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GPS 38.57277296115926, -7.907403569987626
The Roman Temple of Évora, erroneously known as the Temple of Diana, is located in the city of Évora, Portugal. It forms part of the historic center of the city, which has been classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The Roman temple is classified as a National Monument by the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage. It is one of the most famous landmarks in the city and one of the most significant symbols of the Roman presence in Portuguese territory.
It is located in Largo Conde de Vila Flor, in the parish of Sé and São Pedro, together with the Cathedral of Évora, the Court of Inquisition, the Church and Convent of Loios, the Public Library of Évora and the Museum.
Description
Location
The temple was situated on the highest point of the Roman city's acropolis, originally forming part of an urban complex known as a forum, which was normally the center of a Roman city, surrounded by a portico. The temple itself was surrounded by a water tank, demonstrating that the water element would have great importance from a religious point of view. The complex could also have included a basilica, whose columns shared some features with those of the Roman temple.
Architecture
The temple is an example of religious architecture from the Roman period, being rectangular in shape, with columns arranged in the hexastyle and peripterous styles. The model used in the construction of the building was the same used in the installation of the temples of Emperor Trajan and Emperor Hadrian, in the second century AD, being similar to the temple of Maison Carrée, in the French city of Nîmes.
Of the entire old building, only the podium, parts of the colonnade and fragments of the architrave and frieze, which were supported by the columns, have been preserved. The podium (Podium) is located on a base measuring around 25 m by 15 m and 3.5 m high, built in irregularly shaped granite stonework (opus incertum). The podium platform (podium) is four meters high, and was decorated with ashlars on the base profile, on the frame and on the corners, the remaining parts being in opus caementicium. Access to the platform is via a staircase, which is still visible despite its state of conservation. On the platform are located the columns, of which fourteen examples survive. On the north side, the six original columns still remain, as well as parts of the architrave and frieze, while on the west side only three columns remain, one of which has no capital or base, and some traces of the architrave and frieze. The columns, in Greco-Roman and Corinthian style, have fluted shafts, being formed by seven drums of irregular dimensions. They have circular bases, carved in white marble from Estremoz, and are topped by capitals of the same material, also in the Corinthian style, decorated with three rows of acanthus leaves and abacuses, on which flowers and flowers were carved, representing marigolds, sunflowers and roses. The capitals show several divergences in their details, which proves that they were made by several individuals, with different levels of competence. The columns supported a set of architrave and frieze, of which some parts still remain. The rest of the building was made of granite, from the Évora area. Although granite and marble are materials with very different characteristics, they were ingeniously combined by the building's builders, resulting in a very harmonious whole. Marble from Vila Viçosa was also used in the building. Estremoz marble, from Serra de Ossa, was probably chosen because it is the most similar, in the national territory, to that of Carrara.
No traces of the interior structures of the temple remain, the internal walls having been demolished during the adaptations to the mosque and church, in order to gain more space, while during the installation of the slaughterhouse, a sloping sidewalk was built over the previous floor, of way to make the blood of the animals flow to the portal. Part of the old forum area itself is covered by other buildings, mainly the Museum of Évora. An inscription was found on one of the side facades of the temple, which was identified as a board for the game of Alquerque, and which may have been engraved by workers before the construction of the building.
Estate
The archaeological remains found at the site consist of pieces of Campaniense ceramics, glass, Italic, Hispanic and African terra sigillata, thin-walled, common miscellaneous, and grey. From the Roman period, amphorae and a lamp were also found. As for Muslim chronologies, pots, jugs, a bowl, pans, a bowl made of dry rope in shades of green and manganese, a bowl and a candlestick were discovered. Several pieces of marble were also collected, including a hand holding a patera, parts of statue fingers, and a possible statue pedestal. During surveys in the 1990s, two incomplete marble hands were collected, one of them with rings on two fingers, which may indicate that it belonged to a female statue, and that it held a round box with twenty-two balls, perhaps representing incense, at least that the box could be of the ceremonial type (Acerra or Píxide).
On the floor of the temple, a marble altar was discovered, in an advanced state of degradation, most of the text having disappeared, being insufficient to determine whether it had been dedicated to an emperor or a divinity.
Importance, classification and denomination
The Roman Temple of Évora is considered one of the best-preserved buildings of its type in the entire Iberian Peninsula, and is a unique example in Portugal. It is classified as a National Monument by the Portuguese government, and as a World Heritage Site, as part of the Historic Center of Évora, by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
The monument became known as the Temple of Diana due to a theory advanced by the Jesuit priest Manuel Fialho in the 17th century, that it was dedicated to Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt, and due to its similarities with the Temple of Diana, in the Spanish city of Mérida. In Panorama magazine No. 24, 1945, the temple was described as being dedicated to the Goddess of Grace.
