils on the jambs, each with its phrase.
Saturn
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn is named after the Roman god Saturn, equated to the Greek Cronus , the Babylonian Ninurta and the Hindu Shani. Saturn's astronomical symbol represents the Roman god's sickle.Saturn,...
/Lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
: “When in your house black crows give birth to white doves, then will you be called wise.”
Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
/Tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
: “The diameter of the sphere, the tau in the circle, and the cross of the globe bring no joy to the blind.”
Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
/Iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
: “He who can burn with water and wash with fire makes a heaven of earth and a precious earth of heaven.”
Venus
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
/Bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
: “If you make the earth fly upside down, with its wings you may convert torrential waters to stone.”
Mercury
Mercury (planet)
Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun once every 87.969 Earth days. The orbit of Mercury has the highest eccentricity of all the Solar System planets, and it has the smallest axial tilt. It completes three rotations about its axis for every two orbits...
: “When azoth and fire whiten Latona, Diana comes unclothed.”
Antimony
Antimony
Antimony is a toxic chemical element with the symbol Sb and an atomic number of 51. A lustrous grey metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite...
: “Our dead son lives, returns from the fire a king, and enjoys occult conjugation.”
On the base, Vitriol: “It is an occult work of true wisdom to open the earth, so that it may generate salvation for the people.”
In another plate, now lost, was the device VILLAE IANUAM TRANANDO RECLUDENS IASON OBTINET LOCUPLES VELLUS MEDEAE 1680 (Passing by opening the door of the villa, Iason obtained the rich fleece of Medea 1680).
And on the doorstep, “SI SEDES NON IS,” an ambiguous quasi-palindrome
Palindrome
A palindrome is a word, phrase, number, or other sequence of units that can be read the same way in either direction, with general allowances for adjustments to punctuation and word dividers....
, meaning both “If you sit, do not go,” and “If you do not sit, go.”
The Statues
The standing figures on both sides of the door feature deformed creatures, with short, stout legs and a grotesque bearded face represent a real Egyptian divinity or semi-divinity, called BesBes
Bes was an Egyptian deity worshipped in the later periods of dynastic history as a protector of households and in particular mothers and children. In time he would be regarded as the defender of everything good and the enemy of all that is bad...
. A patron of the home, childbirth and infants in ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
, Bes was also known in imperial Rome, where in pre-Christian age several people followed Egyptian cults.
Originally the two statues did not belong to Villa Palombara. They were found somewhere near the Quirinal Hill
Quirinal Hill
The Quirinal Hill is one of the Seven Hills of Rome, at the north-east of the city center. It is the location of the official residence of the Italian Head of State, who resides in the Quirinal Palace; by metonymy "the Quirinal" has come to stand for the Italian President.- History :It was...
, where in ancient times stood a large temple dedicated to the Egyptian gods Isis
Isis
Isis or in original more likely Aset is a goddess in Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs, whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. She was worshipped as the ideal mother and wife as well as the matron of nature and magic...
and Serapis
Serapis
Serapis or Sarapis is a Graeco-Egyptian name of God. Serapis was devised during the 3rd century BC on the orders of Ptolemy I of Egypt as a means to unify the Greeks and Egyptians in his realm. The god was depicted as Greek in appearance, but with Egyptian trappings, and combined iconography...
; century after century, many of its rich decorations, reliefs, small obelisks, etc. were unearthed, and were relocated in different parts of the city.
During the works for the opening of piazza Vittorio, in 1888 also these statues were moved from their original location to the Porta Alchemica.
External links
- http://roma.andreapollett.com/S1/roma-c20.htm The Magic Door And The Alchemic Circle Of Villa Palombara
- http://www.alchemywebsite.com/queen_christina.html Christina of Sweden (1626-1689), the Porta Magica and the Italian poets of the Golden and Rosy Cross.
- http://heavenastrolabe.net/alchemical_door/ The Alchemical Door