Abstract: This contribution looks at the success of the Basilica of Maxentius whose formal and technical aspects served as a model for and progenitor of fifteenth- and sixteenth-century architecture. The basilica has inspired various buildings and projects significant enough to be, in turn, considered models. This article also considers the basilica as an example of reference in terms of construction choices, in order to understand the borrowings from and divergences between the ancient original and the recreation of it.