The denomination of Temple of Diana was maintained until the 1980s and 1990s, when it was discovered that the temple had been dedicated to Emperor Augustus.
History
Roman period
The Temple of Évora began to be built in the 1st century AD, at a time when the Iberian Peninsula was under the dominion of the Roman civilization. It was built as part of an urban renewal program for the city, then called Liberalitas Iulia Ebora, having been dedicated to Emperor Augustus, whose power was at that time in a phase of assertion. However, the works dragged on for the next two centuries, due to changes in the surrounding urban structure, since the imperial cult led to the construction of a citadel. According to tradition, the temple was founded by order of General Quinto Sertório, when he took the city of Ebora from the Eborense peoples, around 70 BC. of the city, and which would also have included walls and towers, a palace, an aqueduct and a triumphal arch. One of the stories about the temple, preserved through oral tradition and referenced by ancient authors, mentions that the aqueduct ended in a tank around the temple, and then the water was channeled to a fountain next to the triumphal arch. Indeed, in excavations in the 20th century, a tank was found that surrounded the temple on three sides, and the pipes that drained the water. Other authors stated that the temple would have been built later, during the imperial era of Rome, one of the theories being that the art of Roman sculpture had not yet reached, during the period of Sertorius, a degree of skill sufficient to carve the capitals. from the temple. However, although the art of Roman statuary was not yet fully developed, in that period there were already works of sculpture on very advanced capitals, due to the employment of Greek artists.
The temple may have been abandoned in the 4th century, a period in which part of the Roman religious buildings in Hispania began to lose their importance, due to the advance of Christianity
Middle and Modern Ages
The building was partially destroyed in the 5th century, during the barbarian invasions. In 716 the Muslims took over the city, and the Roman temple was probably transformed into a fortified mosque, with crenellated walls. However, it is possible that the conversion of the building into a military structure already took place earlier, during the Visigoth period. The Islamic domain of Évora lasted until 1165, the year in which it was reconquered by Geraldo Geraldes as part of a military campaign in the Alentejo, and the temple was probably converted into a church. Indeed, this was a very common practice in this period, due to the immediate need for a building dedicated to Christian worship, while building a church from scratch would be a very time-consuming process. One of the traces of its adaptation to the church was a belfry on the upper side of the monument. Access to the building was through a door between the two central columns, with two or three steps to overcome the unevenness in relation to the street, which reached roughly to the base of the old temple. The theory that it would have been the Old Cathedral of Évora was also advanced, since it was referenced in several documents, but no physical traces of this building were found. The Roman temple would have housed the see until 1204, when Bishop D. Paio consecrated the new building of the see. The temple was subject to works during the Mudejar and Manueline periods, and it was during these phases that the pyramid-shaped merlons were placed.
It was later reused as a military tower, serving as a stronghold at Évora Castle during the 14th century. During this period, it also began to be used as a butcher shop, following the attribution of the Charter of Évora by King D. Manuel I of Portugal, in 1501. According to a document found by Canon D. João da Anunciada, during the 14th century the building of the temple also functioned as a granary. During the 17th century, the Jesuit priest Manuel Fialho advanced the theory that the temple had been dedicated to Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt, thus creating a legend that lasted for about four centuries. One of the reasons for this theory was its legendary founding by Sertorius, as Diana was thought to be his favorite goddess. However, this hypothesis was criticized by other authors, who argued that there was not enough evidence to guarantee that the temple was dedicated to the goddess Diana. It has also been speculated that the temple was consecrated to the god Jupiter, due to the Corinthian decoration, normally intended for male deities, while the Ionic Order was used in temples dedicated to females.
19th century At the beginning of the 19th century, the theory advanced that the capitals of the temple of Évora had not been manufactured in the region, but transported from Athens or Rome, due to their perfection, and the state of decay in which the The arts of architecture and sculpture were found in Portugal in the early 1800s. However, it is more likely that they were produced locally, due to the origin of the materials, and the discovery of several similar pieces in archaeological sites from the Roman period near Évora, such as at Herdade da Coberta.
