Diocletian Art Story | Location | Opening Hours Tickets | Authorisations
Art Story Museum Roman Baths | Cloisters Epigraphs
The Museum of the Baths of Diocletian in Rome, Italy
Baths of Diocletian The Baths of Diocletian are very large, the largest public baths ever built in Rome.
They covered an area of 14 hectares, twice the size of the Baths of Caracalla!
Yet they were built in record time, from 298 to 306, in just eight years!
And for good reason: according to Eusebius, more than 40,000 Christians worked on their construction.
Based on the design of Trajan's Baths, Diocletian's Baths could accommodate 3,000 "Person" at a time!
To get an idea of their original size, just look at them from Piazza della Repubblica, opposite the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli.
Diocletian Baths Museum And to imagine that they stretched as far as the current Piazza della Repubblica, which is already very large.
As for the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, one of the largest churches in Rome, it was built inside these baths, in a small part of them, where the "Tepidarium" and the entrance hall to the baths were located.
Finally, the cloisters that occupy another part of the ancient Baths of Diocletian also managed to find their place effortlessly within its ancient walls.
The Romans and Baths
Hygiene was particularly important to the Romans.This required aqueducts to bring in sufficient quantities of water on a constant basis, with the corresponding infrastructure to supply the baths, as well as perfect organisation to welcome customers and manage the rooms.
Michelangelo's Grand Cloister This was a complex undertaking, as the population of ancient Rome was approaching one million, all of whom needed access to the baths.
The public baths were not reserved for the upper classes; everyone went to the baths, men and women, rich and poor, including slaves.
The baths were open to all, but separate hours were reserved for different social classes.
Finally, the baths were not limited to bathing itself; they were also places to meet friends or simply to do business. People also played sports and had massages there: complete relaxation or fitness sessions!
The two cloisters and the epigraphs ➤
Art Story Museum Roman Baths | Cloisters Epigraphs
Diocletian Art Story | Location | Opening Hours Tickets | Authorisations
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