Book XIIII: Glory Through Building

1) It is only natural for an emperor to want to be remembered by posterity; what better way to accomplish this than a program of public building. It was the great Augustus who claimed fame for himself through his building program in Rome. Magnentius wanted no less. Upon his ascension to the throne, his mind turned to building some structure so monumental that his name would be eternally remembered.

The question remained: what kind of building? His palace would never hold a flame to the great palace in Rome or Hadrian’s masterpiece. Magnentius pondered the question for days, then he asked Decentius.

"What is needed is something large and stupendous. Something to make one's jaw fall open, like the temple to Jupiter on the Capitoline."

"But that is a pagan building! If I built a temple to Jupiter how long do you think it would be before these fanatical Christians would tear it down?"

"You could have a forum built. That would be a fitting tribute to yourself. For decades, centuries afterward your name would be forever connected to this wonder of the world."

"Oh, that would take too long, and, besides, where would I build one? Augustodunum has a fine old forum; they would never use mine! No, this must be a single building of great size with splendid decorations: paintings and mosaics, and will be frequented by all sorts of people."

"Ah! Then you mean a basilica."

"A basilica!? I was thinking of an immense baths: the Baths of Magnentius!"

"Baths? The idea has merit. I’m sure you would love to have the place for your personal use. But it is not possible! Dear Brother, you could never get enough water here to have such a building."

"Oh, the burden of dreams! What can I build for posterity? Can I leave nothing behind?"

"As I told you: a basilica. You could do a lot worse."

"Oh, come! Why should I put up law courts?"

"Not just law courts, my dear brother. A place for people to get together and do a little business; all with your statues looking down on them. Why you could build a basilica bigger than the one in Rome."

"The one Emperor Constantine put his name on."

"You see! You've heard of it without seeing it. This is the kind of building you should leave to posterity."

2) Magnentius was convinced. He selected five architects and asked them to build models. Of the five, only two presented models: one of the chosen architects had died (having jumped off one of his own buildings), another ignored the summons, and the third sent the request back to Magnentius with a certain malodorous item; thus, his refusal was received. Of the two remaining architects, one produced a model of a very plain-looking building with no charm; so small it had no majesty at all. To top it off, the model had been damaged in transit. So the architect was obliged to explain why there was a gaping hole in one of the walls.

The other man was Sextus Fabius Idomenus, who could trace his lineage back to the Etruscans. Although he was from Tivoli and born of Roman parents, he insisted on referring to himself as an Etruscan. He caused a great deal of excitement when he was ushered into Magnentius' presence; he was wearing a long tunic of bright yellow with a garment of bright green draped over it. The tunic was cut extra large and on Idomenus' skinny body it looked like he had put on his older brother's clothes; the garment was long enough to drag in the dirt. He unconsciously toyed with the ends of his tunic while thinking which caused the fabric to fray and tear. The green mantle was held in position with an enormous golden broach holding a large piece of lapis lazuli. His shoes were studded with silver-gilt discs that Idomenus said represented the moon; his hair was dyed bright blond and curled, and his face was painted a ruddy color with rouge on his cheeks to balance the effect.

3) Another peculiarity was that Idomenus always complained of the cold, even in the hottest weather. He bathed in scalding water, going into the water white as marble and coming out as red as a lobster. He had a strange way of walking which people decided was because his tunic was too long, for he often was tottering, as if to fall, but he always caught his balance. Others thought he was so deep in thought he had no idea where he was going. In fact, he often got lost. Idomenus claimed to have closely studied the architecture of the Imperial Palace of Hadrian at Tivoli, as well as the great buildings in Rome itself.

He was a student of Lucius Manus, who had been an architect of some prominence. The model Idomenus presented was indeed spectacular. One first noticed the tremendous size of the building; the vault would rise 360 feet and be double tiered, making this basilica larger than the famous one in Rome. A dome was added in the center of the building, supposedly to give it an imposing aspect; those who saw the model and knew something about architecture snickered.

The decoration was lavish: marble floors, columns of porphyry, mosaics laid in floor and walls depicting floral and pastoral scenes, and, to cap it all, a gilt bronze seated statue of Magnentius located on a dais in the apse. The design was a riot of opulence and would cause, so Idomenus promised, the visitor to gape like a monkey. When Magnentius saw the model he fell in love with it.

"Where is this genius!" he commanded. "Bring him to me so I may award him the commission."

4) Idomenus was summoned and he entered with his accustomed shuffle. When he was close to Magnentius he either fell or prostrated himself in such an awkward way that his face kissed the floor. Magnentius stared at this strange creature afraid to ask who he was, but he was saved from this by his chamberlain, who announced that this was the great architect himself.

"Your model of my basilica made me want to thank the man who would built it for me," Magnentius said, curious as to what sort of voice this creature would house in such a body.

"I hope I have pleased the great Magnentius Augustus with my humble design."