In 1836, it ceased to function as a butcher shop, due to the influence of the Civil Governor of Évora, António José de Ávila, who considered that that use was unworthy for the monument. This opinion was shared by the French writer Alfred Germond de Lavigne, who in his work Itinéraire descriptif, historique et artistique de l'Espagne et du Portugal, published in 1866, described the temple as «s'est prosaïquement transformé en une boucherie.» (“transformed prosaically into a butcher shop”). However, the municipality did not fully comply with the order to close the butcher shop, because although it was closed, the structures inside the building remained, such as the tanning tanks. At this time, it still showed the merlons in the form of a pyramid, and the blind gables from which the columns stood out. After the closure of the butcher shop, the structures attached to the north elevation of the building were demolished, after which an intervention began that can be considered as the first major archaeological work at national level, during which the tanks that belonged to a primitive aqueduct were excavated.
In the middle of the century, the consecration of the temple to Diana was already in doubt, with the Revista Universal Lisbonense of April 25, 1844, publishing a letter that had been sent in November of the previous year by the Prelate of Beja, about the Roman temple of Évora: «This Roman building is the best preserved from the Alps to the West; though adulterated by the Arabs and despised by us. It is without Roman contradicta. The Romans were religious even in the construction of the temples of their gods, designating the Corinthian architecture for the gods, and the Ionian architecture for the goddesses. The temple of Évora is of perfect corinthia architecture; master hand capitals; very regular columns: the Doric bases; the plinth in proportion to the elegance of the whole from any near or far point of view, all in the greatest Corinthian exactness. [...] Therefore, being this temple of Corinthian architecture, it cannot be considered dedicated to Diana. I decided to send you these reflections, which are not mine, they are from foreign antique dealers, who honored me with their friendship, and I will mention their well-known names in Portugal, if necessary; because, going ahead with the beautiful thought of our august king, and being executed by the Exm. all of this at your discretion, communicated to the Illm.º Minister of the Kingdom, if you deem it convenient, to prevent any diploma from being drawn up with this popular error (if it is) current in Évora.».
In 1860 work was carried out to remove the masonry around the original structure, and in 1863 Augusto Filipe Simões, archaeologist and lecturer at the University of Coimbra. presented a proposal for the walls between the columns and all structures from the medieval period annexed to the building to be knocked down, so that the temple would return to its original form. In 1871 it was decided to expose the columns and capitals, for which the architect and scenographer Giuseppe Cinatti was hired. The works were carried out by the municipality, during the mandate of Manuel de Paula da Rocha Viana as mayor. These modifications allowed a more detailed study of the temple, mainly its structure and the surface of the podium. Despite several modifications and having suffered several moderate earthquakes, the temple continued to stand, which demonstrated the resistance of its construction. Augusto Filipe Simões also arranged for the monument to function temporarily as an archaeological museum during the 19th century. Also during the 19th century, the land around the temple was removed, by order of King Fernando II of Portugal, when he visited the city of Évora, together with Queen D. Maria II, and noticed that the building was partially buried. The demolition of the slaughterhouse walls in the 19th century made the original structures more vulnerable to the effects of earthquakes and weather, although these risks were mitigated by the natural resistance of these materials.
20th century
The building was initially classified by a decree of June 10, 1907 as Ruins of the Roman Temple, and was later elevated to National Monument by a decree of June 16, 1910. In October 1946, the Roman temple was the scene of a ceremony Catholic, organized by Mocidade Portuguesa Feminina.
In the 1980s, a new phase of archaeological research began, directed by Theodor Hauschild and Felix Teichner. The excavations, carried out between 1982 and 1990, were concentrated in the area of the temple and Praça do Forum, having made important discoveries about the history of the city during the Roman and modern periods, and mainly about the temple itself, which was considered one of the largest and best preserved in the Iberian Peninsula, leading to its classification as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986, as part of the Historic Centre. In 1987 work continued on surveying the floor plan of the building, with a survey being carried out in the southwest corner, and the remains of a possible staircase on the south side being discovered. The following year, excavations continued, this time close to the foundations in the northwest corner of the temple, with a stone masonry wall approximately 0.80 m thick being discovered. In 1990, traces of water tanks were found, underneath three layers of filling dating from the 19th century, and investigations were carried out on the accesses to the temple, having reached the conclusion that the entrance to the podium was not made through the wide staircase, but by two stairs in the side areas of the temple, which began in the square, next to the tanks. Between August and September of the following year, research continued, one of the objectives being to confirm the size and function of a space in front of the temple, which was originally covered with marble slabs. In 1992, research continued in the square in front of the temple, and a door was discovered, which could have been the access point to the rest of the city.
