🏛️ Temple de Janus à Autun
Gallo-Roman ruin with disputed purpose and celestial design
📋 Fast Facts
- Built during the 1st or 2nd century AD in Augustodunum (Roman Autun)
- Named after the god Janus, though likely not actually dedicated to him
- True purpose remains debated—religious sanctuary, civic basilica, or mausoleum
- Located northwest of modern Autun; only foundations and lower walls survive
The Temple de Janus is a fragmentary Gallo-Roman structure dating to the prosperous 1st or 2nd century AD, when Autun (ancient Augustodunum) was a major Roman city. Despite its name, scholars question whether the building was ever dedicated to the Roman god Janus. The true identity of its patron deity or function remains uncertain, with competing theories proposing a religious sanctuary, civic basilica, or mausoleum for an important individual. Today, only the foundation and lower wall sections ...