Mamertine Prison
The Mamertine Prison (also referred to as the Tullianum) was a prison (carcer) located in the Forum Romanum in Ancient Rome. It was located on the northeastern slope of the Capitoline Hill, facing the Curia and the imperial fora of Nerva, Vespasian, and Augustus. Located between it and the Tabularium (record house) was a flight of stairs leading to the Arx of the Capitoline.
Name
The origins of the prison's names are uncertain. The traditional derivation of "Tullianum" is from the name of one the Roman kings Tullus Hostilius or Servius Tullius (the latter is found in Livy, Varro, and also Sallust); there is an alternative theory that it is from the archaic Latin tullius "a jet of water", in reference to the cistern. The name "Mamertine" is medieval in origin, and may be a reference to a nearby temple of Mars, or to the legend of St. Peter, whom tradition holds to have been imprisoned there before his martyrdom: the legend states that Saints Martinian and Processus, supposedly his warders, were converted and baptized by Peter before being martyred themselves.
History
The Prison was constructed in around the time of the First Sack of Rome by Gauls, about 386 BC. It was originally created as a cistern for a spring in the floor of the second lower level (there were two, the lower of which was where prisoners were kept by lowering them through the floor of the upper room), but eventually a passage between the cistern drain and the Cloaca Maxima was constructed, reputedly for flushing out dead bodies.
Typically, only higher profile prisoners were kept in the prison, usually foreign commanders who were defeated and became the centerpiece in a Roman triumphant procession. They usually remained incarcerated until they were taken out and executed, unless they happened to die of natural causes first (Roman law did not recognize imprisonment itself as punishment).
It is not known when the prison went out of service permanently, but the site has been used for Christian worship since medieval times, and is currently occupied by two superimposed churches: S. Giuseppe dei Falegnami (upper) and S. Pietro in Carcere (lower). The altar in the lower chapel is upside down, since according to tradition Saint Peter was crucified upside down.
Prisoners
Persons held in the Tullianum:
And according to tradition:
Significance in Christianity
While the prison's association with Saint Peter is a matter of legend rather than reliable historical fact, being first documented in 6th-century texts, it is nonetheless a significant religious site. According to tradition, it was visited by Saint Philip, Saint Ignatius, Saint Theresa of Liseux, and Saint Benedict.
References
- Carcer-Tullianum (Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma)
- Carcer ( Platner's Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome)
- chapter Carcer in Hülsen's Foro Romano
- Catholic Encyclopedia on the prison and related Christian traditions