Thinking About the Roman Empire in Novus Orleanus

The Vieux Carré might be famous for its French- and Spanish-style architecture and wrought iron balconies, but New Orleans is also home to a wide selection of neoclassical buildings, which draw inspiration from ancient Greece and Rome. Some of the city’s most notable neoclassical structures were designed by architect Emile Weil (1878–1945). Born in New Orleans, Weil studied at Tulane, then worked as a draftsman. In 1899, he established his own practice, soon becoming one of the most sought-after architects in the region. Weil was well versed in the history of European architecture and stayed up to date on national and international trends, incorporating classical and Renaissance forms as well as Beaux-Arts and Baroque styles.

Weil designed the inside of the Saenger Theatre, pictured here in a ca. 1924 architectural rendering, to resemble a Baroque Italian courtyard. Life-size statues of toga- and palla-clad standing figures recall ancient Roman sculptures. Painted to resemble a night sky with twinkling lights arranged in the shape of constellations, the building’s interior feels like an open-air amphitheater in the Italian countryside.

Touro Synagogue on St. Charles Avenue is home to the United States’ oldest Jewish congregation outside of the 13 colonies. Weil won a design competition for the building, which was dedicated in 1909. To incorporate the congregation’s Sephardic heritage and differentiate the building from Christian houses of worship, Weil incorporated neo-Byzantine elements like the low dome and geometric reliefs. Still, the columns, symmetry, and use of stone are reminiscent of the Roman Empire, of which the Byzantine Empire was a continuation.

It wasn’t until the first Sunday of Advent in 1964 that the Roman Catholic Church (heavy on the Roman) introduced vernacular mass. Until then, the worshippers heard Mass and said prayers in Latin.

In the 19th century, learning Latin was a prerequisite for the educated. Wealthy families hired private tutors to teach their children classical Latin vocabulary and grammar, and children lower down the social ladder learned Latin from nuns and clergy at Church-run schools. Dated 1864–65, the 147 handwritten pages of this book include lessons on verb declension and rules for using adjectives.

Two millennia after Emperor Gordian III started minting silver denarii, Roman references are still common on coins and banknotes across the globe. Before the Civil War, the Citizens’ Bank of Louisiana incorporated Roman numerals into the art on their bank notes.

On the five-dollar notes above, two green Roman numeral Vs flank the central illustration. On the front of the 10-dollar note below, the Roman numeral X is at top left; on the back of the note, Xs are incorporated into the red background. (Because the French word for ten, dix, was printed on their backs, these notes were called “dixie notes,” commonly believed to be the origin of the term “Dixieland.”)

Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, South Louisianans used Rome as inspiration for art, including in advertisements. In the food crate label below, the medallion on the left features a winged neoclassical figure blowing a horn while the one on the right shows a woman in a laurel wreath.

The cover of this sheet music to E. T. Paull’s 1903 composition “The Burning of Rome” (below) shows the city with a man, probably Emperor Nero, strumming the lute while buildings burn. As per the explanatory note inside, the composer intended the first part of the march “to represent a grand gala . . . in the Colliseum.”

Descriptive headings like “Dash of the Charioteers for Position” are clear references to ancient Rome. Though the sheet music was published in New York, it’s notable that the Rome-inspired work ended up in New Orleans, where it was saved for more than a century and a half before being acquired by HNOC.