Palatium Supranio
| Palace above the Anio | |
|---|---|
Palatium Supranio | |
 Photograph of Palatium Supranio overlooking Adrianople | |
| General information | |
| Location | Adrianople, Latium |
| Construction started | c. 6th century AD (as villa) |
| Renovated | Previous renovations
|
| Owner | Constantine XX Claudius |
| Grounds | 142,000 m2 (2000m walls) |
The Palatium Supranio (Anglic: Palace above the Anio) is a Latin wikipedia:palace located in Adrianople, and is the ancestral estate of the Claudian dynasty. It currently serves as a private residence of the emperor and dynasts. It is also 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 CE. A villa was constructed by the future Latin Emperor Constantine V Claudius in the late 6th century as a county estate away from the capital where the Claudia family was granted land. Little, if anything, remains from the first construction of Emperor Constantine V, though the land was constantly improved upon with a citadel first being constructed in the 8th 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 10th century where the estate was used as a rallying point for the forces of the future emperor Constantine XIII Claudius. 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.