SPOLIA COLUMN EMBEDDED IN THE UPPER ARCADE OF THE CONSERVATORY CLOISTER (1565)
This ancient complex was founded by king Ine of Wessex in 727 CE as a hospice for Anglo-Saxon pilgrims near the basilica of St Peter. It was vastly enlarged by Innocent III in around 1200, after he had a dream of Tiber fishermen hauling up nets full of unwanted babies. This vocation as an orphanage was expanded under Pius V, who had this cloister built to house children. His crest appears between the arches. Restorers looking for ancient columns in the wall found this in 2025. It might have come from the Horti of Agrippina, Nero's mother, which occupied this area in the C1 CE. Scratch the surface of almost any wall in central Rome and you're likely to find a reused column.
The Conservatory Cloister was added to the #OspedaleSantoSpirito in #Rome by Pius V in 1565, to house #orphans put up for adoption. It had two levels of arcades but the upper was walled up in the C17. Recent work found the #spolia columns buried in the brickwork. #SpoliaSunday #AncientBluesky 🏺