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Capitolio

Definition of Capitolio

Majestic building built in the ancient Roman Empire. It includes three temples dedicated to the deities Jupiter, Juno and Minerva.

Building in which the legislative and administrative power of the country is centered. In this case, there are capitolios in countries like the United States and Italy.

ORIGIN OF CAPITOLIO

The word capitolio comes from the Latin capitolium , which in turn is a derivative of the noun caput, which is equivalent to “head”, and symbolizes the main part of a power. In this sense, the capitolio houses in many countries its political and administrative center.

In the ancient Roman Empire the religious and political center was located in the Capitolinus Mons , today it is called Campidoglio. That is to say, capitolio in Italian, the square that forms it was traced by Michelangelo. In it are the Capitoline Museums and the headquarters of the Mayor of Rome.

CURIOSITIES OF CAPITOLIO

It was in the Capitolinus Mons that in 1957 the Treaty of Rome was signed, which gave rise to the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community.

Generally the design of the capitols has been inspired by the United States Capitol , which is based on a neoclassical style. The first building of this style was built in 1705 in Williamsburg, Virginia. 

In Venezuela, the capitolio differs from the rest of those built in the American continent, although it has a neoclassical style like the rest, its elliptical dome bathed in gold makes it unique.