(CNN) – He was the first Roman emperor to take the leadership of Julius Caesar and build an empire that would eventually stretch from Britain to Egypt, boasting on his deathbed that “I found Rome built of bricks. and I left it in marble. “
But Emperor Augustus was not paid exactly in kind when he died in 14 CE.
His tomb – a huge circular mausoleum, which was the largest in the city when it was built – has been abandoned for centuries.
With the roof collapsed and the cypress trees planted around it left to grow wild, it was long away from the carefully preserved Colosseum and Roman Forum.
In fact, for much of the last 80 years, it was closed to the public, with brief openings in 2000 to celebrate the city’s jubilee year and then again before being closed in 2007 for archaeological investigations.
It was hoped to reopen in 2014 to mark the 2,000th anniversary of Augustus’ death. Eventually, however, with the conservation work still in progress, they were opened that very day.
But finally, a 13-year restoration has come to an end and is set to open to the public in March 2021.
A complete renovation
After decades of degradation, it will reopen to the public.
Capitoline Superintendency for Cultural Heritage
The restorations, completed in two stages, cost more than 10 million euros ($ 12 million). The first stage, partially funded by the Italian Ministry of Heritage and Cultural Activities and the Roman authorities, was completed in 2019. He oversaw the restoration of the monument.
The second stage, funded by Fondazione TIM, the social arm of Telecom Italia, worth 6 million euros ($ 7,300,000), focused on domestic spaces and prepared them for tournaments.
Huge structural works were undertaken to protect the mausoleum and a spiral staircase was rebuilt leading to the roof of the monument.
Fondazione TIM also financed the restoration of the funerary space and the arrangement of the territory around the mausoleum.
Even the outdoor square, Piazza Augusto Imperatore, is being renovated. Until now, the mausoleum has been a roundabout, with cars parked around it. The works are to be completed in December 2021.
Great neighbors
The mausoleum was originally as large as Pincian Hill.
Capitoline Superintendency for Cultural Heritage
In 2006, the old pavilion around it was replaced by a glass and steel structure by architect Richard Meier, which is more of a work of art in itself. The altar is now visible from the river Tiber, with the mausoleum behind.
Augustus had great plans for his tomb. The emperor – who was born in 63 BC. and took power in 14 BC. – began working on it in 28 BC, after his victory over Marc Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium, while “Augustus” was only Octavian – his name before he became emperor.
A gargantuan tomb, covered in marble
The interior had been badly damaged over the centuries.
Capitoline Superintendency for Cultural Heritage
Built for him and his family, it is the largest circular tomb in the ancient world, with a diameter of almost 90 meters and a height of at least 45 meters, from what can be assumed from the remains. Only a third of the original monument survived.
Its gigantic size made it almost as large as the nearby Pincian Hill and it was located near the Tiber so that it could be seen from most of the city.
Although today it appears made of brick, initially, those walls were covered with travertine marble, of which only traces remain today.
It is believed to have served as a tomb for more than 100 years before records were lost. It was mentioned in the 10th century.
From a fortress to an amphitheater
The mausoleum seen in 1963, with the Tiber beyond it.
Museum of Rome, Photographic Archive
In the medieval period, a fortress was built above the remains, but was destroyed in 1241. Subsequently, the structure was gradually dismantled, the marble being removed to be used as a building material.
In the 16th century, the owners of a nearby palace turned the interior of the tomb into a garden. Until the 1780s it was used as an amphitheater, with bullfights and fairgrounds on display. In the 19th century it was covered by a glass dome and used for theater performances; until the twentieth century it was used as a concert hall, the Auditorium Augusteo.
It was not until 1936 that his new life came to an end, when the fascist regime – which intended to excavate and preserve the city’s heritage in an attempt to align with ancient Rome – demolished the dome and modern buildings to reveal the tomb once again.
Restoration work was stopped during World War II and began again in the 1950s.