MUHBA Temple of Augustus - hidden Roman ruin in Barcelona
Remains of 2000 year old Roman Temple of Augustus. four columns Preserved within the interior courtyard of a medieval gothic building and FREE to visit
About MUHBA Temple of Augustus - hidden Roman ruin in Barcelona
The roman walled city of Barcino had a Forum with a temple in the middle. The Temple of Augustus, MUHBA Temple d'August, is an unknown attraction and a remarkable sight. The columns and plinth remains are over 2000 years old and preserved within an interior courtyard of a medieval building in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona behind the
The Temple of Augustus was the central religious place of worship within the forum square of old Roman Barcelona (Barcino). Roman Forums were always built on the highest point of the city, in Barcelona old town it is Mont Taber, a hillock that was just over 16 metres high.
The four surviving 9 metre high columns are sat on the original Roman plinth and also have the cross members on top and are all that remains of the Temple of Augustus. The Gothic medieval building that contains the columns is located in Calle Paradis 10 which takes its name from a beautiful garden once located in the area of the temple.
The temple was built in the 1st century BC and was dedicated to the worship of Emperor Augustus. It was 37 metres long and 17 metres wide, comprising 6 columns making the width. The columns surrounded the entire building, which had a single nave inside.
For centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire, the temple was absorbed into and divided between medieval buildings until in the early 20th century the columns and the remaining part of the podium were restored. This project was commissioned by the Centre Excursionista de Catalunya who are located in the medieval building and performed by the architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. In the middle of the 20th century, Adolf Florensa continued the restoration work by incorporating a column that had, for some time, stood in Plaza del Rei.
For an idea what a complete Roman temple looks like, there is an example of a Roman temple in Vic that has been reconstructed from ruin to its original appearance during Roman times.
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