Hadrian, Hadrian's Villa, Italy

Picture of the day: The circular temple dedicated to the Venus of Knidos, Hadrian’s Villa (Tivoli, Italy)

The temple dedicated to the Venus of Knidos is a small circular temple with doric columns situated on the Temple Valley at Hadrian’s Villa.  It belongs to the latest building phase at the villa, between AD 133 and 138.

Temple of Venus Knidos, Hadrian's Villa, Tivoli © Carole Raddato
Temple of Venus Knidos, Hadrian’s Villa, Tivoli
© Carole Raddato

The circular plan of the central structure, the use of the Doric order, and the discovery of a fragmentary statue replica of the Aphrodite of Knidos led to the association between the Nymphaeum and the Greek tholos in Knidos, where the original statue by Praxiteles was located.

In the center of the round temple, a statue of the goddess stands, this one is a cast. The original is in the museum on the site, the Antiquarium of the Canopus.

The Ludovisi Cnidian Aphrodite, Roman marble copy (torso and thighs) with restored head, arms, legs and drapery support Palazzo Altemps, Rome
The Ludovisi Cnidian Aphrodite, Roman marble copy (torso and thighs) with restored head, arms, legs and drapery support
Palazzo Altemps, Rome
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