Temple of Antoninus and Faustina

Initially constructed in 141 AD, the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina was built by Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius in honour of his wife, Faustina. It is one of the best preserved structures in the Roman Forum.

Temple of Antoninus and Faustina

Faustina was deified following her death and the temple, then just the Temple of Faustina, was the place of worship of the cult of Faustina.

When the emperor died in 161 AD, he too was deified and Faustina’s temple became the joint Temple of Antoninus and Faustina.

The primary reason that the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina has survived in such a good state of preservation is that it was incorporated in the church of San Lorenzo in Miranda sometime between 600 AD and 800 AD.

In 1601 the Roman architect Orazio Torriani was commissioned to rebuild San Lorenzo in Miranda and his is the church we see today. The original roof of the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina was destroyed during the transformation of the building into the Church of San Lorenzo, along with the marble decorations that used to adorn the temple.

The portico of the original building, with eight large Corinthian columns, can still be seen in front of the entrance. The entire church was placed in what was once was the cella of the temple. The church was restored many times during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, with multiple additions and removals. Excavations in the area during the 19th and 20th-centuries resulted in the church being just a few meters above the surrounding area.

Temple of Antoninus and Faustina today

A flight of stairs leads up to the ten standing columns of the original temple, which is now part of the church of San Lorenzo.

Getting to the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina

When entering the Roman Forum from Largo della Salara Vecchia the temple can be seen ahead to the left. The metro stop Colosseo on line MEB and MEB1, also serving buses 51, 75, 85, 87 and 117.