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In the
territory of Torri, at a place called Vescovio, lie the ruins of the
ancient Roman town of Foru Novum
founded probably during the second century B.C. The settlement was
built on an alluvial terrace near the confluence of two rivers, and
at the crossing of two secondary roads which linked the new centre
to both the Via Flaminia and the Via Salaria. Municiapl status seems
to have been granted to Forum Novum only in the Augustan period. The
iscriptions are our most valuable source of information for the
political and social life of the town. The Gods worshipped in the
area included jupiter Optimus Maximus, Isis, Serapis and Harpocrates,
Mercury, Venus ( who had a temple dedicated to her) Fortuna, Vacuna,
Lares and Di Penates. There are numerous dedication to emperors such
as Gordian III, or to the relatives of emperos such as Drusus and
Germanicus. the inscriptions also mention an aqueduct, built by a
private citizen, which supplied both a fountain and the baths.
Numerous traces of the ancient town can still be seen today.
Excavations carried out some decades ago have brought to light a
large part of themonumental and public area of the settlement,
including the forum, the basilica, some shops, and a temple , whilst
along roads one can still see the remains of funerary monuments and
the arches of an aqueduct. The cathedral of the Sabina is of
particular interest. the building, which has been restored several
times, still preserves the main lines and plan of the Romanesque
construction of the bell tower one can see numerous fragments of
reused early medieval sculptures, dating between the end of the
eighth and the beginning of the ninth century, along with other
material such as iscriptions, marble, brick and tile, taken from
the ruins of the Roman city. The interior, whit its sigle nave, has
not suffered from later alteration or rebuilding, largely as a
result of the boshopric to the town of Magliano Sabina.The cycle of
frescoes along the walls of the nave is Spectacular. The right wall
depicts scenes from the Old Testamentt, on the left wall illustrates
scenes from the New testament. the Fresco on the interior of the
façade is a magnificent Last Judgement. The oratory crypt is well
preserved. It was probably constructed in the tenth century when the
church was rebuilt following the fire caused by the Saracens. The
semi-annular ambulatory leads to a shoet straight corridor and the
subterranean altar, which is linked to the upper altar by the
fenestella confessions. The top of the underground altar
consists of a reused marble slab with an inscription of the early
fifteenth century. On te hill above the church one can still see the
impressive ruins of the castrum domini episcopi. This was abandoned
and restored several times during the Middle Ages, the last time at
the end of the thirteenth century, before being transformed into an
Augustinian convent.
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