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View looking north at the entrance to the Curia Julia—or the "Curia." The word "Curia" means the "meeting house" and there were many of them. This structure is the third Curia to be located in this vicinity and it served as the meeting place for the Roman Senate. It was rebuilt by Diocletian around A.D. 300 and it has been refurbished from time to time. The most recent refurbishing was by the Italian Government during the 1930s.
The bronze doors are copies of the originals that were transferred to the Basilica of St. John Lateran by Pope Alexander VII in 1660—where they still stand! During the move, a coin from the reign of Domitian (A.D. 81–96) was found inside of them and thus helps date them to sometime in his reign!
The interior hall measures 82 x 58 ft. and about 300 senators could have fit into it.
