Temple of Antoninus and Faustina
2nd century Roman temple in Rome which was later converted into a Roman Catholic church, the Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Miranda or simply "San Lorenzo in Miranda"
The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina was an ancient Roman temple in Rome, which was later converted into a Roman Catholic church, San Lorenzo in Miranda. It is located in the Forum Romanum, on the Via Sacra, opposite the Regia.
Temple
Antoninus Pius initiated the temple's construction in 141 AD. It was initially dedicated to his deceased and deified wife, Faustina the Elder. Because of this, Faustina was the first Roman empress with a permanent presence in the Forum Romanum. When Antoninus Pius was deified after his death in 161 AD, the temple was re-dedicated to both Antoninus and Faustina by his successor, Marcus Aurelius.
The building stands on a high platform of large grey peperino tufa blocks. The latter of two dedicatory inscriptions says, Divo Antonino et Divae Faustinae Ex S.C. (English: For Deified Faustina, by decree of the Senate).
The eight monolithic Corinthian columns of its pronaos, made of Karystian marble, are 17 metres (56 ft) in height. The rich bas-reliefs of the frieze under the cornice, featuring griffins, acanthus scrolls, and candelabra, were often copied from the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries.
Based on numismatic evidence, the temple was originally fenced off from the Via Sacra and a large, seated statue of Faustina would have been inside of the cella.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Temple of Antoninus and Faustina” is 2nd century Roman temple in Rome which was later converted into a Roman Catholic church, the Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Miranda or simply "San Lorenzo in Miranda". The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Temple, Antoninus and Faustina, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “2nd century Roman temple in Rome which was later converted into a Roman Catholic church, the Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Miranda or simply "San Lorenzo in Miranda"” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q752555. VIAF identifies the subject as 130656795. The Library of Congress control number is no94022516. Authority coordinates are 41.892, 12.487. 2 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
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Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Temple of Antoninus and Faustina” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.