Templo de Diana, Mérida | Photos of Spain

The Templo de Diana (Temple of Diana) is a Roman temple built late in the 1st century BC, in the city of Augusta Emerita. At the time, this was the capital of the Roman province of Lusitania, currently Mérida in Spain. Initially, the temple was dedicated to Rome and the Emperor. It wasn’t until the 17th century that it became known as the Temple of Diana.

Templo de Diana - ornate mouldings at the top of the columns — Templo de Diana – ornate mouldings at the top of the columns

I found it very strange that such a historic building is located right in the centre of Mérida in such a tight and cramped setting. Modern buildings encroach the site on all sides.

Construction

The rectangular temple stands on a 3.23 m high podium covered with regular-cut ashlars. It is a peripheral temple with six columns on its front elevation (18.5 m) and eleven columns on the longer sides (32 m). The columns have a fluted finish and are eight meters high. Nothing remains of the original roof.

The temple columns stand on a 3.23 m high podium

All the elements are from granite, sourced from various local quarries around Mérida. Originally, the stone elements were stucco-covered; however, today, only a few traces of stucco remain on the ashlar stones.

At the entrance to the temple was an altar for the offering of sacrifices. Inside was a statue of Diana (sister of Appollo) with a deer and armed with a bow and arrows. Dianna was a skilful hunter and the protective goddess of hunters.

The temple of Dianna is in an exceptional state of conservation, mainly because for centuries, the temple served as the foundation and framework for the Renaissance palace of the Conde de Los Corbos. Parts of the palace remain well preserved and are still standing. I found it interesting just how close the palace walls were to the original columns. They certainly used all the available space!