Palatium Supranio
Palace above the Anio | |
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Palatium Supranio | |
General information | |
Location | Adrianople, Latium |
Construction started | c. 5th century AD (as villa) |
Renovated | Previous renovations
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Owner | Constantine XX of Latium |
Grounds | 142,000 m2 (2000m walls) |
The Palatium Supranio (Anglic: Palace above the Anio) is a Latin palace located in Adrianople, and is the ancestral estate of the Claudii dynasty. It currently serves as a private Imperial estate, and also is open to the public when not being used by the Imperial family. It is currently considered one of the most valuable residences in Latium.
While the current main structures of the estate were not first constructed until the 10th century, numerous villas were constructed by wealthy individuals on the hillside along the banks of River Anio. It wasn't until the 10th and 11th centuries that the location began to be used as a citadel, with the first castle walls being constructed by the Latin emperors and later Dukes of Adrianople. The castle, and palace have undergone numerous renovations and constructions to obtain its present form, with the most recent renovation just beginning in October 2017.
History
Villas were first constructed along the River Anio from the 3rd Century AD, with a prominent villa constructed by the future Latin Emperor Philip I Augustus in the late 6th century as a county estate away from the capital where the Claudii had been granted lands. Little, if anything, remains from the first construction of Emperor Philip, though the land was constantly improved upon with a citadel first being constructed in the 10th century. The large outer walls, which still stand to this day, were first constructed during this period and improved upon leading up to the Claudii Civil War in the 13th century where the estate was used as a rallying point for the forces of the future emperor Jason V Augustus of Latium. Supranio first began to take its current form in the 17th century and the construction of the Golden Palace to replace the aging Castra Constantini.