MIRABILIA URBIS. — The *Mirabilia Urbis* contain accounts of the most notable Roman and Christian monuments and their histories, compiled by grammarians and scholars from identifications and traditions that were not always accurate and were often legendary. Their formation reflects the Ottonian historical climate, when, under the third Otto, the Roman people seemed to awaken to the consciousness of the imperial function of the Urbs.
In the climate of the *renovatio Imperii*, these works speak only of claims to rights still alive and operative in the Roman people’s consciousness; the ancient ruins no longer serve as a decorative backdrop where, with splendor and suggestive allure, the ceremonies of papal or royal coronations unfolded, but instead appear as eloquent witnesses to rights transmitted through the centuries. The idea of the Empire thus remained almost naturally connected with Rome’s traditions, and in the Romans there rekindled a consciousness of their imperial destiny through concrete and determinative juridical reasons. The immense success these *Mirabilia* enjoyed lay in their perfect adherence to the spirit of the age and in the skillful fusion of two elements—realistic and poetic—that took the form of legend to reconcile the prestige of Roman greatness with the work that Providence reserved for such power. This premise explains the adaptation of the *Mirabilia* as a guide.
(From R. Valentini – G. Zucchetti, *Codice topografico della città di Roma*, III, Rome 1946, loc. cit.)
Mirabilia urbis — Page from the "Codice Lochis" (late 12th c.). Bergamo, formerly in the collection of Count C. Lochis.
*nulla ponia remouer pouer ag reer é pré pé qui pré ne n' donner quand nos un quand pe é etudié a conqueré en une dé donner pré futuré donner quand nos un quand pe é*
*Roma dé un dé donner quand nos un*
The *De mirabilibus urbis Romae* deals almost exclusively with pagan monuments. A different arrangement of material is found in the collection *De mirabilibus civitatis Romae* by Nicholas Rosell, known as the Cardinal of Aragon (1314–62).