The Insula of the Ara Coeli in Rome, June 2012

The apartment building known as the Capitoline insula (insula = literally “island,” similar to a block of apartment buildings), was discovered in 1927 when the Baroque church of Santa Rita da Cascia was destroyed. The ruins of the apartment building are set back from the road, partly hidden by trees and the steps of Santa Maria in Aracoeli. “The Capitoline insula, constructed of brick-faced concrete on at least five storeys, dates from the early 2nd century A.D. It is contemporary with the Trajan’s markets and not dissimilar from them in function though more modest in scale. Rising from the ancient ground level, 9 meters below the modern pavement, the first three storeys comprise single shop units stacked against the near-vertical face of the hillside behind, the second storey is a mezzanine, the third had a balcony in front, reached by the staircase.” (Claridge, pp. 233-234). It is one of the best existing examples of a brick-built apartment block, as opposed to many that were wooden. In the 11th century the upper floors of the apartment building became part of the church of San Biagio de Mercato. The church of Santa Rita da Cascia was then built on top of San Biagio in 1665 by the architect Carlo Fontana. The excavated insulae has five or six storeys. Its ground floor was, as was usually, occupied by tabernae – porticoed shops or warehouses facing onto a central courtyard. Wooden steps inside the shops would have led up to a mezzanine at first floor level. The rooms on the existing upper floors were for residential purpose and included features such as wooden paving and small windows. Due to the fact that the rooms on the upper floors are smaller, it is believed that they were rented out to poorer citizens. This five or six storey apartment building could have housed up to 350 plebeians – almost twice the number of most insulae of the time.

Text from: ldmart315.edublogs.org/nov-2-two-apartment-buildings-the-...