Temple of Clitumnus
Encyclopedia
The Tempietto del Clitunno (Temple of Clitumnus) is a small paleochristian church that sits along the banks of the Clitunno River
near the town of Campello sul Clitunno
between Spoleto
and Trevi
, Umbria
, Italy. In 2011, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of a group of seven inscribed as Longobards in Italy. Places of the power (568-774 A.D.).
There was originally a pagan shrine dedicated to the river god Clitumnus, built along the Via Flaminia
, the road from Rome to Ariminum (Rimini
). It was described by Pliny the Younger
in his Epistulae
book VII, 8: "Next to it [to the river] stands an ancient and venerable temple in which is placed the river-god Clitumnus clothed in the usual robe of state; and indeed the prophetic oracles here delivered sufficiently testify the immediate presence of that divinity". A popular touristic spot in Roman times, it attracted Roman citizens and emperors alike to consult and to worship the oracles of the river god.
16th century humanist
thought that the tempietto had been converted from a pagan temple into an early-Christian church, dedicated to San Salvatore, probably in the fourth century. It was however probably built from the ground up in several stages, constructed from the beginning for Christian use, using materials taken from the numerous mausoleums and Roman villas that surrounded the river and the lake. This can be clearly seen by the Corinthian column screens, the tympanum
reliefs with a cross surrounded by vine scrolls and the Latin inscriptions in Roman square capitals
from its friezes.
Inside on the rear apse walls of the tempietto one can see the faded traces of two eighth-century frescoes of Jesus and St. Peter and St. Paul. These are the oldest frescoes in Umbria. They resemble the frescoes in Santa Maria Antiqua
, a 5th-century church in Rome. These frescoes were painted over between the years of 1931 and 1933, but were fully cleaned in 1985. The apse also contains a reliquary and a column screen, much like the one in the Pantheon in Rome.
Many additions have been made to the Tempietto during multiple restoration projects, the most notable being 1890-1894, including new stone in the apse floor, benches in the corners of the nave, and a stairway to replace the one torn down in the 1730s on the north portico. The construction of a highway has also contributed to the altered setting of the Temple.
Clitunno River
The Clitunno, in Antiquity the Clitumnus, is a river in Umbria, Italy. The name is of uncertain origin, but it was also borne by the river god...
near the town of Campello sul Clitunno
Campello sul Clitunno
Campello sul Clitunno is a comune in the Province of Perugia in the Italian region Umbria, located about 45 km southeast of Perugia....
between Spoleto
Spoleto
Spoleto is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome.-History:...
and Trevi
Trevi
Trevi is an ancient town and comune in Umbria, Italy, on the lower flank of Monte Serano overlooking the wide plain of the Clitunno river system. It is 10 km SSE of Foligno and 20 km north of Spoleto....
, Umbria
Umbria
Umbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...
, Italy. In 2011, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of a group of seven inscribed as Longobards in Italy. Places of the power (568-774 A.D.).
There was originally a pagan shrine dedicated to the river god Clitumnus, built along the Via Flaminia
Via Flaminia
The Via Flaminia was an ancient Roman road leading from Rome over the Apennine Mountains to Ariminum on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, and due to the ruggedness of the mountains was the major option the Romans had for travel between Etruria, Latium and Campania and the Po Valley...
, the road from Rome to Ariminum (Rimini
Rimini
Rimini is a medium-sized city of 142,579 inhabitants in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It is located on the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia and Ausa...
). It was described by Pliny the Younger
Pliny the Younger
Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, born Gaius Caecilius or Gaius Caecilius Cilo , better known as Pliny the Younger, was a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Ancient Rome. Pliny's uncle, Pliny the Elder, helped raise and educate him...
in his Epistulae
Epistulae (Pliny)
The Epistulae are a series of personal missives by Pliny the Younger directed to his friends and associates. These letters are a unique testimony of Roman administrative history and everyday life in the 1st century. The style is very different from that in the Panegyricus, and some commentators...
book VII, 8: "Next to it [to the river] stands an ancient and venerable temple in which is placed the river-god Clitumnus clothed in the usual robe of state; and indeed the prophetic oracles here delivered sufficiently testify the immediate presence of that divinity". A popular touristic spot in Roman times, it attracted Roman citizens and emperors alike to consult and to worship the oracles of the river god.
16th century humanist
Renaissance humanism
Renaissance humanism was an activity of cultural and educational reform engaged by scholars, writers, and civic leaders who are today known as Renaissance humanists. It developed during the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth centuries, and was a response to the challenge of Mediæval...
thought that the tempietto had been converted from a pagan temple into an early-Christian church, dedicated to San Salvatore, probably in the fourth century. It was however probably built from the ground up in several stages, constructed from the beginning for Christian use, using materials taken from the numerous mausoleums and Roman villas that surrounded the river and the lake. This can be clearly seen by the Corinthian column screens, the tympanum
Tympanum (architecture)
In architecture, a tympanum is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, bounded by a lintel and arch. It often contains sculpture or other imagery or ornaments. Most architectural styles include this element....
reliefs with a cross surrounded by vine scrolls and the Latin inscriptions in Roman square capitals
Roman square capitals
Roman square capitals, also called capitalis monumentalis, inscriptional capitals, elegant capitals and quadrata, are an ancient Roman form of writing, and the basis for modern capital letters....
from its friezes.
- SANCTUS DEUS ANGELORUM QUI FECIT RESURRECTIONEM
- SANCTUS DEUS APOSTOLORUM QUI FECIT REMISSIONEM
- SANCTUS DEUS PROPHETARUM QUI FECIT REDEMPTIONEM
Inside on the rear apse walls of the tempietto one can see the faded traces of two eighth-century frescoes of Jesus and St. Peter and St. Paul. These are the oldest frescoes in Umbria. They resemble the frescoes in Santa Maria Antiqua
Santa Maria Antiqua
The Ancient church of St Mary is a Roman Catholic Marian church in Rome, built in the 5th century in the Forum Romanum, and for long time the monumental access to the Palatine imperial palaces....
, a 5th-century church in Rome. These frescoes were painted over between the years of 1931 and 1933, but were fully cleaned in 1985. The apse also contains a reliquary and a column screen, much like the one in the Pantheon in Rome.
Many additions have been made to the Tempietto during multiple restoration projects, the most notable being 1890-1894, including new stone in the apse floor, benches in the corners of the nave, and a stairway to replace the one torn down in the 1730s on the north portico. The construction of a highway has also contributed to the altered setting of the Temple.