Arch of Janus
A 4 th Century AD double-facing arch for a two-faced god who protected
travelers at crossroads. The Arch of Janus is situated in the Velabrum.
It was built around 356 AD by Constantius II in hounour of Constantine
the Great. Janus was the divinity of gates and bridges, but the
present name is a later invention. This belief comes from the idea
that one must emerge through a gate or door before entering a new
place. Janus is represented artistically with two opposite faces.
 The
formal name was "Arch of the Devine Constantines". It stands directly
over the famous drain, Cloaca Maxima, and marked the junction between
the Forum Boarium and the Velabrum. The arch was transformed into
a fortress in the Middle Ages by the Frangipane family, who built
a tower on top of it. Structures on top of the arch were demolished
in the 19th century.
The monument can be seen from the outside and we see
the Church of St. Giorgio in Velabro on the right of the photo .
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From Forum Boarium
to Velabro
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