Templo Romano (Roman Temple), Cordoba

During the expansion of the Cordoba City Hall in 1950, the remains of a Roman Temple (Templo Romano) were unearthed. It was not the only temple in town, but there was none like this one. It was 105 feet long and 53 feet wide. It was estimated that construction had begun during the reign of Emperor Claudius, perhaps around 50 AD.

The fashion of the temple was Pseudoperipterus (columns engaged and embedded on the walls except in the front) and Hexastyle (six free-standing columns supporting a portico). The columns were Corinthian. The area around the temple was estimated to be the site of the town's forum when the city was titled Colonia Patricia by Rome.

The primary construction material used was high-quality marble. There was marble in the walls, columns, roof, and entablature. The temple stood by the west walls in the center of an artificial terraced square. The square was closed on three sides. The front of the temple faced the neighboring circus. The temple fell into disuse in the 4th century.

The reconstruction work of the Roman Temple was carried out in the middle of the 20th century, between the 50s and 60s, performed by the archaeologist Antonio García Bellido and the architect Félix Hernándezed. The restored ruins of the Roman Temple consist of 12 massive columns standing evenly in a 3/4 square. At night the columns are illuminated in warm, changing colors.

The remains of the building are its foundation, the stairs, the altar, and some shafts of columns and capitals. The original fragments of the temple, such as parts of drums or capitals, can be seen. Some pieces are shown in the Archeological Museum. Others are planted at various places around town, such as a fluted Corinthian column in the Plaza de la Doblas.