In 1993, the U-shaped plan of the water tanks was confirmed, similar to that found in the Capitol of Luni, and it was verified that the assets found in the place belonged entirely to the principles of the imperial period of Rome, with no pieces from the period having been discovered. Republican, so the cistern may have been built during the first stages of urbanization of the site, when the aqueduct had not yet been installed. It was also found that the water tanks were partially damaged during the installation of silos, during the medieval period, and pipes for water and electricity, in contemporary times. In 1995, research was carried out that demonstrated the uses and modifications made to the forum and temple complex after the Roman period, while in 1996 the walls of the former Palace of the Inquisition were identified and investigations into the tanks were resumed, with traces of major alterations throughout history have been discovered, and openings for water outlets in the northwest and northeast corners. The following year, urban reorganization works were carried out in the area around the temple, and in 1998 and 1999 the collection found on the site was organized and studied. Research carried out in the 1990s proved that the building would have been dedicated to Emperor Augustus, thus discrediting the theory that it served for the cult of the goddess Diana. During the 1980s, maintenance work was also carried out on the monument.
In 1996, archaeological research was carried out in the basement of the museum, following works to expand the building, with traces of the floor of the ancient Roman forum, in marble, and Roman columns being found that could form part of a possible basilica.
XXI century
In 2000 works were carried out to enhance the monument, which consisted of reconditioning car traffic in the surrounding area, and in 2009 trenches were dug next to the temple for the installation of gas piping, an intervention that had archaeological monitoring.
After an earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale, in the 21st century, structural analyzes were carried out on the building using satellite photographs, and it was verified that the temple had not been damaged, proving the resistance of its materials. However, the building continued to suffer the effects of natural degradation, with a stone weighing about 20 kg having been found, on a routine visit, which had belonged to a Corinthian column. The probable cause of this fall was the lack of maintenance, since the monument has not been subject to conservation works since the 1980s, and the movements of the building itself, throughout its history. Following this incident, emergency work was carried out to prevent further falling rocks to ensure the safety of visitors and the preservation of the temple. The existence of damage was verified in several parts of the complex, mainly in the capitals, and it was verified that many fragments had been prevented from falling only due to the presence of a biological layer, which covered the columns, architrave and capitals. However, this layer was at the same time causing wear on the architectural elements, and it made the work of the technicians difficult, so it was removed using a biocide. The repair works, which were carried out by the company Nova Conservação – Restoration and Conservation of Artistic-cultural Heritage, took place in 2017, and included the replacement of around 250 fragments and chips, mainly in marble. Of note is the placement of two pieces on the capitals, which came from the reserve of the Museu Nacional Frei Manuel do Cenáculo and whose replacement had not yet been carried out due to doubts about their origin. The capitals were cleaned and restored, and the parts that were at risk of falling were fixed with a mortar composed of lime and very fine aggregates in stone dust. During the restoration work on the capitals, traces of repairs dating back around two thousand years were found, probably from damage caused to the pieces during the construction of the building. In addition to the biological layer, the monument had also suffered the effects of dirt and pollution, having been completely cleaned, thus revealing the differences between the materials used, marble and granite. A drawing and photograph mapping of the temple was also prepared, in order to facilitate future repair works. The works lasted approximately four months, having been completed in December 2017. In total, this intervention cost around 50 thousand euros, and had the collaboration of the municipality of Évora and the Universities of Évora, Minho and Coimbra.
On June 26, 2018, the Minister of Culture, Luís Filipe de Castro Mendes, gave a speech during the event The Roman Temple of Évora in the auditorium of the Center for Art and Culture of the Eugénio de Almeida Foundation. The minister considered the intervention in the monument to be of great importance, since it combined the restoration work on the building with its study, using advanced techniques, including the Hercules Laboratory of the University of Évora. The director of this laboratory, António Candeias, said that the process was an opportunity to obtain various materials from the temple, whose study served to deepen knowledge about the techniques and types of materials that had been used during its construction. The Laboratory created a three-dimensional model of the capitals, and tested a new non-toxic biocide, with good results. Minister Luís Mendes also praised the speed with which the Regional Directorate for Culture of the Alentejo and the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage acted to assess and correct the problem, after the falling stones. On the same day, the work Laudator was presented, which compiled the results of investigations in the 1980s and 1990s in the Roman temple, including the conclusion that it was built for imperial worship, mainly Emperor Augustus, who came to be considered as a deity .
In April 2019, the Regional Directorate of Culture of Alentejo informed that during that month, a North American organization would carry out a three-dimensional survey of the cultural heritage in the Alentejo region, including the Roman Temple of Évora, as part of the Global Digital Heritage program . On May 30 of that year, the temple was illuminated in orange tones at dusk, as part of an awareness campaign by the Portuguese Society of Multiple Sclerosis.
