The Temple of Hercules is the only surviving sacred structure in ancient Rome that was made of Greek marble. Located in the Forum Boarium on the eastern bank of the Tiber, it is one of the oldest extant buildings in the city and is thought to be the work of the Greek architect Hermodoros of Salamina. In the eighteenth century this icon of the Roman urban landscape was memorialized by Giovanni Battista Piranesi in his famed monumental etchings. The temple is circular in layout with 20 Corinthian columns orbiting a central cylindrical stone block, and it is said to be the place where Hercules rested after his tenth labor. The building became affiliated with Christianity in 1140 when Innocent III converted it into a church dedicated to San Stefano. Its famed slender columns extend directly upwards, creating a lofty appearance. The fluted column shafts are topped by beautifully rendered Corinthian carvings, articulated acanthus leaves, carved stalks or cauliculi, and curling volutes which create a contrast between light and shadow.
Rome, Italy