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Gamzigrad-Romuliana, Palace of Galerius

Serbia
Date of Inscription: 2007
Criteria: (iii)(iv)
Property : 179.217 ha
Buffer zone: 544.925 ha
Eastern Serbia
N43 53 57.5 E22 11 10
Ref: 1253

Brief Description

The Late Roman fortified palace compound and memorial complex of Gamzigrad-Romuliana, Palace of Galerius, in the east of Serbia, was commissioned by Emperor Caius Valerius Galerius Maximianus, in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries. It was known as Felix Romuliana, named after the emperor’s mother. The site consists of fortifications, the palace in the north-western part of the complex, basilicas, temples, hot baths, memorial complex, and a tetrapylon. The group of buildings is also unique in its intertwining of ceremonial and memorial functions.

Outstanding Universal Value

Gamzigrad-Romuliana is a Late Roman palace and memorial complex built in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries, commissioned by the Emperor Galerius Maximianus. The strong fortifications of the palace are an allusion to the fact that the Tetrarchy Emperors were all senior military leaders. The spatial and visual relationships between the palace and the memorial complex, where the mausoleums of the Emperor and his mother Romula are located, are unique.

Criterion (iii): The fortifications, the palace, and the memorial complex are a unique testimony of the Roman construction tradition pervaded by the ideological programme of the Second Tetrachy and Galerius himself as their builder.

Criterion (iv): The group of buildings comprising the architectural complex of the Emperor Galerius is unique in that it intertwines the ceremonial and the memorial programme. The relation between two spatial ensembles is stressed by placing the Tetrapylon on the crossroads between the worldly fortification with the palace and the other-worldly mausoleums and consecration monuments.

The integrity and authenticity of Gamzigrad-Romuliana are clearly demonstrated: relatively few excavations have been carried out to date and there has been no attempt to reconstruct the much degraded remains. There are no plans for reconstruction beyond what is needed for conservation and can be substantiated through research, as these would diminish the level of authenticity.

The property is protected by: the Decision by the Institute for the Preservation and Scientific Examination of the Cultural Goods of the PR of Serbia (No 407/48, 19 March 1948); the Decision on the Identification of Immovable Cultural Goods of Outstanding and of Great Importance (Official Gazette 14/79); the Cultural Properties Law (The Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No 71/94). A buffer zone has been established. The conservation of the remains is satisfactory. The property is managed at the level of the Republic of Serbia by the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Serbia.

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