Versão portuguesa aqui.
GPS 38.57277296115926, -7.907403569987626
The Roman Temple of Évora, erroneously known as the Temple of Diana, is located in the city of Évora, Portugal. It forms part of the historic center of the city, which has been classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The Roman temple is classified as a National Monument by the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage. It is one of the most famous landmarks in the city and one of the most significant symbols of the Roman presence in Portuguese territory.
It is located in Largo Conde de Vila Flor, in the parish of Sé and São Pedro, together with the Cathedral of Évora, the Court of Inquisition, the Church and Convent of Loios, the Public Library of Évora and the Museum.
Description
Location
The temple was situated on the highest point of the Roman city's acropolis, originally forming part of an urban complex known as a forum, which was normally the center of a Roman city, surrounded by a portico. The temple itself was surrounded by a water tank, demonstrating that the water element would have great importance from a religious point of view. The complex could also have included a basilica, whose columns shared some features with those of the Roman temple.
Architecture
The temple is an example of religious architecture from the Roman period, being rectangular in shape, with columns arranged in the hexastyle and peripterous styles. The model used in the construction of the building was the same used in the installation of the temples of Emperor Trajan and Emperor Hadrian, in the second century AD, being similar to the temple of Maison Carrée, in the French city of Nîmes.
Of the entire old building, only the podium, parts of the colonnade and fragments of the architrave and frieze, which were supported by the columns, have been preserved. The podium (Podium) is located on a base measuring around 25 m by 15 m and 3.5 m high, built in irregularly shaped granite stonework (opus incertum). The podium platform (podium) is four meters high, and was decorated with ashlars on the base profile, on the frame and on the corners, the remaining parts being in opus caementicium. Access to the platform is via a staircase, which is still visible despite its state of conservation. On the platform are located the columns, of which fourteen examples survive. On the north side, the six original columns still remain, as well as parts of the architrave and frieze, while on the west side only three columns remain, one of which has no capital or base, and some traces of the architrave and frieze. The columns, in Greco-Roman and Corinthian style, have fluted shafts, being formed by seven drums of irregular dimensions. They have circular bases, carved in white marble from Estremoz, and are topped by capitals of the same material, also in the Corinthian style, decorated with three rows of acanthus leaves and abacuses, on which flowers and flowers were carved, representing marigolds, sunflowers and roses. The capitals show several divergences in their details, which proves that they were made by several individuals, with different levels of competence. The columns supported a set of architrave and frieze, of which some parts still remain. The rest of the building was made of granite, from the Évora area. Although granite and marble are materials with very different characteristics, they were ingeniously combined by the building's builders, resulting in a very harmonious whole. Marble from Vila Viçosa was also used in the building. Estremoz marble, from Serra de Ossa, was probably chosen because it is the most similar, in the national territory, to that of Carrara.
No traces of the interior structures of the temple remain, the internal walls having been demolished during the adaptations to the mosque and church, in order to gain more space, while during the installation of the slaughterhouse, a sloping sidewalk was built over the previous floor, of way to make the blood of the animals flow to the portal. Part of the old forum area itself is covered by other buildings, mainly the Museum of Évora. An inscription was found on one of the side facades of the temple, which was identified as a board for the game of Alquerque, and which may have been engraved by workers before the construction of the building.
Estate
The archaeological remains found at the site consist of pieces of Campaniense ceramics, glass, Italic, Hispanic and African terra sigillata, thin-walled, common miscellaneous, and grey. From the Roman period, amphorae and a lamp were also found. As for Muslim chronologies, pots, jugs, a bowl, pans, a bowl made of dry rope in shades of green and manganese, a bowl and a candlestick were discovered. Several pieces of marble were also collected, including a hand holding a patera, parts of statue fingers, and a possible statue pedestal. During surveys in the 1990s, two incomplete marble hands were collected, one of them with rings on two fingers, which may indicate that it belonged to a female statue, and that it held a round box with twenty-two balls, perhaps representing incense, at least that the box could be of the ceremonial type (Acerra or Píxide).
On the floor of the temple, a marble altar was discovered, in an advanced state of degradation, most of the text having disappeared, being insufficient to determine whether it had been dedicated to an emperor or a divinity.
Importance, classification and denomination
The Roman Temple of Évora is considered one of the best-preserved buildings of its type in the entire Iberian Peninsula, and is a unique example in Portugal. It is classified as a National Monument by the Portuguese government, and as a World Heritage Site, as part of the Historic Center of Évora, by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
The monument became known as the Temple of Diana due to a theory advanced by the Jesuit priest Manuel Fialho in the 17th century, that it was dedicated to Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt, and due to its similarities with the Temple of Diana, in the Spanish city of Mérida. In Panorama magazine No. 24, 1945, the temple was described as being dedicated to the Goddess of Grace.
