Pozzuoli’s Rione Terra Temple to Augustus
“And after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. There we found brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days.” Acts 28:13-14
Paul landed at Puteoli (modern day Pozzuoli) Italy, then an important harbor for Rome, and stayed 7 days before beginning his walk to Rome on the Via Appia. Puteoli had already been an important Roman colony since 194 BC. One of the most visible features at Paul’s time would have been the high volcanic tufa bluff, the Rione Terra, upon which was a huge temple. Some archeologists say that this was a temple to Augusta by the mid 1st century AD, but built on a much older temple from the Roman Republican era. It’s interesting to note that from the description in the Bible, there must already have been an active Christian community in Puteoli.
The temple at the time of Paul had fluted columns and white marble flooring in the cella that were incorporated into a church between the 5th and 6th centuries AD. The church was dedicated to Proculus of Puteoli. The church was damaged and restored numerous times. Most recently, the entire Rione Terra promontory suffered from slow tectonic shifting in the 1970’s and 80’s and had to be completely abandoned in 1992. The entire area is being restored by a consortium of architects / archeologists / government / donors. The restored Pozzuoli Basilica retains a number of the original ancient fluted columns. These were used by installing huge glass walls between the columns. All around the basilica are ancient remains of the original temple complex which now rightly support the proclamation of the gospel!
Basilica of Pozzuoli, built within the structure of the ancient Roman Republican era temple. Original fluted columns of the temple.
