Temple of Hercules Victor, Ancient Roman temple in Forum Boarium, Italy.
The Temple of Hercules Victor is a circular Roman sanctuary in the Forum Boarium along the eastern bank of the Tiber in Rome, Italy. Twenty slender columns of Greek marble encircle a solid stone core and once supported a roof now lost to time.
A Greek architect named Hermodoros of Salamis designed this structure in the late 2nd century BC, introducing marble construction to Roman buildings for the first time. Pope Innocent III converted it into a Christian church in 1140, eventually renaming it Santa Maria del Sole.
This sanctuary honored Hercules, the protector of merchants and cattle traders who gathered at the nearby riverbank market. The circular design follows Greek religious tradition, reflecting how Roman builders adopted Eastern Mediterranean styles in their worship spaces.
The columns are openly accessible and can be viewed from the outside, but guided tours are required to enter the interior space. The pathways around the structure are easy to walk, allowing visitors to see it from multiple angles.
Ten of the twenty columns were replaced during repairs under Emperor Tiberius in the year 15 AD and are made of Luna marble rather than Greek stone. This restoration shows how Roman builders used local quarries to replace damaged parts.
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