The denomination of Temple of Diana was maintained until the 1980s and 1990s, when it was discovered that the temple had been dedicated to Emperor Augustus.
History
Roman period
The Temple of Évora began to be built in the 1st century AD, at a time when the Iberian Peninsula was under the dominion of the Roman civilization. It was built as part of an urban renewal program for the city, then called Liberalitas Iulia Ebora, having been dedicated to Emperor Augustus, whose power was at that time in a phase of assertion. However, the works dragged on for the next two centuries, due to changes in the surrounding urban structure, since the imperial cult led to the construction of a citadel. According to tradition, the temple was founded by order of General Quinto Sertório, when he took the city of Ebora from the Eborense peoples, around 70 BC. of the city, and which would also have included walls and towers, a palace, an aqueduct and a triumphal arch. One of the stories about the temple, preserved through oral tradition and referenced by ancient authors, mentions that the aqueduct ended in a tank around the temple, and then the water was channeled to a fountain next to the triumphal arch. Indeed, in excavations in the 20th century, a tank was found that surrounded the temple on three sides, and the pipes that drained the water. Other authors stated that the temple would have been built later, during the imperial era of Rome, one of the theories being that the art of Roman sculpture had not yet reached, during the period of Sertorius, a degree of skill sufficient to carve the capitals. from the temple. However, although the art of Roman statuary was not yet fully developed, in that period there were already works of sculpture on very advanced capitals, due to the employment of Greek artists.
The temple may have been abandoned in the 4th century, a period in which part of the Roman religious buildings in Hispania began to lose their importance, due to the advance of Christianity
Middle and Modern Ages
The building was partially destroyed in the 5th century, during the barbarian invasions. In 716 the Muslims took over the city, and the Roman temple was probably transformed into a fortified mosque, with crenellated walls. However, it is possible that the conversion of the building into a military structure already took place earlier, during the Visigoth period. The Islamic domain of Évora lasted until 1165, the year in which it was reconquered by Geraldo Geraldes as part of a military campaign in the Alentejo, and the temple was probably converted into a church. Indeed, this was a very common practice in this period, due to the immediate need for a building dedicated to Christian worship, while building a church from scratch would be a very time-consuming process. One of the traces of its adaptation to the church was a belfry on the upper side of the monument. Access to the building was through a door between the two central columns, with two or three steps to overcome the unevenness in relation to the street, which reached roughly to the base of the old temple. The theory that it would have been the Old Cathedral of Évora was also advanced, since it was referenced in several documents, but no physical traces of this building were found. The Roman temple would have housed the see until 1204, when Bishop D. Paio consecrated the new building of the see. The temple was subject to works during the Mudejar and Manueline periods, and it was during these phases that the pyramid-shaped merlons were placed.
It was later reused as a military tower, serving as a stronghold at Évora Castle during the 14th century. During this period, it also began to be used as a butcher shop, following the attribution of the Charter of Évora by King D. Manuel I of Portugal, in 1501. According to a document found by Canon D. João da Anunciada, during the 14th century the building of the temple also functioned as a granary. During the 17th century, the Jesuit priest Manuel Fialho advanced the theory that the temple had been dedicated to Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt, thus creating a legend that lasted for about four centuries. One of the reasons for this theory was its legendary founding by Sertorius, as Diana was thought to be his favorite goddess. However, this hypothesis was criticized by other authors, who argued that there was not enough evidence to guarantee that the temple was dedicated to the goddess Diana. It has also been speculated that the temple was consecrated to the god Jupiter, due to the Corinthian decoration, normally intended for male deities, while the Ionic Order was used in temples dedicated to females.
19th century At the beginning of the 19th century, the theory advanced that the capitals of the temple of Évora had not been manufactured in the region, but transported from Athens or Rome, due to their perfection, and the state of decay in which the The arts of architecture and sculpture were found in Portugal in the early 1800s. However, it is more likely that they were produced locally, due to the origin of the materials, and the discovery of several similar pieces in archaeological sites from the Roman period near Évora, such as at Herdade da Coberta.
