Forum Romanum, Rome. View from the Palatine Hill to the Arch of Septimius Severus, Curia Julia, church Santa Maria Antiqua and Temple of Antoninus and Faustina. Modern Rome in background.

Forum Romanum, Rome. View from the Palatine Hill to the Arch of Septimius Severus, Curia Julia, church Santa Maria Antiqua and Temple of Antoninus and Faustina. Current excavations on the Palatine Hill to right. Modern Rome in background.

Santa Maria Antiqua (English: Ancient Church of Saint Mary) is a Roman Catholic Marian church in Rome, Italy, built in the 5th century in the Forum Romanum, and for a long time the monumental access to the Palatine imperial palaces.
Located at the foot of the Palatine Hill, Santa Maria Antiqua is the oldest Christian monument in the Roman Forum. The church contains the earliest Roman depiction of Santa Maria Regina, the Virgin Mary as a Queen, from the 6th century. Built in the middle of the 5th century on the north-western slope of the Palatine Hill, Santa Maria Antiqua is the earliest and most significant Christian monument within the Roman Forum. The church contains a unique collection of wall paintings from the 6th to late 8th century. The discovery of these paintings have given many theories on the development of early medieval art and given distinctive beliefs in archaeology. The church was abandoned in the 9th century after an earthquake buried the buildings; it remained sealed for over 1000 years until its rediscovery in the early 1900s. Therefore, Santa Maria Antiqua represents a key element for the understanding of the cultural and urban development of the Roman Forum from Antiquity into the first centuries of the Christian period.

more on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Antoninus_and_Faustina , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curia_Julia , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_of_Septimius_Severus , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria_Antiqua , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Forum , https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Map_of_downtown_Rome_during_the_Roman_Empire_large.png http://dlib.etc.ucla.edu/projects/Forum/reconstructions/ForumRomanum_1