Temple of Concord

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Western end of Forum

Temple of Concord was a temple dedicated to the Roman goddess Concordia at the western end of the Roman Forum, Rome. The temple was located near the Temple of Jupitor and near the Temple of Ceaser. It was vowed in 367 BC to commemorate the reconciliation between the patricians and plebians and rebuilt in 121 BC to foster harmony after the murder of Tiberius Gracchus.

It was then restored during the reign of Augustus by Tiberius, who probably rededicated it in AD 12. This restoration was distinguished by its opulent marble and rich architectural ornamentation.

Such was the wealth of fine Greek sculpture, paintings, and other works of art kept in this temple that it seems to have become a museum of art and sculpture. It also was used for meetings of the Senate, especially in times of civil disturbance.

Backed up against the Tabularium at the foot of the Capitoline Hill, the architecture had to accommodate the limitations of the site. The cella of the temple, for instance, is almost twice as wide as it is deep, as is the pronaos. In the cella a row of Corinthian columns rose from a continuous plinth projecting from the wall, which divided the cella into bays, each containing a niche. The capitals of these columns had pairs of leaping rams in place of the corner volutes.

A reproduction of this temple was found in Mérida (Spain), during the excavations of the forum in 2002.