Roman temple of Vic facts for kids
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The Roman temple of Vic is a very old building from the Roman times. You can find it in the city of Vic, which is in Catalonia, Spain. It's a special place because it shows us what Roman buildings looked like a long time ago.
Contents
A Look Back: History of the Temple
Built in Roman Times
This temple was built a very long time ago, around the early 2nd century. This was a "golden age" for the Roman Empire, meaning it was a time when the empire was strong and successful. Temples were super important in every Roman city. They were places for people to worship their gods.
Hidden for Centuries
Even though temples were important, the exact spot of this one was a mystery for many years. People didn't know where it was until 1882! If the temple was still being used in the 4th century, it would have been closed. This happened when Christianity became the main religion in the Roman Empire.
Found by Accident
In the 11th century, a large castle was built right over the temple. This castle was called the Castle of els Montcada. Over time, it became a home for local leaders and later, even a prison for Vic.
It wasn't until 1882 that the temple was found. Workers were taking down the old castle. As they worked, they saw parts of the Roman temple. It was in surprisingly good shape! The front part with columns, called the portico, was rebuilt. This was done using original pieces found during the discovery.
How the Temple Looks: Architecture
Even though the temple was used for many different things, we can still imagine how it looked originally. It has a high platform called a podium. You can walk up a front staircase to reach it.
Key Parts of the Temple
The front of the temple has tall columns. These columns have special tops called Corinthian capitals. These capitals are decorated with leaf designs. Above the columns is a decorative band called an entablature.
Behind the columns is the main room of the temple. This room is called the cella. It's where the most important parts of the temple would have been. Many of the original parts were found. This helped people rebuild the temple to look like it did long ago.
See also
- List of Ancient Roman temples
