Description of the attraction
In Cordoba there are the ruins of the oldest building in the country - a Roman temple. Built in the Corinthian style, the temple dates back to the Flavian era, i.e. by the 1st century A. D. The beginning of its construction coincides with the reign of Emperor Claudius. Construction lasted for 40 years and was completed under Emperor Domitian at the end of the 1st century AD. In the second century A. D. the appearance of the temple was significantly changed in connection with the reconstruction and expansion of the city.
There were many Roman settlements in southern Spain, but it is believed that this temple was the largest and most important of all religious buildings of that time. The length of the building was 32 meters, and the width was about 16 meters. This building was located on a podium and consisted of 6 columns on the front facade and 10 columns on each side of it. Until now, only a part of the foundation has survived, several columns, capitals, stairs and an altar, which were restored by archaeologists. The columns are entirely made of marble, and their appearance allows us to judge the highest level of work of the masters of that time.
Over time, the temple was destroyed and buried under a layer of earth, and only in the 50s of the last century, its ruins were discovered by a group of archaeologists led by Samuel de los Santos and Felix Hernandez, carefully studied and investigated. Unfortunately, the roof of the building was completely destroyed. Several elements of the temple, including the magnificent reliefs, are preserved today in the Archaeological and Ethnological Museum of Cordoba.
