Description
C.18th engraving of the Amphitheatrum Castrense, a Roman amphitheatre in Rome, next to the church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. According to tradition, the basilica was consecrated circa 325 to house the relics of the Passion of Jesus Christ brought to Rome from the Holy Land by Empress Helena, mother of Roman Emperor Constantine I. At that time, the Basilica’s floor was covered with soil from Jerusalem, thus acquiring the title in Hierusalem
From, Vestigi delle Antichita di Roma Tivoli Pozzuoli et altri luochi.
