Caesareum of Alexandria
| Caesareum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Destroyed |
| Type | Built as a temple; converted to a Christian church (late-4th century) |
| Town or city | Alexandria |
| Country | Egypt |
| Completed | 1st century BC |
| Renovated | 4th century (converted to Christian church) |
| Destroyed | 19th century |
| Client | • Cleopatra VII (started) • Augustus (finished) |
The Caesareum of Alexandria is an ancient temple in Alexandria, Egypt. It was conceived by Cleopatra VII of the Ptolemaic kingdom, the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, to honour her first known lover Julius Caesar.[1] The edifice was finished by the Roman Emperor Augustus, after he defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra in Egypt. He destroyed all traces of Antony in Alexandria, and apparently dedicated the temple to his own cult.[2]
Converted to a Christian church in the late 4th century, the Caesareum was the headquarters of Cyril of Alexandria, the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444.[3]
The philosopher and mathematician Hypatia was murdered at the Caesareum by a Christian mob in 415; they stripped her naked and tore her to pieces.[4]
Elements of the temple survived until the 19th century. Cleopatra's Needles, obelisks from the temple, now stand in Central Park in New York City and on the Thames Embankment, in London.[2][5]
Today, a large statue of the Alexandrine nationalist leader Saad Zaghloul (1859–1927) stands on the Caesareum site.
See also[]
- 1st century BC in architecture
- Ancient Egyptian architecture
- History of Alexandria
References[]
- ^ Fletcher, Joann (2008), Cleopatra the Great: The Woman Behind the Legend, New York: Harper, pp. 216–217, ISBN 978-0-06-058558-7.
- ^ Jump up to: a b McKenzie, Judith (2007). The Architecture of Alexandria and Egypt, c. 300BC to AD 700, Volume 63. p. 177. ISBN 978-0300115550.
- ^ Staff (2012). "The Caesarium of Alexandria – Scene of the Crime". cosmographica.com. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ^ Socrates Scholasticus. Ecclesiastical History, Bk VI: Chap. 15.
- ^ Ellis, Simon P. (1992). Graeco-Roman Egypt. Osprey Publishing. pp. 16–17. ISBN 9780747801580.
Coordinates: 31°12′03″N 29°53′58″E / 31.2009°N 29.8994°E
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- Buildings and structures completed in the 1st century BC
- 19th-century disestablishments in Egypt
- Cleopatra
- Monuments and memorials to Julius Caesar
- Churches in Alexandria
- Egyptian temples
- Former buildings and structures in Egypt
- Ruins in Egypt
- Conversion of non-Christian religious buildings and structures into churches
- Hypatia
- 1st-century BC establishments in Roman Egypt