Elenian Baths

The Helenian Baths, also known as Thermae Helenianae or Thermae Helenae, represent a fascinating chapter in the history of Roman baths. Built at the beginning of the 3rd century AD, these baths were located between the Esquiline and Caelian hills, in an area known as the Horti Spei Veteris, later Horti Variani. Their name derives from Flavia Julia Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine I, who promoted their restoration between 323 and 326 AD after a devastating fire. The thermal complex, originally part of the imperial residence of Septimius Severus, the Sessorium, was fed by the Caelian Aqueduct, a branch of the Claudian Aqueduct. The baths were equipped with a large cistern located north of the complex, separated by extensive gardens. This cistern, composed of twelve interconnected rooms arranged in two parallel rows, was probably fed by a derivation of the Aqua Alexandrina aqueduct. The architecture of the Helenian Baths reflects a compromise between the large imperial baths and smaller bathing complexes. Their asymmetrical plan and the high northern wall that protected the complex from cold winds are examples of innovative architectural solutions for the time. Although much of the structures visible in the 16th century were destroyed or buried under the pontificate of Pope Sixtus V for the construction of Via Felice, the remains of the baths are still visible at the intersection of Via Eleniana and Via Sommeiller, at a lower level than the current street. The Helenian Baths were not only a place of well-being and leisure, but also a symbol of imperial power and munificence. The dedication to Helena, commemorated in an inscription now preserved in the Vatican, emphasizes the prestige of the imperial family and their commitment to improving Rome’s public infrastructure. According to this inscription, “Our lady Helena, august mother of our venerable lord Constantine and grandmother of our most fortunate and flourishing Caesars, restored these baths, destroyed by a fire”. The history of the Helenian Baths is intertwined with that of the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. Helena, in fact, converted a rectangular room of the baths into the first church from which the basilica derives, intended to house the relics of the Passion of Christ that she herself had found on Calvary. This connection between the thermal complex and the basilica adds an additional layer of historical and religious significance to the site. The restoration and recovery works of the complex, over the centuries, have allowed the memory of the Helenian Baths to be kept alive. During the Middle Ages, one of the rooms of the cistern was transformed into a chapel dedicated to “S. Angeli prope S. Cruci in Hierusalem”, remembered until the end of the 16th century and then destroyed due to the works for Via Felice. In the following centuries, the remains of the baths were studied and documented by famous architects such as Andrea Palladio and Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, whose drawings and notes offer us a valuable testimony of the original appearance of the complex. Today, although much of the baths have been lost, the remaining vestiges continue to tell the story of a time of splendor and architectural innovation. The Helenian Baths are an emblematic example of how Roman structures were not only functional but also aesthetically refined, reflecting the taste and ingenuity of the architects of ancient Rome.