Temple of August: a Roman secret
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Temple of Augustus in Barcelona
My rating:
+ I give the temple five starts because it’s a real “wow”-experience. A Roman temple hidden away between the tiny alleyways of Barcelona. Also note that admission is free.
- It gets a bit crowded when a city tour makes its way to the temple...
Last updated: 27 Feb 2020 | Celine Mülich |
The details at a glance
Opening hours:
Monday, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Tuesday - Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Price of admission:
free admission
Audio guide:
no
Tours:
City walking tours are regularly passing this spot.
How to get there:
L4 (yellow line): Jaume I
Monday, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Tuesday - Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Price of admission:
free admission
Audio guide:
no
Tours:
City walking tours are regularly passing this spot.
How to get there:
L4 (yellow line): Jaume I
And what's there to see?
Hidden away inside a small courtyard, you can find an amazing relic from Roman times: four pillars of the former temple of Augustus.
The temple itself was built on the forum, today’s Palaca Jaume I., in the late 1st century B.C. in honor of Augustus. There it stood, towering above everything else, for four centuries, before becoming mainly irrelevant with the downfall of the Roman Empire and the rise of Christianity. Over time, the temple was deconstructed, and parts of the material were incorporated into homes.
The 19th century gave rise to a debate on whether the pillars should be accessible to the public, or whether they should remain inside the homes in order to remain protected.
Lluis Domènech i Montaner was eventually tasked with designing a special courtyard, and as a result, the pillars were opened up to the public in 1903/1904.
The temple itself was built on the forum, today’s Palaca Jaume I., in the late 1st century B.C. in honor of Augustus. There it stood, towering above everything else, for four centuries, before becoming mainly irrelevant with the downfall of the Roman Empire and the rise of Christianity. Over time, the temple was deconstructed, and parts of the material were incorporated into homes.
The 19th century gave rise to a debate on whether the pillars should be accessible to the public, or whether they should remain inside the homes in order to remain protected.
Lluis Domènech i Montaner was eventually tasked with designing a special courtyard, and as a result, the pillars were opened up to the public in 1903/1904.
Photogallery of the Temple of Augustus
Official website of the Temple of Augustus (Spanish/Catalan): bcn.cat/museuhistoriaciutat
Text and image rights: Céline Mülich, 2013-2020
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