Gamzigrad

Gamzigrad is an archaeological site near Zaječar, some 40 kilometres from Rtanj. Roman emperor’s palace - Felix Romuliana is located in Gamzigrad and from 29 June 2007 it was placed on UNESCO World Heritage List. Gamzigrad was a residence of Roman emperor - Gaius Valerius Maximianus Galerius, 293-311 BC, Diocletian’s son-in-law. Galerius dedicated the luxury emperor’s palace to his mother - Romula. Being a barbarian, during Carpi raid Romula escaped from the left bank of Danube to coastal Dacia and married a cattle rancher, which was why her son later got a nickname Armentarius (latin for cattle rancher). He kept the nickname even after he became an emperor. In the memory of his mother, Gaius Valerius also built a grandiose court complex, surrounded by a rampart consisting of 20 defensive towers and named by the emperor himself – Romuliana.

The city consisted of emperor’s palace Felix Romuliana, small temple, large temple and baths with exterior fortifications, tower system and defensive walls. Buildings are richly decorated with frescos, mosaics with figural and geometric motifs and decorations of major historical and artistic value. The Palace belongs to special category of roman court architecture and is the best-preserved example of it. Felix Romuliana has never been completed and in the 4th century emperors gave the estate to the Christian church. A century later, the palace was destroyed by barbarians, and in 6th century Iustinian I reconstructed the building and used it as a border fortification. After the Slav invasion in late 6th century, former emperor’s residence was abandoned. This building was last used as Slavic settlement in 11th century. Today, it is known that Galerius and his mother Romula were buried near Felix Romuliana palace, at “Magura” site, where archaeologists discovered two richly decorated masonry tombs and two mounds with bonfires where burning and apotheosis of the emperor and his mother took place.