De ara Victoriae

oration by Symmachus

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 25, 2026

Quick Summary

The De ara Victoriae (On the Altar of Victory) was an oration delivered by Quintus Aurelius Memmius Eusebius Symmachus, a prominent Roman statesman and orator. Symmachus was a staunch pagan and a leading opponent of Christianity.1

In 382 CE, Emperor Gratian, influenced by the bishop of Milan, St. Ambrose, ordered the removal of the Altar of Victory from the Senate House in Rome. Symmachus, representing the Senate, pleaded with Gratian to reverse this anti-pagan measure, but his mission failed. He made a similar plea to Emperor Valentinian II, but again, St. Ambrose's opposition led to his unsuccessful. Symmachus's oration on this topic was highly regarded for its brilliance.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

5 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Quintus Aurelius Memmius Eusebius Symmachus
Symmachus’s oration De ara Victoriae was considered so brilliant that even after 19 years the poet Prudentius found it necessary to write a reply to it. The increasingly Christian character of Valentinian’s court caused Symmachus to lose much of his influence; but when Magnus Maximus drove Valentinian…
Read More
Symmachus’s oration De ara Victoriae was considered so brilliant that even after 19 years the poet Prudentius found it necessary to write a reply to it. The increasingly Christian character of Valentinian’s court caused Symmachus to lose much of his influence; but when Magnus Maximus drove Valentinian…
Read More