Temple of Venus and Roma - Roman Forum, Rome - Columns above the Ancient City

Reconstructed columns of the Temple of Venus and Roma frame a layered view across the archaeological remains of the Roman Forum.

The reconstructed columns of the Temple of Venus and Roma rise prominently above the eastern end of the Roman Forum, framing a sweeping view across the archaeological heart of ancient Rome. Beyond the columns, scattered ruins, historic buildings and the slopes surrounding the Forum reveal the extraordinary concentration of monuments that developed here over many centuries. Emperor Hadrian designed the Temple of Venus and Roma, which was inaugurated in AD 135 and became the largest known temple complex in ancient Rome. Its unusual symmetrical plan incorporated two adjoining sanctuaries positioned back-to-back: one dedicated to Venus Felix, associated with the origins and prosperity of Rome, and the other to Roma Aeterna, the personification of the Eternal City. Standing on an enormous platform between the Roman Forum and the Colosseum, the temple once presented long colonnades along its sides. The surviving and reconstructed columns help convey the monumental scale of this important Hadrianic sanctuary.