Beside Arena, one of the most famous monuments in Pula is the Temple of Augustus, situated on the main city square the Forum. The Temple is dedicated to goddess Roma and Emperor Augustus. It was constructed between the year 2 BC and AD 14 when the Emperor died. According to its shape it follows the typical pattern of temples.
When constructed, the Temple was a part of sacral complex, consisting of two smaller temples (the Temples of Augustus and Diana), and one large, main temple. Nowadays, only the Temple of Augustus remained, more or less, intact, and from the other temples, only the back wall of the Temple od Diana is preserved.
The function of the Temple changed through the years: with the ending of the ancient era its original function ceased and the temple was afterwards used as a church, granary, even a house and in the beginning of the 19th century it was a museum for stone monuments.
In 1944 it was hit by an allied bomb and hevily damaged. It was reconstructed between the years 1945 and 1947 and nowadays it houses a collection of ancient stone and bronze sculptures.
When constructed, the Temple was a part of sacral complex, consisting of two smaller temples (the Temples of Augustus and Diana), and one large, main temple. Nowadays, only the Temple of Augustus remained, more or less, intact, and from the other temples, only the back wall of the Temple od Diana is preserved.
The function of the Temple changed through the years: with the ending of the ancient era its original function ceased and the temple was afterwards used as a church, granary, even a house and in the beginning of the 19th century it was a museum for stone monuments.
In 1944 it was hit by an allied bomb and hevily damaged. It was reconstructed between the years 1945 and 1947 and nowadays it houses a collection of ancient stone and bronze sculptures.
