‘Sacred Area’ Where Julius Caesar Was Assassinated Officially Opens To Visitors

If there’s one person synonymous with the storied history of Rome, it’s Julius Caesar. For centuries, Area Sacra—translated to Sacred Area—where the leader was fatefully stabbed on the Ides of March in 44 BCE, has been closed off to visitors.

Now, the historical site, which bears the remains of the Curia of Pompey, where Brutus plunged the blade into his friend on a stone pedestal, will finally open its doors to the public. Thus far, only a portion of the centuries-old buildings on site have been identified.

This includes the Temple of Juturna, the goddess of fountains; the Temple of Fortuna Huiusce Deie, or Fortune of the Present Day; the Temple of Feronia, a fertility goddess; and the Temple of Lares Permarini, which historians believe was dedicated to protectors of navigation or nymphs.

According to Artnet News, the famed spot is located at the Largo di Torre Argentina in Rome, named after a prominent 15th-century German cardinal from Strasbourg, France—which was then known as Argentoratum in Latin—who lived near the area.

While the location of Caesar’s murder was first uncovered back in the 1920s, visitors have never been able to get a close-up look at the ancient buildings surrounding the pedestal where the scene took place.

At last, as described by Rome’s Capitoline Superintendent of Cultural Heritage Claudio Parisi Presicce, curious eyes will be able to marvel at “one of the best-preserved remains of the Roman Republic.”

Interestingly, the opening of the famed site was made possible thanks to the Italian luxury label Bulgari, which funded the walkways built for visitors to walk through the space. There’s even an elevator that connects the sunken plaza to the street level and illumination of the ruins at night.

Animal lovers will be delighted to know that for the past three decades, Area Sacra has housed the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary, a no-kill feline shelter that 86 of the city’s stray cats call home. These cats were officially designated as part of the city’s “bio-cultural heritage” in 2001.

Visitors looking to catch a glimpse of Caesar’s assassination site along with the ruins can just pay €5 (US$5.46) to say hello to the adorable felines, who were described as “good workmates” during the construction process over the last two years.

[via Artnet News and The Guardian, images via various sources]