Ostia Antica in Cittΰ metropolitana di Roma Capitale, Latium, Rome, Italy — Central Italy (Tyrrhenian Coast)
Ninfei Ai Lati del Teatro e c.d. Oratorio Cristiano
L'area del teatro e il centro delle corporazioni commerciali
⎯⎯⎯ Nymphaeums and the Christian Oratorio
Theatre and trading corporations HQ
(Reg. II, Is. VII, 1, 6, 7)
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 5, 2025
1. Ninfei Ai Lati del Teatro e c.d. Oratorio Cristiano / Nymphaeums and the Christian Oratorio Marker
Inscription.
Ninfei Ai Lati del Teatro e c.d. Oratorio Cristiano, also, Nymphaeums and the Christian Oratorio. L'area del teatro e il centro delle corporazioni commerciali, also, Theatre and trading corporations HQ. Costruiti come fronte scenografica del teatro giα in etΰ domizianea (fine I secolo d.C.), i due ninfei gemelli (A-B) presentavano una pianta semicircolare e furono inseriti in un piω tardo portichetto con colonne marmoree (C). Al ninfe Al ninfeo orientale nel IV-V secolo d.C. si sovrappose un oratorio (uno dei pochi edifici cristiani di Ostia), costituito da un vano con abside realizzato con muratura di reimpiego (D). L'oratorio fu eretto a memoria dei martiri ostiensi (tra cui S. Aurea e S. Ciriaco), che vennero uccisi nel 269 d.C. presso l'arco di Caracalla (E) costruito davanti al teatro: mantenne la propria funzione cultuale fino all'etΰ medievale, quando la cittΰ era ormai in completa rovina. , , Built to adorn the front of the theatre already during the Domitianic period (late 1st century AD), the two twin nymphaea (A-B) had a semi-circular plan and were incorporated into a small later portico with marble columns (C). An oratory (one of Ostia's few Christian buildings) was installed in the east nymphaeum in the 4th-5th century AD, it consisted of a chamber with an apse and was made of reused bricks (D). The oratory was built to commemorate the martyrs of Ostia (including St Aurea and St Cyriacus), killed in AD 269 near the arch of Caracalla (E) that stands in front of the theatre. It maintained its religious function until the medieval period, when the town was already in ruins.
Costruiti come fronte scenografica del teatro giα in etΰ domizianea (fine I secolo d.C.), i due ninfei gemelli (A-B) presentavano una pianta semicircolare e furono inseriti in un piω tardo portichetto con colonne marmoree (C). Al ninfe Al ninfeo orientale nel IV-V secolo d.C. si sovrappose un oratorio (uno dei pochi edifici cristiani di Ostia), costituito da un vano con abside realizzato con muratura di reimpiego (D). L'oratorio fu eretto a memoria dei martiri ostiensi (tra cui S. Aurea e S. Ciriaco), che vennero uccisi nel 269 d.C. presso l'arco di Caracalla (E) costruito davanti al teatro: mantenne la propria funzione cultuale fino all'etΰ medievale, quando la cittΰ era ormai in completa rovina.
Built to adorn the front of the theatre already during the Domitianic period (late 1st century AD), the two twin nymphaea (A-B) had a semi-circular plan and were incorporated into a small later portico with marble columns (C). An oratory (one of Ostia's few Christian buildings) was installed in the east nymphaeum in the 4th-5th century AD, it consisted of a chamber with an apse and was made of reused bricks (D). The oratory
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was built to commemorate the martyrs of Ostia (including St Aurea and St Cyriacus), killed in AD 269 near the arch of Caracalla (E) that stands in front of the theatre. It maintained its religious function until the medieval period, when the town was already in ruins.
Erected by Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities.
Location. 41° 45.349′ N, 12° 17.527′ E. Marker is in Ostia Antica, Lazio (Latium, Rome), in Cittΰ metropolitana di Roma Capitale. It can be reached from Viale degli Scavi. The marker is in Ostia Antica Archaeological Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Ostia Antica, Lazio 00119, Italy. Touch for directions.
Regionally, it is in Europe, the European Union, the Schengen Area, a coastal Mediterranean country, and the Western World. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Roman Empire.
Excerpt: "To the south-east of the theatre are the scanty remains of a little Christian chapel, excavated in 1910 by Dante Vaglieri. The area in which it was built, marked E on the plan, had a long and complex history. Nymphaeum II,VII,7 (B) was a decorative feature from the first three centuries AD. Other constructions in the area (C, D) were razed to the ground. In the late fourth or early fifth century a roughly triangular area was created, flanked to the south by columns, to the west by the theatre, to the north by two columns (on of which is on top of a street), and to the east by block II,VI. The level of this area was raised considerably and covered with many small pieces of marble."
(Submitted on August 9, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Credits. This page was last revised on August 9, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 9, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 73 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on August 9, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
