Image courtesy of VRoma |
Image courtesy of VRoma |
The Milvian Bridge (Ponte Milvio in Italian) had been
first built over the Tiber River by Censor M. Aemilius Sacurus in 109 BC.
This was the site where Cicero captured the emissaries
of the Allobroges (a tribe in Gaul) in 63 BC - He refers to these people
in one of his speeches against Cataline. He demonstrates in the speech
that Cataline indeed was conspiring with foreign nationals to overthrow
the Republic and thus must be found guilty of treason.
A more famous story is that of Constantine and Maxentius.
The two clamed to be emperor. Constantine held control in the East and
Maxentius in Rome and the West. Both were eager to rule alone and war
ensued. In 312 AD, on the eve of the battle at the Milvian Bridge, legend
tells that Constantine had a vision in which he saw a cross and the words
In Hoc Signo Vinces. He did indeed defeat
the Emperor Maxentius who was thrown from this very bridge into the Tiber
and drowned. The following year, the Edict of Milan was signed granting
freedom of worship and giving official recognition to Christianity.
Joan Jahnige, June 1999
