La Basilica romana di S. Maria in Aquiro: spunti per una riflessione, tra topografia e toponomastica della Roma «bizantina»

The central area of the Campus Martius is an urban quarter with a distinctly recognizable character. In antiquity, the concentration of public functions and the abundance of flat terrain favored the construction of large monumental buildings, whose imposing presence often played a decisive role in shaping later urban development. In contrast, the area's residential function was initially rather limited. This contributed to a delayed physical integration of Christianity into the urban fabric—a process that was definitively realized under the city’s Byzantine administration. Sometime by the 730s, the diaconia of Santa Maria in Aquiro was established, built on the ruins of a vast ancient complex hypothetically identified as the Temple of Matidia. The obscure, Greek-derived toponym attached to this charitable institution may hint at a meaningful connection to the historical context of its foundation.