Roman cryptoporticus beneath the Machado de Castro museum in Coimbra, Portugal, Europe
"In Ancient Roman architecture a cryptoporticus (from Latin crypta and porticus) is a covered corridor or passageway. The usual English is "cryptoportico". The cryptoportico is a semi-subterranean gallery whose vaulting supports portico structures aboveground and which is lit from openings at the tops of its arches. On sloping sites the open side of a cryptoporticus is often partially at ground level and supports a structure such as a forum or Roman villa, in which case it served as basis villae. It is often vaulted and lit by openings in the vault. In the letters of Pliny the Younger,[1] the term is used as a synonym of crypt. The shade and semi-excavated site of a cryptoportico provided cool and moderated temperatures useful for storage of perishables, while it offered a level and slightly raised podium for the superstructure. The cryptoporticus of Coimbra, the old Roman city of Aeminium, was built to create an artificial platform over which the city's Forum could be built. Later, the Bishop's Palace (still standing today and serving as a museum) was built using the platform created by the structure thus preserving it in perfect condition." [source: Wikipedia]
Size: 4256px × 2831px
Location: Coimbra, Beira Litoral, Portugal, Iberian Peninsula, Europe
Photo credit: © Sergio Azenha / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: aeminium, ancient, building, castro, coimbra, cryptoporticus, de, empire, europe, european, horizontal, indoor, indoors, interior, machado, museum, portugal, portugese, portuguese, roman, romanesque, romanic, structure
