47 ROME SILENT BEAUTY THE ARCHOF TITUS PRESERVES THE MEMORY OF A TERRIBLE EVENT THAT TOOK PLACE IN ANCIENT TIMES: THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE OF JERUSALEM BY THE EMPEROR TITUS. THE EVENT IS RECALLED IN THE TWOHUGE AND BADLY ERODED BAS-RELIEFS INSIDE THE SINGLE-FORNIX ARCH, WHERE THE IMAGE OF THE CARRYINGOFF OF THE CANDELABRUMWITH SEVEN ARMS AS PART OF THE SPOILS ESPECIALLY STANDS OUT. OVER THE CENTURIES, THE ARCHOF TITUS CAME CLOSE TO BECOMING A COLOSSAL RUIN, BUT IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY GIUSEPPE VALADIER BRILLIANTLY RESTORED IT, AND IT BECAME A MODEL FOR MANY LATER CONSERVATIONWORKS. VALADIER COMPLETED THE MISSING PARTS, WHILE RESPECTING THE ORIGINAL MATERIAL, TRAVERTINE, GIVING BACK TO THE MONUMENT THE IMPORTANCE IT DESERVES IN THE HISTORY OF ART. AWALK THROUGH THE ARCH LEADS INTO THE AREA OF THE IMPERIAL FORA AND DOWN THE ANCIENT VIA SACRA.
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