The Porta Nigra at Trier
Although in Germania, Trier became one of Rome’s capitals in the fourth century. The Porta Nigra was originally the northern gate of the city. During the course of the fifth century, the Porta Nigra came to be considered at best useless and at worst pagan, so bits and pieces of it were pillaged to be used in other building projects. However, this practice stopped in 1030 when a hermit named Simeon moved into its eastern tower. After Simeon’s death in 1035, the Porta Nigra was turned into a two-story church, which it remained until the early nineteenth century, when Napoleon, who conquered Trier, ordered the church to be dismantled and the site returned (more or less) to its original shape. (De Agostini Picture Library / Gianni Dagli Orti / Bridgeman Images.)