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Temple of Augustus and Livia
About
This podium temple rose in the heart of Vienne to honor the emperor Augustus, later rededicated to include his deified wife Livia. Its six Corinthian columns and deep porch still stand almost fully intact, one of the best-preserved Roman temples anywhere outside Italy. Locals turned it into a church, then a Temple of Reason during the Revolution, then a library, before restorers stripped it back to its Roman skin. By 117 CE it had already stood for over a century as the religious anchor of the forum.
What happened here
The building itself is a house for the god, and most people never go inside. Everything public happens on the steps and at the altar in front: an animal led up, examined, killed cleanly, its organs read, the meat divided and eaten. The priest covers his head and a flute player keeps up a noise so no ill-omened word is heard. Worshippers leave what they can afford — a terracotta figure, a coin, a model of the body part they want healed — and the accumulated clutter is periodically cleared and buried on site. On festival days the doors are opened and the cult statue is dressed, garlanded, and sometimes carried out through the streets. The temple also holds money, which is why towns keep their treasury in one.
Sources
Nearby
Roman Maps shows the empire frozen at 11 August 117 CE, the day Trajan died — its moment of greatest territorial extent. Explore the full map →