Baths of Caracalla

**History and Evolution:**
– Construction initiated by Septimius Severus and completed during Caracalla’s reign in AD 216.
– Located on a site previously a garden estate called horti Asiniani.
– Over 2,000 tonnes of material installed daily for six years to complete the baths.
– Functional until the 6th century, then used as a Christian pilgrimage site.
– Used for pilgrim burials in the 6th and 7th centuries.
– Popes Adrian I, Sergius II, and Nicholas I may have conducted aqueduct work in the 9th century.
– Used as a quarry for construction materials since the 12th century.
– Transformed into vineyards and gardens in the 14th century.
– Stones used for St. Peter’s Basilica by Pope Pius II in the 15th century.
– Excavations in the mid-16th century led to the creation of Museo Farnese.

**Excavation, Restoration, and Architecture:**
– Excavations by various individuals revealed mosaics, statues, and artifacts.
– Restoration work in the 19th century revealed significant architectural elements.
– Expansion of excavations in the early 20th century uncovered subterranean passages and a Mithraeum.
– Second largest Roman public baths after the Baths of Diocletian.
– Heated by a hypocaust system with a capacity of 6,000 to 8,000 bathers.
– Aqua Antoniniana aqueduct specifically built to serve the Baths of Caracalla.
– The bath complex covered 25 hectares with millions of bricks used in construction.
– Main building could hold an estimated 1,600 bathers.

**Interior and Subterranean Features:**
– Included a public library, cold, medium, and hot rooms, and gyms for wrestling and boxing.
– Mithraeum considered the largest documented gathering space for Mithra worshippers.
– Tunnels used for heating baths and water outflow, lit by skylight-type windows.
– Columns made of granite and weighing close to 100 tons.
– High-quality sculptures ornamented the baths, including the Farnese Bull and Hercules.

**Cultural Impact and Modern Influence:**
– Influenced later architecture like the Baths of Diocletian and Basilica of Maxentius.
– Modern structures inspired by the baths include St Georges Hall in Liverpool and Pennsylvania Station in New York City.
– Direct copies of the baths’ architecture used in Penn Station, Senate of Canada Building, and Chicago Union Station.

**Use as a Cultural Venue:**
– Rome Opera Company used the central part of the complex as its summer home from 1937 to 1993.
– Venue hosted the first Three Tenors concert in 1990.
– Rome Grand Prix took place at the baths four times from 1947 to 1951.
– Gymnastics events of the 1960 Summer Olympics were held at the venue.
– Served as a filming location for ‘John Wick: Chapter 2.’
– Popular tourist attraction open to the public with restricted access to protect mosaic floors.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baths_of_Caracalla