Temple of Jupiter Stator (2nd century BC)
Encyclopedia
The Temple of Jupiter Stator was a temple of Ancient Rome
named after the god Jupiter
in his form of Jupiter Stator (Jupiter the stayer). Together with the temple of Juno Regina (Juno
in the form of "Queen Juno") and the enclosing Porticus Metelli (later rebuilt as the Porticus Octaviae
), it was built by Q. Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus after his triumph in 146 BC
. It is referred to as aedes Iovis Metellina and aedes Metelli. It was inside the porticus Metelli, close to the circus Flaminius
, and its exact site is known to have been beneath the church of Santa Maria in Campitelli
. The Temple of Juno Regina was just west of this, on the opposite side of the Via della Tribuna di Campitelli.
It is not stated in so many words by Velleius that Metellus built both temples, but this is the natural inference from the passage. He is also said to have been the first to build a temple in Rome entirely of marble, and this statement probably applies to both structures. In front of the temples Metellus placed Lysippus' equestrian statues of Alexander's generals, and in them were a number of famous works of art.
According to Vitruvius
(iii.2.5) the Temple of Jupiter was the work of Hermodorus of Salamis. It was a Hexastyle peripteral building
with six columns along the short sides and eleven on the long sides. The space between the columns was equal to that between the columns and the wall of the cella. As there were no inscriptions on the temples and evidently representations of a lizard and a frog among the decorations (σαύρα, βάτραχος), the legend arose that the architects were two Spartans, Saurus and Batrachus; and further that, as the decorations in the temple of Jupiter belonged to that of Juno
, and vice versa, the statues of the deities had been set up in the wrong cellae by the mistake of the workmen. The idea that an Ionic capital now in S. Lorenzo fuori le Mura has anything to do with these temples has generally been abandoned.
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
named after the god Jupiter
Jupiter (mythology)
In ancient Roman religion and myth, Jupiter or Jove is the king of the gods, and the god of the sky and thunder. He is the equivalent of Zeus in the Greek pantheon....
in his form of Jupiter Stator (Jupiter the stayer). Together with the temple of Juno Regina (Juno
Juno (mythology)
Juno is an ancient Roman goddess, the protector and special counselor of the state. She is a daughter of Saturn and sister of the chief god Jupiter and the mother of Mars and Vulcan. Juno also looked after the women of Rome. Her Greek equivalent is Hera...
in the form of "Queen Juno") and the enclosing Porticus Metelli (later rebuilt as the Porticus Octaviae
Porticus Octaviae
The Porticus Octaviae is an ancient structure in Rome.Built by Augustus in the name of his sister, Octavia Minor, at some time after 27 BC, in place of the Porticus Metelli, the porticus enclosed within its colonnaded walks the temples of Jupiter Stator and Juno Regina, next to the Theater of...
), it was built by Q. Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus after his triumph in 146 BC
146 BC
Year 146 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lentulus and Achaicus...
. It is referred to as aedes Iovis Metellina and aedes Metelli. It was inside the porticus Metelli, close to the circus Flaminius
Circus Flaminius
The Circus Flaminius was a large, circular area of land in Rome that contained a small race-track reserved for mysterious games, and various other buildings and monuments. It was located in the southern end of the Campus Martius, near the Tiber River. It was ‘built,’ or sectioned off, by Flaminius...
, and its exact site is known to have been beneath the church of Santa Maria in Campitelli
Santa Maria in Campitelli
Santa Maria in Campitelli or Santa Maria in Portico is a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary on the Piazza di Campitelli, Rome, Italy....
. The Temple of Juno Regina was just west of this, on the opposite side of the Via della Tribuna di Campitelli.
It is not stated in so many words by Velleius that Metellus built both temples, but this is the natural inference from the passage. He is also said to have been the first to build a temple in Rome entirely of marble, and this statement probably applies to both structures. In front of the temples Metellus placed Lysippus' equestrian statues of Alexander's generals, and in them were a number of famous works of art.
According to Vitruvius
Vitruvius
Marcus Vitruvius Pollio was a Roman writer, architect and engineer, active in the 1st century BC. He is best known as the author of the multi-volume work De Architectura ....
(iii.2.5) the Temple of Jupiter was the work of Hermodorus of Salamis. It was a Hexastyle peripteral building
Peristyle
In Hellenistic Greek and Roman architecture a peristyle is a columned porch or open colonnade in a building surrounding a court that may contain an internal garden. Tetrastoon is another name for this feature...
with six columns along the short sides and eleven on the long sides. The space between the columns was equal to that between the columns and the wall of the cella. As there were no inscriptions on the temples and evidently representations of a lizard and a frog among the decorations (σαύρα, βάτραχος), the legend arose that the architects were two Spartans, Saurus and Batrachus; and further that, as the decorations in the temple of Jupiter belonged to that of Juno
Juno (mythology)
Juno is an ancient Roman goddess, the protector and special counselor of the state. She is a daughter of Saturn and sister of the chief god Jupiter and the mother of Mars and Vulcan. Juno also looked after the women of Rome. Her Greek equivalent is Hera...
, and vice versa, the statues of the deities had been set up in the wrong cellae by the mistake of the workmen. The idea that an Ionic capital now in S. Lorenzo fuori le Mura has anything to do with these temples has generally been abandoned.