Temple of Antoninus and Faustina
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The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina is an ancient Roman temple in Rome. It lies in the Forum Romanum, on the Via Sacra, opposite the Regia.
The temple was begun in 141 by the Emperor Antoninus Pius, and was intitially dedicated to his deceased and deified wife, Faustina. When Antoninus Pius was deified, after his death in 161, at the instigation of his successor, Marcus Aurelius, the temple was re-dedicated in the joint names of Antoninus and Faustina.
The building stands on a high platform of large peperino blocks. The dedicatory inscription says, "Divi Antonino et Divae Faustinae Ex S.C." meaning, “To the divine Antoninus and to the divine Faustina by decree of the Senate.”
The temple was remodelled in 1602, becoming the church of San Lorenzo in Miranda. The church building survives today. An attempt was made in mediaeval times to dismantle the pillared portico, at a time when the Christian Church Authorities were attempting to destroy symbols of all Churches but their own. The ropes attached to the pillars left deep grooves, but the pillars remained standing and the attempt was discontinued. They remain standing today.
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