Via Cornelia

Via Cornelia is an ancient Roman Road that supposedly ran east west along the northern wall of the Circus of Nero on land now covered by the southern wall of St. Peter's Basilica. It is closely associated with the Via Aurelia and the Via Triumphalis. [ O'Callaghan, Roger T. "Recent Excavations under the Vatican Crypts." The Biblical Archaeologist, Vol. 12, No.1.(Feb., 1949) ]

History

There is some belief amongst archeologists that the Via Cornelia did not exist and that the name is a mutilation of the Via Aurelia. This conjecture stems from the fact that the Via Cornelia is only mentioned in the itineraries and witnesses of the 7th and 8th centuries; for in those centuries the population of Rome decreased from about one and a half million to sixty thousand and the people were impoverished and could hardly speak Latin well. The citizens would also have no idea of the topography of the Imperial period. Where-as documents from the 4th century state Saint Peter was buried along the "Via Triumphalis". [ L. E. Hudec "Recent Excavations under St. Peter's Basilica in Rome." Journal of Bible and Religion, Vol. 20, No. 1. (Jan., 1952) ]

An excavation in 1924 at the site of Pisidian Antioch discovered an inscribed stone dating from about 93 AD that offers strong evidence that the Via Cornelia had existed pre-Constantine. The inscription on the stone mentions a commander of the eight Augustinian legion under Vespasian and Titus who had been a supervisor of the Via Aurelia and the Via Cornelia. [ Robinson, David M. "A New Latin Economic Edict from Pisidian Antioch" Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, Vol. 55. (1924) ]

Location

It was generally accepted that the southern walls of St. Peter's Basilica rested on the northern walls of the Nero’s Circus, and that a street ran north of the circus under the basilica (see figure). However, excavations of the basilica and surrounding area have shown that this is not entirely correct. An excavation in 1936 in the Piazza San Pietro discovered traces of a road that may well be the post-Constantinian Via Cornelia. There was also found a fragment of pre-Constantinian paved road along the same alignment found at the south-west corner of the basilica. It is now believed that the Via Cornelia came from the east and went west, rising gently near the present southernmost fountain in the Piazza San Pietro. Slightly before this point the Via Aurelia forked off from it and headed southwest, while the Via Cornelia continued westward just south of façade of the basilica and eventual on towards Caere. "Via Triumphalis" is believed to have come from Pons Neronis towards the Piazza San Pietro and then to have veered northwest towards the business section of Vatican City. The present day Via della Conciliazione follows approximately the same path as the Via Cornelia did. [ Townend, Gavind "Archaeological Notes: The Circus of Nero and the Vatican Excavations" American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 62, No. 2. (Apr., 1958) ]

Function

It is possible that the Via Cornelia may have been built by Gaius to improve the approach to the imperial gardens, the "Horti Agrippinae". Therefore it may have formed the northern boundary of the gardens in Nero’s time. It would also have connected the Circus of Nero to the basilica and to a double row of mausoleums. [ J. M. C. Toynbee "The Shrine of St. Peter and Its Setting" The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 43. (1953) ]

References