The sanctuary of the Victories of Caracalla

Authors: Wilhelmina Jashemski , Amina-Aïcha Malek

Contributor: Xue Xia

Permalink: https://roman-gardens.github.io/test-a/id/530e6055cb/

Published: 2021-04-21

Modified: 2025-09-16

Dates

214 CE

Garden Description

The sanctuary of the Victories of Caracalla, situated in the southwest of the forum, was built in a residential area in 214 CE on a particularly cramped and steep site. Its urban and topographical situation conditioned its architecture. It is accessed by a lateral staircase, built onto bedrock, which leads to a courtyard, without a portico due to the lack of space. Its layout is similar to that of the sanctuaries of Minerva 2 and Dar Lachheb, with the cross-shaped layout of the paths that delimit four quadrangular spaces, probably planted, located at each corner of the courtyard, and bordered by solid balustrades, also in stone. A staircase of nine steps leads to the tetrastyle temple in antis and pseudo-peripteral which occupies the full width of the sanctuary. This example attests to the desire to introduce vegetation when space was lacking; could this be an indication of the role given to plants in certain cult spaces?

Plans

Fig.1: Plan of the sanctuary of the Victories of Caracalla
Credit: (From Golvin, J.-C., Khanoussi M. (dir.) 2005, p. 41, fig. 17. http://www.dougga.rnrt.tn/file/restitution_sanctuaire_caracalla.pdf))

Images

Fig.2: Cross section of the courtyard (A-A') (http://www.dougga.rnrt.tn/file/restitution_sanctuaire_caracalla.pdf)

Fig.3: Cross section of the courtyard (B-B') (http://www.dougga.rnrt.tn/file/restitution_sanctuaire_caracalla.pdf)

Bibliography

Aounallah, S., Maurin, L., "Remarques sur la topographie rurale et urbaine du pagus et de la ciuitas de Thugga (Dougga, Tunisie)", in Hommes, cultures et paysages de l'Antiquité à la période moderne : Mélanges offerts à Jean Peyras, Rennes, Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2013. (worldcat)
Golvin J.-C., Khanoussi M. (dir.), Dougga, études d'architecture religieuse. Les sanctuaires desVictoires de Caracalla, de « Pluton » et de Caelestis (Mémoires, 12), Bordeaux : Ausonius Éditions, 2005, pp. 33-77, fig. 17, 64. (worldcat)
Malek, A.-A., "Le jardin dans les sanctuaires du Maghreb romain, premières approches", in Du culte aux sanctuaires : l'architecture religieuse dans l'Afrique romaine et byzantine, Brouquier Reddé, V., Baratte, Fr., Rocca E. (dir.), Paris, de Boccard, coll. Orient et Méditerranée, 2018, pp. 213-230, p. 364, pl. 14. (worldcat)
Sections from http://www.dougga.rnrt.tn/file/restitution_sanctuaire_caracalla.pdf