The voice was low, a pitch so deep and cavernous that Magnentius started. He was certain that Idomenus had trained his voice to be so low. It was later learned that this was true. Oddly, there was no inflection in the tone, as if the architect were a bad actor reading a play.

"Your design does please us and we will become famous through your work. I am prepared to grant you the commission."

"You have our permission to select a site to be sure the basilica will have the proper effect."

"Oh, Augustus!" Decentius interrupted, "You must pardon me as nature calls me." He left in a great hurry, not to use the convenience, but to laugh until he cried, wanting to be out of earshot of his brother. Everyone else was left as helpless witnesses and were tortured by the need to laugh and trying to hold it in. Two guards soiled their underwear. Magnentius thought this was no laughing matter, puzzled as he was by Idomenus.

5) Idomenus set to work. He selected a site in the city of Augustodunum on top of a small hill. Unfortunately, several middle-class families lived on the site. When the emperor saw the hill, envisioning his magnificent basilica towering above the all other buildings, he had the families hustled away and housed in temporary shacks outside the walls. Although Magnentius promised to build new houses for these unfortunate people, the displaced families instead demanded money to compensate them and moved to other cities. Idomenus lost no time in pulling down the homes and had the hill leveled, which had the unintended effect of reducing it to next to nothing.

The basilica was mapped on to the cleared hill and stone and concrete laid to form the foundation. This work went quickly and soon a cornerstone could be set. Magnentius demanded an elaborate ceremony and had all of his troops in attendance. Idomenus acquired a block of marble and had a large cube cut from it, inscribed with the emperor’s titles. Magnentius would strike the marble block with a silver hammer, made for the occasion, and thus signify the beginning of the new basilica.

6) The day of the ceremony was a bright, warm day in April. The soldiers were assembled wearing parade uniforms, and Magnentius wore, for the first time, his gilt breastplate depicting Achilles (who looked much like Magnentius) battling Hector. The governors of Cisalpine and Transalpine Gaul were present, as well as a few senators from Rome. When the time was right Magnentius appeared on horseback, with members of his bodyguard, dismounted, and climbed atop a small platform.

"Honored guests! Soldiers! This will be a day long-remembered! A day when we provide for the people of our empire a great basilica for the tending of our laws, our trade, and to provide a meeting place for our people!"

Not being much for long speeches, Magnentius left the platform and positioned himself next to the marble block where he was given the silver hammer.

"Thus, I dedicate this basilica!"

Magnentius struck the block with enough force to knock several chips off, one of which entered the eye of a senator. It was feared the senator would loose the eye, but with the care of Magnentius' physician he made a full recovery. The block of marble was not as fortunate. Idomenus examined the stone and pronounced it unusable; another would have to be cut. This was an omen of the tragedy to come.

7) During the next weeks, Magnentius added several soldiers to the work crews as the first wall began to be built. Progress was speedy and before long the masons had laid enough bricks so the wall was reaching a great height. Unexpectedly, just short of the required height, the wall collapsed injuring several workmen. The various master masons blamed Idomenus complaining he used inferior mortar and, simply, that his design was that of a moron.

This criticism of Idomenus fell on deaf ears and he was assigned more soldiers to begin the project again and put it back on schedule. Idomenus decided to begin with the apse rather than the ill-omened wall and construction went very well. In the meantime, Magnentius put Idomenus to work on his palace to build the famed banquet room with its secret exit, a design that earned Magnentius’ gratitude and trust. The architect was employed on other small projects while the basilica, although not forgotten, made little progress as Idomenus shifted the masons and workers to his other projects. The shell of the apse remained half-finished, but Idomenus grew rich from his small-scale projects for the wealthy.

This led Decentius to make a few comments to his brother.

"Your architect is pulling the wool over your eyes brother!"

"What do you mean? He has performed his duties admirably. I am thinking he ought to add a new wing to the palace."

"What of you basilica? The perpetuation of your good name."

"Oh, yes! I nearly forgot. What of it? How is the work going?"

"Thisss...crrrreature," Decentius stammered, taken aback by his brother’s lazy attitude, "makes a fortune building for others while he ignores the building you most desire to be built."

"Do not begrudge him his living, my dear Caesar. He must have his bread just as we all do."

"He eats off gold plate, just as you do. He fills his pockets from the reputation you gave him."

"Very well, I will tell him I am displeased with the progress on my basilica, but I must say you always find something to carp about."

"If you minded your affairs properly I would not have to!"

"Ah, infidel!" Magnentius jokingly sputtered. "I have born too may of your insults!"

"Perhaps you are right, dear brother. You see, we do agree after all!"

8) When Idomenus arrived for his audience he wore gold rings on each of his fingers. The rings on his left hand each held a ruby; those on his right hand held a pearl. His tunic was made of the finest silk decorated with silver and gold thread. A long mantle of pink silk was wound around his body dramatically and draped around his neck. Idomenus' face had been shaded around his eyes with ground lapis lazuli and he smelled strongly of rose water.