In 1836, it ceased to function as a butcher shop, due to the influence of the Civil Governor of Évora, António José de Ávila, who considered that that use was unworthy for the monument. This opinion was shared by the French writer Alfred Germond de Lavigne, who in his work Itinéraire descriptif, historique et artistique de l'Espagne et du Portugal, published in 1866, described the temple as «s'est prosaïquement transformé en une boucherie.» (“transformed prosaically into a butcher shop”). However, the municipality did not fully comply with the order to close the butcher shop, because although it was closed, the structures inside the building remained, such as the tanning tanks. At this time, it still showed the merlons in the form of a pyramid, and the blind gables from which the columns stood out. After the closure of the butcher shop, the structures attached to the north elevation of the building were demolished, after which an intervention began that can be considered as the first major archaeological work at national level, during which the tanks that belonged to a primitive aqueduct were excavated.
In the middle of the century, the consecration of the temple to Diana was already in doubt, with the Revista Universal Lisbonense of April 25, 1844, publishing a letter that had been sent in November of the previous year by the Prelate of Beja, about the Roman temple of Évora: «This Roman building is the best preserved from the Alps to the West; though adulterated by the Arabs and despised by us. It is without Roman contradicta. The Romans were religious even in the construction of the temples of their gods, designating the Corinthian architecture for the gods, and the Ionian architecture for the goddesses. The temple of Évora is of perfect corinthia architecture; master hand capitals; very regular columns: the Doric bases; the plinth in proportion to the elegance of the whole from any near or far point of view, all in the greatest Corinthian exactness. [...] Therefore, being this temple of Corinthian architecture, it cannot be considered dedicated to Diana. I decided to send you these reflections, which are not mine, they are from foreign antique dealers, who honored me with their friendship, and I will mention their well-known names in Portugal, if necessary; because, going ahead with the beautiful thought of our august king, and being executed by the Exm. all of this at your discretion, communicated to the Illm.º Minister of the Kingdom, if you deem it convenient, to prevent any diploma from being drawn up with this popular error (if it is) current in Évora.».
In 1860 work was carried out to remove the masonry around the original structure, and in 1863 Augusto Filipe Simões, archaeologist and lecturer at the University of Coimbra. presented a proposal for the walls between the columns and all structures from the medieval period annexed to the building to be knocked down, so that the temple would return to its original form. In 1871 it was decided to expose the columns and capitals, for which the architect and scenographer Giuseppe Cinatti was hired. The works were carried out by the municipality, during the mandate of Manuel de Paula da Rocha Viana as mayor. These modifications allowed a more detailed study of the temple, mainly its structure and the surface of the podium. Despite several modifications and having suffered several moderate earthquakes, the temple continued to stand, which demonstrated the resistance of its construction. Augusto Filipe Simões also arranged for the monument to function temporarily as an archaeological museum during the 19th century. Also during the 19th century, the land around the temple was removed, by order of King Fernando II of Portugal, when he visited the city of Évora, together with Queen D. Maria II, and noticed that the building was partially buried. The demolition of the slaughterhouse walls in the 19th century made the original structures more vulnerable to the effects of earthquakes and weather, although these risks were mitigated by the natural resistance of these materials.
20th century
The building was initially classified by a decree of June 10, 1907 as Ruins of the Roman Temple, and was later elevated to National Monument by a decree of June 16, 1910. In October 1946, the Roman temple was the scene of a ceremony Catholic, organized by Mocidade Portuguesa Feminina.
In the 1980s, a new phase of archaeological research began, directed by Theodor Hauschild and Felix Teichner. The excavations, carried out between 1982 and 1990, were concentrated in the area of the temple and Praça do Forum, having made important discoveries about the history of the city during the Roman and modern periods, and mainly about the temple itself, which was considered one of the largest and best preserved in the Iberian Peninsula, leading to its classification as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986, as part of the Historic Centre. In 1987 work continued on surveying the floor plan of the building, with a survey being carried out in the southwest corner, and the remains of a possible staircase on the south side being discovered. The following year, excavations continued, this time close to the foundations in the northwest corner of the temple, with a stone masonry wall approximately 0.80 m thick being discovered. In 1990, traces of water tanks were found, underneath three layers of filling dating from the 19th century, and investigations were carried out on the accesses to the temple, having reached the conclusion that the entrance to the podium was not made through the wide staircase, but by two stairs in the side areas of the temple, which began in the square, next to the tanks. Between August and September of the following year, research continued, one of the objectives being to confirm the size and function of a space in front of the temple, which was originally covered with marble slabs. In 1992, research continued in the square in front of the temple, and a door was discovered, which could have been the access point to the rest of the city.
