Temple of the gens Flavia, Roman temple in Regio VI Alta Semita, Italy
The Temple of the Gens Flavia was a Roman sanctuary on the Quirinal Hill featuring a circular design with a central rotunda at its core. The sanctuary was enclosed by an almost square boundary that gave the structure both definition and sacred separation from the surrounding area.
Emperor Domitian commissioned the temple in the closing years of the 1st century, building it on the grounds of his father Vespasian's former residence. This connected the new sacred site directly to the founding legacy of the Flavian imperial line.
The temple functioned as a sacred space where the ruling family could honor the gods and preserve their memory through religious practice. Visitors walking through would sense how important this structure was for displaying the dynasty's connection to divine power.
The temple site lies beneath modern Via delle Quattro Fontane, positioned south of the ancient Alta Semita street in central Rome. Visitors should understand the ancient layout in relation to nearby landmarks since the site itself is no longer visible on the surface.
A lightning strike damaged the temple shortly after its completion, sparking debate about its structural soundness among Romans. This event shows how the ancients interpreted natural phenomena as messages from the gods about the temple's fate.
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