The Temple of Augustus in Barcelona was a

Roman temple Ancient Roman temples were among the most important buildings in culture of ancient Rome, Roman culture, and some of the richest buildings in Architecture of ancient Rome, Roman architecture, though only a few survive in any sort of complete ...

built during the Imperial period in the colony of Barcino (modern day

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

). The temple was the central building on Tàber Hill, currently in Carrer del Paradís number 10, in the city's so-called Gothic Quarter. The dedication to Augustus is traditional, but unproven.

Archaeology

If still in use by the fourth century AD, the temple would have been closed during the

persecution of pagans Persecution of Pagans can refer to: *Christianization ** Decline of Hellenistic polytheism **Persecution of pagans in the late Roman Empire ** Persecution of Germanic Pagans (disambiguation) *Religious discrimination against Neopagans Modern ...

under the Christian emperors. At some point the temple was demolished, and its ruins were not discovered until the late 19th century, when three of its columns appeared on the construction site of

Centre Excursionista de Catalunya Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

. A fourth column was then exhibited at the

Plaça del Rei Plaça del Rei (meaning "King's Square" in Catalan language, Catalan, in ) is a 14th-century medieval public square in the Barri Gòtic of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/spain/barcelona/review-115955.html FODOR T ...

and was later added to the structure, as it can be seen nowadays. According to

Josep Puig i Cadafalch Josep Puig i Cadafalch (; 17 October 1867 in Mataró – 21 December 1956 in Barcelona) was a Spanish architect who designed many significant buildings in Barcelona, and a politician who had a significant role in the development of Catalan regio ...

, architect Antoni Celles wrote once a complete description and a map of the temple during excavations as early as 1830 financed by the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce. Puig i Cadafalch confirmed Celles's hypothesis that the temple would have been dedicated to Augustus. He also describes it formally as being a

peripteral In Classical architecture, a ''peripteros'' (; see ) is a type of ancient Greek or Roman temple surrounded by a portico with columns. It is surrounded by a colonnade ('' pteron'') on all four sides of the ''cella'' (''naos''), creating a four-si ...

temple with eleven columns on each wing, including corner columns, and with six on the front and further six on the posticum. The whole building would have been 35 x 17.5 metres in size, erected on a podium a third the height of the columns.Puig i Cadafalch, J.; de Falguera, A.; Goday, J.. L'arquitectura romana a Catalunya, 2a Ed.. Institut d'Estudis Catalans. Institut històrico-arqueològic, 1934, pàgs. 95-99. It was named a Cultural Asset of National Interest (

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #13 ...

: ''Bé cultural d'interés nacional'') in 1931. The Temple of Augustus is one of the

Barcelona City History Museum The Museum of the History of Barcelona (, MUHBA) is a history museum that conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the historical heritage of the city of Barcelona, from its origins in Roman times until the present day. The museum's headq ...

(MUHBA) heritage sites. 07 Columna del Temple d'August, c. Paradís.JPG 76 Temple d'August (Centre Excursionista de Catalunya).jpg Temple of Augustus, built during the Imperial period in the colony of Barcino (modern day Barcelona) as a place of worship for Emperor Augustus, Barcelona (20766248154).jpg

References

External links

MUHBA Temple of Augustus

The Augustan Temple and Forum of the Colony of Barcino (Oxford Journal of Archaeology)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Temple Of Augustus In Barcelona

Buildings and structures in Barcelona Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Catalonia Tourist attractions in Barcelona

Archaeology

See also

References

External links