June 1, 2025

Termini Station (Stazione Termini)

Termini Station is the largest train station in Rome and serves as the city’s transportation hub, with frequent arrivals and departures of both international and domestic trains.

It is a massive modern structure made of glass and marble.

Railways were introduced relatively late in Rome, and Termini Station was built in 1870 at the suggestion of Pope Pius IX.

After Rome became the capital of unified Italy, the railway network rapidly expanded, leading Mussolini to order the construction of a new station “suited to the 20th century.”

Due to interruptions caused by World War II, it took 13 years to complete.

Initially, I thought the word "Termini" was related to the English words terminal or terminus, meaning “final station,” but that wasn’t the case.

Instead, the name originates from the site where the station was built—the remains of Emperor Diocletian’s public baths, known as terme (Thermae).

These public baths were far larger than traditional Japanese bathhouses.

Covering an area of 370m × 380m (approximately 140,000 square meters), they were about 3.5 times the size of Koshien Stadium.

The term terme derives from the Greek therme (heat), thermos (hot), and thermai (hot springs).

These words evolved into thermae in English (meaning hot springs or public baths) and terme in Italian (meaning hot springs or public baths).

Even in the medical field, we use words derived from this root in daily life, such as:

thermometer (temperature gauge)

thermostat (temperature controller)

thermography (thermal imaging)

hyperthermia (high fever or elevated body temperature)

Additionally, there is a well-known medical device manufacturer named TERUMO.

This company, founded about 100 years ago, originally specialized in making thermometers.

My clinic also uses TERUMO digital thermometers.

The manga "Thermae Romae" by Mari Yamazaki derives its title from the Latin words meaning "Roman public baths."

It was adapted into a film in 2012, starring Hiroshi Abe.

This comedy-drama follows an ancient Roman bathhouse architect who time-travels to modern Japan and learns about Japanese bathing culture.

By the way, Emperor Diocletian ascended the throne in the late 3rd century, exactly 100 years after Emperor Caracalla, who built the famous Baths of Caracalla.

One of the most significant events associated with Diocletian is his edict banning Christianity in the early 4th century.

He likened himself to the god Jupiter and demanded that Christians worship him as a deity.

He also forced them to worship Rome’s traditional gods and participate in ancient Roman religious rites.

As part of the persecution, Christians were burned at the stake or thrown into arenas to be devoured by lions for public entertainment.

Christian texts were burned, and church property was confiscated, aiming to strip believers of their spiritual foundation.

This event is known as "Diocletian’s Great Persecution." 

This persecution lasted for about 10 years, until Christianity was officially recognized under Emperor Constantine the Great through the Edict of Milan in 313 AD.