Baths of Caracalla
It was one of the several public baths in Rome, begun by the emperor Septimius Severus in AD 206 and completed by his son Caracalla in 216. Among Rome’s most beautiful and luxurious baths, designed to accommodate about 1,600 bathers, the Baths of Caracalla continued in use until the 6th century.
The extant ruins are the most extensive of any surviving Roman bathing establishments and consist centrally of a block of large vaulted bath chambers, with courts and auxiliary rooms, surrounded by a garden with space used for exercise and games.
There were three main bath chambers: the frigidarium, or cold room; the caldarium, or hot room; and the tepidarium, or lukewarm room. Between the frigidarium and the tepidarium was the great hall, roofed by an enormous vault with clerestory windows, a prototype of the vaulted naves of medieval churches. There were also open-air swimming pools. Marble was used lavishly, and sculpture, mosaics, frescoes, and other decorations ornamented the interior.
10 minutes•Entrée non incluse•Voir sur la carte