Roman Temples
Below is an illustrated index of the 21 Roman Temples profiled on Sacred Destinations so far. For photo credits, please see corresponding articles.
The capital city of Jordan, Amman is home to several historic sites of religious interest, including ancient Roman ruins, historic mosques and museums.
Pergamum's 2nd-century Asklepion was a famed temple and medical center dedicated to Asklepius, the god of healing. Some treatments used a sacred water source that was later discovered to have radioactive properties.
Baalbeck, also known as Heliopolis, is an ancient Roman city in northeastern Lebanon. It is famed for the magnificent Temple of Jupiter, the largest Roman ruin in the world.
Located 48 miles west of Athens, Corinth was an important Greek city that also played a prominent role in the life of the Apostle Paul. Ruins include Temples of Apollo, Aphrodite and Octavia.
Delos was a major sacred site in ancient Greece, second only to Delphi. A short boat ride from the island of Mykonos, the ruins of Delos include a variety of ancient temples and shrines.
Dendera was an ancient healing center dedicated to Hathor, wife of Horus. Built in Roman times, its temple decorations depict Roman emperors alongside Egyptian gods.
Dubbed the "Pompeii of the East," Jerash is a ruined Greco-Roman city 80 miles north of Amman. The impressive ruins include Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and early Muslim buildings.
The pride of Nîmes, the Maison Carrée (5 BC) is one of the most beautiful, and certainly one of the best-preserved, Roman temples of Europe.
Palmyra was once a great and powerful Roman city, as its impressive ruins attest. Substantial ruins of temples to Bel and Baal can be seen here.
This magnificent ancient temple was built by Emperor Hadrian in 125 AD and converted into a church in 609. It is the oldest intact ancient building in Rome.
This huge brick edifice was built in the 2nd century as a Roman temple to the god Serapis and later converted into a Byzantine church.
Dedicated to the Celtic-Roman goddess Sulis Minerva, these ancient Roman baths are still fed by a sacred hot spring. There is also a fine museum of artifacts discovered at the site.
A massive round building that was first a Roman temple, then a Christian church, then a mosque.
This Baroque church incorporates the original classical facade of the Temple of Minerva, dating from the time of Christ.
This attractive Roman imperial temple was constructed in 118 AD and reconstructed in the fifth century. Its tympanum bears an interesting frieze that may depict Medusa.
Across the river north of Autun is a large ruin of a Roman temple, standing an impressive 79 ft high. Traditionally identified with the god Janus, it dates from the 1st century AD.
Foundations of a 3rd-century temple to the Roman god Mithras were discovered during construction work in 1957 and are now on permanent outdoor display.
Finally completed by the Roman Emperor Hadrian after centuries of construction, this was one of the largest temples in the ancient world.
The focus of the Saturnalia festival, the Temple of Saturn in the Forum was erected in 497 BC and rebuilt in 380 AD.
Located in the city center, this 1st-century Roman temple with delicate Corinthian columns remains remarkably intact.
These ruins of an ancient Roman complex include a theater (the oldest in France), an odeum and a temple dedicated to Cybele.
