Tourists throwing coins in the Trevi fountain just make a desire. They do not suspect that they actually bring gifts to ancient deities and city poor
Trevi Fountain. Rome, Italy
“Throw a coin, and the desire will be fulfilled. Only you need to make one – return to Rome, ” – two heroines of Hollywood cinema teach the third“ correctly ”to throw money in the Trevi fountain: over the shoulder, with their back to the water. The custom has been known at least from the 19th century, but the mass pilgrimage with throwing money began after the film “Three Coins in the Fountain” released in 1954. The influence of the sacred number is three in the collective unconscious, apparently great, and the version of the “ritual” arose with three coins: one is thrown to return to Rome, two – to meet love there, and three – so that the novel leads to the wedding. Nowadays, the daily “catch” of utilities is about 3,000 euros, it goes in support of the poor;it is forbidden to pull out coins to private individuals.
The custom of the very custom of throwing money and other valuable things very ancient into the water. In ancient times, they sent offers to water deities so. The history of the fountain also begins in antiquity. An ancient Roman aqua of Aqua Virgo, built in 19 BC, was going on to this place. e. A fountain appeared here in the Renaissance era, water entered the aqueduct of water. And the construction of the Trevi Square, familiar to modern tourists, began to be built in 1732 according to the project of Nikola Salvi. This hymn in a stone – a source of life and blessings – created three decades, with three dads of Roman. The name “Trev” is probably comes from the Italian Tre Vie, which means “three roads”: the square appeared where three streets converged.
1. Ocean. According to Salvi, the central figure of the fountain was not the god of the seasTun, as many people think, and the Titan Ocean is the lord of all waters, which gave rise to three thousand oceanid daughters and the same number of sons-river streams.
2. Statuses on columns. Allegory of goods brought by rain: “abundance of fruits”, “crop of cereals”, “gifts of autumn”, “charms of gardens”.
3. Opening the source. The scene from the legend explaining why the aqueduct was named Aqua Virgo (Virgo-“Virgin” in Latin). The Roman soldiers suffering from thirst met the girl who showed them a spring – the future began an aqueduct.
4. The basis of the aqueduct. The relief depicts commander Mark Vipsanii Agrippa, commanding to conduct water from the source to the eternal city for the public baths founded by him. The length of the aqueduct was more than 20 km.
5. Coat of arms. The initiator of the construction of the fountain Pope Clement XII made sure that his coat of arms was above the Palazzo Polis, whose owners were relatives of one of the previous pontiffs, Innocent XIII. Above the shield – tiara and keys, symbols of papal power.
6. Inscriptions. They were carved by order of the paps, on which the fountain was built: “Clement XII, the Great Pontiff, decorated this source of the Virgin with fairly sophistication, glorious abundance and healing force of water, in the year of the Lord 1735, for the sixth year of its pontificate”, “Benedict XIV, great pontiff, deed ”,“ statues and reliefs are placed here by order of Clement XIII, the Great Pontiff, and all the work is completed without further improvements per year of Lord 1762 ”.
7. The goddess of abundance. Holds a cornucopia – an attribute of ancient deities distributing the benefits – as a sign of how generously the source supplies Rome with water.
8. Hippons. Mythical sea creatures with different temperaments symbolize two states of the sea – calm and stormy.
9. Triumphal Arch. In ancient Rome, such structures were established in honor of the winners. Here, the god of waters appears in the form of a triumph.
10. The goddess of health. Symbolizes the healing power and purity of water water virgo. Greek goddess of health of Gigiye was portrayed by a snake feeding from the bowl-the sacred animal of her father, the appelier of the Asclepi. The spear is also one of the attributes of hygiei, since it was sometimes identified with the warrior-warrior Athena.
11. Trino. Creatures from Greek mythology, usually depicted in the retinue of sea deities.
Architect
Nikola Salvi
1697 – Born in Rome in a rich family.
1717 – was admitted to the Arkadian Academy – a circle of intellectuals, in which only poets were allowed.
1725 – First mentioned as a student of architect Antonio Kanevari;The profession of Salvi, fond of mathematics, medicine and philosophy, chose thoughts after nine years.
1732 – I received an order for the construction of the Trevi fountain based on the results of the Pope of the Project Competition.
1742–1747 – Together with Luigi Vanvitelly, he created in Rome and sent to Lisbon a disassembled form of John the Baptist for the Church of St. Rocha – probably the most expensive in Europe of that time.
1751 – died in Rome from pneumonia;Perhaps his health was undermined by dampness and cold, which reigned in the underground part of the aqueduct, where the architect spent a lot of time during work on the Trevi fountain.
Photo: Beatrice Preve / Alamy (in the announcement), Istock (x4), Benjamín nunez gonzález (CC-by-SA)