If you have found a vacation rental in the Croatian city of Pula, you will discover a charming seaside town with a beach-lined coast and, uniquely, dotted with Roman ruins. Historic, beautiful and fascinating, it is a perfect holiday destination.
One of the most interesting examples of a Roman ruin in the city is the Temple of Augustus. Located right at the centre of Pula, in the ancient Roman Forum, it is a well-preserved Roman temple that is dedicated to the first Roman emperor, Augustus. Likely built during the emperor's lifetime at some point between 2 BC and his death in AD 14, it is a typical temple of this period. Based on a plan of a cella, a closed room and an antechamber facing the square, with a tetrastyle prostyle porch of Corinthian columns at the front, it is raised on a podium and measures about 8m in width, 17.3m in length and 14m in height.
One of the most interesting examples of a Roman ruin in the city is the Temple of Augustus. Located right at the centre of Pula, in the ancient Roman Forum, it is a well-preserved Roman temple that is dedicated to the first Roman emperor, Augustus. Likely built during the emperor's lifetime at some point between 2 BC and his death in AD 14, it is a typical temple of this period. Based on a plan of a cella, a closed room and an antechamber facing the square, with a tetrastyle prostyle porch of Corinthian columns at the front, it is raised on a podium and measures about 8m in width, 17.3m in length and 14m in height.
Ornate, grand and beautiful, it boasts a richly decorated frieze similar to that of the Maison Carrée in Nîmes, marble columns with Corinthian capitals, and a lavishly decorated architrave which reads, “ROMAE ET AVGUSTO CAESARI DIVI FILIO PATRI PATRIAE” (to Romans and Augustus, the son of divine Caesar, the father of the homeland).
The only visible remnant from the Roman era on the Forum, the temple has had various purposes, though it still reflects Late Hellenistic stylistic references. Used as a Christian church and then a grain storehouse, it was then a museum of stone monuments until the building was destroyed during bombings in WWII. The temple was then reconstructed over two years from 1945 to 1947, and then became a lapidarium once more. Today, it is home to a small museum of Roman sculpture that also houses the occasional temporary exhibition.
One of the best complete Roman monuments outside of Italy, it is one of the many historic gems that makes this wonderful town in Croatia so very special.
The only visible remnant from the Roman era on the Forum, the temple has had various purposes, though it still reflects Late Hellenistic stylistic references. Used as a Christian church and then a grain storehouse, it was then a museum of stone monuments until the building was destroyed during bombings in WWII. The temple was then reconstructed over two years from 1945 to 1947, and then became a lapidarium once more. Today, it is home to a small museum of Roman sculpture that also houses the occasional temporary exhibition.
One of the best complete Roman monuments outside of Italy, it is one of the many historic gems that makes this wonderful town in Croatia so very special.
Photo credit: Diego Delso / CC BY-SA 4.0