Piazza del Quirinale
Route: THE FASCINATION OF THE CLASSICS. GOETHE AND CANOVA
Piazza del Quirinale www.palazzo.quirinale.it Always visible. When…
You are along the route: IN HOC SIGNO VINCES. CONSTANTINE CHRISTIAN EMPEROR
The Dioscuri
Piazza del Quirinale
Always visible.
In the centre of the Piazza is a group of statues of the Dioscuri, the mythical twins Castor and Pollux, revered by the Romans as protectors of the city because, according to legend, in 509 BC they appeared at the side of the Romans during the epic Battle of Lake Regillo, when they succeeded in driving out the Etruscan kings, and thus founded the Republic.
The statues are Roman copies of the fifth century BC Greek originals and initially belonged to the complex at the Baths built by Constantine a short distance away on the Quirinal Hill. Inaugurated around 315 AD, the baths were smaller than previous structures but nevertheless were finely decorated. In 1586 Pope Sixtus V placed the statues near a fountain in the square facing the palace.Foto Presidenza della Repubblica
Torna alla navigazione interna