- UNESCO
- Free 1st Sunday
Photo: fr:User:ColdEel & edited by nl:Gebruiker:Joris1919, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Archaeological site, 183 BC
Basilica Porcia
Building in Rome, Italy
- Within the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura”
At a glance
- Type
- Archaeological site
- Period
- Antiquity, 183 BC
- Coordinates
- 41°53′36″ N, 12°29′05″ E
About
The Basilica Porcia was the first civil basilica built in ancient Rome. It was built by order of Marcus Porcius Cato in 184 BC as censor and is named after him. He built it as a space for administering laws and for merchants to meet, against some opposition. It stood to the west of the Curia, on land bought by Cato and previously occupied by shops and private houses. Many trials were held inside the basilica.
It was destroyed by fire after the body of Publius Clodius Pulcher was alit on a pyre in the adjoining senate house in 52 BC. The ruins were probably flattened later that year for a new building on the site.
Text from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Full article: «Basilica Porcia».
Timeline
- 183 BCBuilt
Events and people from Wikidata (CC0).
Photos
Getting there
Distances are as the crow flies, not walking or driving.
Nearby
See on the mapMore archaeological sites in Lazio
- Free 1st Sunday
- Free 1st Sunday
- UNESCO
Frequently asked questions
Where is Basilica Porcia?
Basilica Porcia is in Rome, in the province of Roma (Lazio), Italy. GPS coordinates: 41.89332, 12.48482.
How old is Basilica Porcia?
Wikidata dates it to 183 BC.
What else is there to see near Basilica Porcia?
Nearby you’ll find: Gemonian stairs (0 m away), Mamertine Prison (0 m away), Clivus Argentarius (0 m away).
Sources and licences
Text. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Data. Wikidata (CC0); opening hours and contacts OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
Photos. Wikimedia Commons, author and licence on every image.
Credits for the 2 photos
- Plan Rome - Basilica Porcia — fr:User:ColdEel & edited by nl:Gebruiker:Joris1919, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Planrome2b — Cassius Ahenobarbus, CC BY-SA 3.0
Updated 28 October 2026. All sources and licences

