The Flavian Amphitheater was a landmark for triumphs and spectacles and was dedicated to the gods of the nations in profane worship. It was expiated by the blood of martyrs from impure superstition so that the memory of their strength would not be lost. A monument by Pope Clement IX in the Jubilee Year 1675, depicted on the whitewashed walls, was destroyed by the injury of time. Pope Benedict XIV ordered it restored in marble in the Jubilee Year 1750.

Photo: James Hulse

Photo: James Hulse