Arch of Augustus, Aosta, Aosta Valley, Italy, Europe

It was built in 25 BC. on the occasion of the victory of the Romans over the Salassi by Aulus Terenzio Varro Murena. It is located on the axis with the decumanus maximus, not far from the Bourg Saint-Ours (neighborhood of the Collegiate Church of Sant'Orso) and the eastern entrance to the city walls (the Porta Pretoria). Built in blocks of conglomerate, the arch has a single arch of 11.40 meters in height under the keystone. Its fornix has a barrel vault, consisting of a lengthwise extension of a round arch. Different styles can be recognized in the monument: the ten semi-columns that decorate the facades and sides culminate in Corinthian capitals, while the entablature, decorated with metopes and triglyphs, is of the Doric order. In the Middle Ages, it was called Saint-Voût (French for "Holy Face") after an image of the Savior that had been placed there. During the 12th century the arch hosted the residence of a local noble family and in 1318 a small fortification was built inside it for the crossbowmen's corps. In 1716, due to the numerous infiltrations that were compromising the integrity of the monument, the attic that once crowned it was replaced by a slate roof. The current appearance is the result of the last restoration and consolidation intervention which took place in 1912 by the superintendent Ernesto Schiaparelli. The wooden crucifix displayed under the vault is a copy of the one that was placed there in 1449 as a votive offering against the floods of the Buthier torrent, which flows just to the east. The original of the crucifix is now kept in the Treasure Museum of the Cathedral of Aosta.