"Idomenus, our friend. I must ask you a question," Magnentius said trying to adopt a fatherly tone.

"What is the progress of our basilica?"

Idomenus broke out in a sweat filling the air with an overpowering fragrance of musk. He fell to his knees.

"Great Magnentius Augustus! With all of my other chores work on your great and unique building has not been possible. Please grant me clemency!"

"Of course, you are forgiven. See to the basilica," Magnentius said in his friendliest tone. "Come to me again when we may inspect your progress."

9) Idomenus left trembling and set to work immediately. Once again uncountable crews were put to work on the basilica and the walls gradually rose. A week later Magnentius was invited to make an inspection and the emperor was impressed by the progress and began to imagine how the interior would appear with colored marbles and his own gilt statue. Then disaster struck.

While working on the apse, having brought it to a height of over 300 feet, the walls collapsed killing five workers. White as death, Idomenus informed Magnentius who was sympathetic, but this did not stop Idomenus from soiling his underwear in his fear of the emperor. Nervously, he promised to have something built on the site immediately and begged for understanding. No matter how kind the emperor was Idomenus was terrified of him.

This was all anyone saw of Idomenus for several weeks. The rubble was cleared from the site and a tall stockade fence was built by Magnentius' soldiers, as if to hide what activity was going on. Nobody was curious in any case. The masons blamed Idomenus once more accusing him of being a fool and a murdering idiot. The emperor assumed that his architect had workers at his disposal and was modifying his plans. Such work would take a long time. Nevertheless, after several weeks of silence Idomenus sent an invitation to Magnentius to visit his new basilica. The emperor was pleased to receive word that his architect had something to show him and arrived with Decentius and several high officials at the appointed time. They were greeted by Idomenus wearing his usually colorful garb, but this time his tunic was covered with mud; his face smeared with sweat and dirt and his hands black with some kind of filth.

10) The architect prostrated himself.

"Oh, glorious Magnentius Augustus! The great day is here! Your magnificent basilica is complete! Let me escort you so you may examine your great adornment for the empire!"

Mystified, the royal party was conducted within the fence and Idomenus proudly presented a small mud hut with thatched roof. In all, the building was no more than 50 feet long and had been, without doubt, built by Idomenus himself. Inside, stood the broken cornerstone set up like an altar.

"Of course, Great Magnentius Augustus. The basilica must be whitewashed for it to have the proper appearance!"

In truth, no one knew what to say. Each mouth gaped at the incredible sight. Was this an insult or a joke? The architect seemed pleased with himself, but the members of the court, in horror, pitied the man, who would certainly be executed. Idomenus read the truth in Magnentius' startled expression. At that moment, the addled brain of this man suddenly cracked and he ran screaming from the royal party into Augustodunum. Idomenus was later discovered having climbed a tree in the forest outside the city where he made strange animal sounds and flung handfuls of his own dung at passersby. He was forced out of the tree and packed off home to Rome by Decentius where he was handed over to his family.

Not long after this, Magnentius summoned yet another architect to his palace and showed them the model Idomenus had prepared.

"Yes, indeed, my dear Emperor," the architect said considering the model briefly. "This building is very beautiful. The man who designed this is indeed an artist."

"Do you know the...man who designed this?"

"Oh, you mean the Etruscan, that is, he believes himself to be an Etruscan. Idomenus is an artist but hardly an architect. He is really known for his paintings. He does marvelous Hermaphrodites! And he’s always setting a fashion. I hear he’s doing a large pastoral painting now. Helps to sooth his nerves."

"Well, he took leave of his wits after attempting to build this creation."

"Not a bit of it, my dear Emperor. That happens to him every-so-often. He believes he is someone else, some person who had a sex operation in the reign of Nero (his memory be damned) and so he is apt to fly off the handle at times. The pressures of genius, I suppose."

"Well then," Magnentius said, satisfied by the explanation, "Shall you undertake the building of my basilica?"

"By the gods, I mean, in the name of heaven, my Emperor, such a building could never be built."

"This is not possible? There is a model of the basilica and it is standing, is it not?"

"Yes, my dear Emperor. It is propped up inside with sticks. The walls are too high and the building too wide to support the ceiling, beautifully decorated as it is. As I mentioned, Idomenus is an artist, not an architect."

"But I want to leave a superb monument to my glory. What can you suggest?"

The architect shrugged. "Perhaps a tomb?"

11) The architect was dismissed and given a little gold for his pains. Lucky for him, as Magnentius flew into a rage and smashed the model into fragments. Thoughts of leaving a fine building for posterity to admire were set aside. In any case, there was no time to even consider building a tomb for dark clouds began to appear; the emperor Constantius was on the march. Idomenus never attempted architecture again contenting himself to paint pictures and design jewelry. The rich made a great fuss over him but he manged to stay out of imperial employment for the rest of his life.

© David A. Wend 1998