HISTORY
The cult of Isis was introduced to Rome in the 1st century BC, initially encountering resistance from the traditionalist aristocracy.
In 53 BC, the Senate ordered the demolition of private shrines dedicated to the goddess within the city walls. Despite this, evidence suggests that as early as the Republican era (1st century BC), a temple dedicated to Isis stood on the site where the Iseum Campense would later be built. This sanctuary was also frequented by Queen Cleopatra, the companion of Julius Caesar.
In 43 BC, the Iseum Campense, a grand sanctuary dedicated to Isis and her consort Serapis, was erected in the Campus Martius, between the Saepta Iulia and the Temple of Minerva.
It became the most important Egyptian temple in imperial Rome, bolstered by the enthusiasm of the emperors for the Egyptian goddess. However, the cult of Isis experienced periods of suppression: it was first banned by Agrippa in 23 BC and later by Tiberius, but it was reinstated by Caligula and endured until the fall of the Roman Empire.
Throughout its history, the complex underwent several transformations. In 80 AD, a fire destroyed it, but it was rebuilt by Domitian and later modified by Hadrian. During the Severan era, extensive restorations were carried out, affecting much of the structure. The sanctuary remained a significant center of worship until the 5th century.
In epoca severiana furono intrapresi importanti restauri, che interessarono gran parte delle strutture. Il santuario continuò ad essere un importante centro di culto fino al V secolo.
Description
The Temple of Isis was an imposing structure, measuring 240 meters in length and 60 meters in width, and was divided into three main sections:
- a rectangular central courtyard, accessible through monumental arches.
- an open square, adorned with pairs of red granite obelisks and sphinxes, with the Temple of Isis at its center.
- a semicircular exedra housing the Serapeum, now the site of the Church of Santo Stefano del Cacco.
The Camigliano Arch served as the eastern entrance to the Iseum Campense.
Likely built during Hadrian’s reign on an earlier 1st-century AD structure, it was part of a broader urban reorganization undertaken by the emperor alongside the construction of the Pantheon and the Temple of Hadrian.
This renewal transformed and redefined the insula sacra.
Inside the sacred courtyard stood numerous significant decorative elements.
Among these was an obelisk that now dominates the center of Piazza Navona, as well as the obelisks of Piazza della Minerva, Piazza del Pantheon, and the monument to the fallen of the Battle of Dogali. The obelisk now located in Florence’s Boboli Gardens also once belonged to the complex. Numerous statues and artworks from the site are now preserved in museums such as the Capitoline Museums, the Barracco Museum, the Vatican Museums, and even the Louvre. Some of the most renowned finds include the monumental statues representing allegories of the Tiber and Nile rivers, housed in the Louvre and the Vatican Museums, respectively.
Many archaeological discoveries related to the temple influenced the modern toponymy of the Pigna district.
A large bronze pinecone, found in Piazza della Pigna, is now displayed in the Vatican’s Cortile della Pigna.
Several sculptures from the Iseum Campense remain well known. These include the statue of Isis Sothis, referred to as “Madama Lucrezia,” now placed in front of the Basilica of San Marco, and the famous marble foot on Via del Pie’ di Marmo, likely a fragment of a colossal statue of Serapis.
On Via Santo Stefano del Cacco, excavations unearthed Egyptian sculptures of baboons—sacred animals—now housed in the Capitoline Museums. The street’s name, “Cacco,” is derived from a corruption of macaco, a dialect term referring to a type of monkey.
The cult of Isis reached its peak in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD across the Roman Empire, but its influence extended well into the Christian era. Religious syncretism led to a symbolic overlap between Isis, often depicted nursing her son Horus, and the Virgin Mary with the infant Jesus. This transition helped preserve and transform elements of the ancient cult, ensuring its legacy in later religious traditions.
