Circus of Nero

The Circus of Nero or Circus of Caligula was a big entertainment place in ancient Rome, mostly where the Vatican City is today. People went there to watch exciting games and races long ago.

It was first built when Caligula was in charge. This circus was one of the places where Romans enjoyed fun activities together.

History

See also: Ager Vaticanus

The land called the Ager Vaticanus, a flat area west of Rome near the Tiber river, was built up in the late first century BC. Rich families used it for large, fancy homes. One of these homes belonged to Agrippina the Elder and was later passed to her son, Caligula. He loved chariot racing and started building a big racing track called a circus, which was finished by Claudius.

Later, Nero took over the circus and opened it to the public. He also let people whose homes were destroyed in a big fire stay there. Sadly, the circus was later used for very serious events involving many people. Over time, the area was changed, and by the second century AD, it was used for graves. Later, a very important church, Old St. Peter's Basilica, was built on the site, partly using the old circus walls. The old circus was mostly gone by 1450 when the current St Peter's Basilica was built.

Place of martyrdom

Main article: Saint Peter's tomb

The Circus of Nero was where the first organized and government-supported events for Christians took place in 65 AD. It is believed that two years later, Saint Peter and many other Christians faced similar situations. The area where these events happened was likely along the spina, or "spine," of the circus. An obelisk that stood in the center of the spina was later moved to Saint Peter's Square in the 16th century.

Nearby Roman cemetery

The Via Cornelia ran close to the north side of the Circus of Nero. Along this road, many old tombs have been found over time. When building parts of a famous colonnade, a tomb with a beautiful picture of an ancient wedding above its door was discovered. More tombs were found nearby. In 1616, a special tomb was found right where St. Peter's tomb is located. This tomb had a painted ceiling with designs and a large medallion in the center. The door of the tomb opened to the Via Cornelia.