In 1993, the U-shaped plan of the water tanks was confirmed, similar to that found in the Capitol of Luni, and it was verified that the assets found in the place belonged entirely to the principles of the imperial period of Rome, with no pieces from the period having been discovered. Republican, so the cistern may have been built during the first stages of urbanization of the site, when the aqueduct had not yet been installed. It was also found that the water tanks were partially damaged during the installation of silos, during the medieval period, and pipes for water and electricity, in contemporary times. In 1995, research was carried out that demonstrated the uses and modifications made to the forum and temple complex after the Roman period, while in 1996 the walls of the former Palace of the Inquisition were identified and investigations into the tanks were resumed, with traces of major alterations throughout history have been discovered, and openings for water outlets in the northwest and northeast corners. The following year, urban reorganization works were carried out in the area around the temple, and in 1998 and 1999 the collection found on the site was organized and studied. Research carried out in the 1990s proved that the building would have been dedicated to Emperor Augustus, thus discrediting the theory that it served for the cult of the goddess Diana. During the 1980s, maintenance work was also carried out on the monument.
In 1996, archaeological research was carried out in the basement of the museum, following works to expand the building, with traces of the floor of the ancient Roman forum, in marble, and Roman columns being found that could form part of a possible basilica.
XXI century
In 2000 works were carried out to enhance the monument, which consisted of reconditioning car traffic in the surrounding area, and in 2009 trenches were dug next to the temple for the installation of gas piping, an intervention that had archaeological monitoring.
After an earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale, in the 21st century, structural analyzes were carried out on the building using satellite photographs, and it was verified that the temple had not been damaged, proving the resistance of its materials. However, the building continued to suffer the effects of natural degradation, with a stone weighing about 20 kg having been found, on a routine visit, which had belonged to a Corinthian column. The probable cause of this fall was the lack of maintenance, since the monument has not been subject to conservation works since the 1980s, and the movements of the building itself, throughout its history. Following this incident, emergency work was carried out to prevent further falling rocks to ensure the safety of visitors and the preservation of the temple. The existence of damage was verified in several parts of the complex, mainly in the capitals, and it was verified that many fragments had been prevented from falling only due to the presence of a biological layer, which covered the columns, architrave and capitals. However, this layer was at the same time causing wear on the architectural elements, and it made the work of the technicians difficult, so it was removed using a biocide. The repair works, which were carried out by the company Nova Conservação – Restoration and Conservation of Artistic-cultural Heritage, took place in 2017, and included the replacement of around 250 fragments and chips, mainly in marble. Of note is the placement of two pieces on the capitals, which came from the reserve of the Museu Nacional Frei Manuel do Cenáculo and whose replacement had not yet been carried out due to doubts about their origin. The capitals were cleaned and restored, and the parts that were at risk of falling were fixed with a mortar composed of lime and very fine aggregates in stone dust. During the restoration work on the capitals, traces of repairs dating back around two thousand years were found, probably from damage caused to the pieces during the construction of the building. In addition to the biological layer, the monument had also suffered the effects of dirt and pollution, having been completely cleaned, thus revealing the differences between the materials used, marble and granite. A drawing and photograph mapping of the temple was also prepared, in order to facilitate future repair works. The works lasted approximately four months, having been completed in December 2017. In total, this intervention cost around 50 thousand euros, and had the collaboration of the municipality of Évora and the Universities of Évora, Minho and Coimbra.
On June 26, 2018, the Minister of Culture, Luís Filipe de Castro Mendes, gave a speech during the event The Roman Temple of Évora in the auditorium of the Center for Art and Culture of the Eugénio de Almeida Foundation. The minister considered the intervention in the monument to be of great importance, since it combined the restoration work on the building with its study, using advanced techniques, including the Hercules Laboratory of the University of Évora. The director of this laboratory, António Candeias, said that the process was an opportunity to obtain various materials from the temple, whose study served to deepen knowledge about the techniques and types of materials that had been used during its construction. The Laboratory created a three-dimensional model of the capitals, and tested a new non-toxic biocide, with good results. Minister Luís Mendes also praised the speed with which the Regional Directorate for Culture of the Alentejo and the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage acted to assess and correct the problem, after the falling stones. On the same day, the work Laudator was presented, which compiled the results of investigations in the 1980s and 1990s in the Roman temple, including the conclusion that it was built for imperial worship, mainly Emperor Augustus, who came to be considered as a deity .
In April 2019, the Regional Directorate of Culture of Alentejo informed that during that month, a North American organization would carry out a three-dimensional survey of the cultural heritage in the Alentejo region, including the Roman Temple of Évora, as part of the Global Digital Heritage program . On May 30 of that year, the temple was illuminated in orange tones at dusk, as part of an awareness campaign by the Portuguese Society of Multiple Sclerosis.
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