Praesidivm, Templvm et Ecclesia

Archaeological surveys and investigations were recently carried out inside the cathedral of Tarragona, located at the highest point of the city’s old town. The purpose of this work was to locate the remains of a large Roman temple dedicated to the imperial cult. The Acropolis of Tarragona was occupied from the third century BC by the Romans, who set up a military camp to supervise operations against the Carthaginians during the Second Punic War. From the first century AD, it was converted into a sacred area to house a huge building dedicated to Emperor Augustus. This holy place was used until the fifth century, when it was dismantled.