TEMPLE. – From a root *tem* (cf. the Greek τέμνων) meaning “to cut, to delimit,” among the Romans it was the space delimited by the augur on the earth or in the sky to remove it from profane use with a view to the construction of a sacred building or for a purpose connected with religion; or in the sky to observe the flight or song of birds; in this case the reference points were fixed by him from trees or buildings that presented themselves to his gaze.
The *templum* was taken (templum capere) by the augur, facing east or south (both orientations are documented by writers), by tracing an ideal line from east to west called the *decumanus* and one from north to south called the *cardo*, at a right angle to the first, and finally drawing perpendiculars at the ends of the two intersecting lines; thus he obtained a quadrilateral figure within whose area he could make his observations. The word passed from the place thus religiously delimited by the augur to signify the sacred building constructed above II.
The practice of consecrating a special place for communicating with the deity is not only Roman but universal, for the individual or the group cannot approach the sacred (q.v.) without due preparation. Among primitives the choice of place is suggested by natural features: a clearing in a wood, the presence of a spring, a tree, an elevation of ground, a rock, or a cave—features that suggest not only the presence but also the nature of the god. The first type of *templum* will therefore be a sacred enclosure, made of stones or trees that delimit the space reserved for the deity, separating it from profane use and within which hunting, woodcutting, and the capture of fugitives are forbidden. Sacred enclosures include: the cromlech of prehistoric peoples, the palisades of primitives, the *haram* and *hinda* of the Arabs, the *temenos* and *peribolos* of the Greeks, and the *templum* and *sacellum* of the Romans.
From the simple enclosure one passes to the true *templum*, that is, to a covered and enclosed building in which the deity dwells in the form of a sacred object or of an image representing it, as in its own house. Only those in charge of the cult may enter; the people assist from outside the performance of the rite. In the great monarchies of the East, where political centralization corresponds to a similar religious centralization, temples assume great economic importance: they have many buildings annexed to them for the administration of property and for the lodging of personnel. Among the Greeks and Romans, however, the *templum* stands alone as the dwelling of the god alone, without administrative buildings, given the smaller number of attendants and the different organization of the priesthood. An exception to this rule is found in the religions of mystery (q.v.) and those supranational ones arising from a founder or reformer, for in these the sacred place is not only the dwelling of the god but also a meeting place for the faithful: Indian *stupas* or Mahayana Buddhist *pagodas*, the Muslim mosque, the synagogue of Israel, and the Christian church are places where the faithful gather.
TEMPLES OF THE PAGANS AFTER THE VICTORY OF CHRISTIANITY. – The Edict of Toleration issued by Constantine and Licinius in 313 marked the beginning of the decline of pagan cult and the places where it was practiced. Already Constantine II and Constantius in 341 had prescribed in general terms: “cesset superstitio, sacrificiorum aboleatur infamia” (Cod. Theod., XVI, 10, 2), and by abolishing pagan ceremonies in keeping with the theological exclusivism of Christianity, these prohibitive measures were intended to make manifest the official break between the Empire, now become Christian, and paganism. The legislation of the Theodosians specifies in greater detail the prohibition against persons and things connected with pagan cult. It is forbidden to approach temples (Nemo se hostiis polluat, nemo insontem victimam caedat, nemo delubra adeat, templa perlustret: Cod. Theod., XVI, 10, 10, 13), and public officials who neglect to enforce the decrees are condemned (Capitali supplicio iudicamus officia coerenda quae statuta neglexerint: Cod. Theod., XVI, 10, 13). As regards things: it is ordered that temples be destroyed without causing tumult (Si qua in agris templa sunt sine turba ac tumultu diruantur: Cod. Theod., XVI, 10, 16, 399); funds for the cult are withdrawn and assigned to the army (Templorum detrahantur annonae et rem annonariam iubent expensis devotissimorum militum profuturae: Cod. Theod., XVI, 10, 19, a. 408); private property is also confiscated if any act of cult has been performed there (Cod. Theod., XVI, 10, 12, a. 392); even domestic cult is forbidden (ibid.). Finally, as a synthesis of all previous measures, Theodosius II orders that all magistrates destroy, if any still remain, temples and shrines and purify the places by erecting the Christian symbol of the cross; those who disobey are to be punished with death (Cuncta eorum fana, templa, delubra, si qua etiam nunc restant integra praecepto magistratuum destrui, conlocatione venerandae christianae religionis signi expiari praecipimus: Cod. Theod., XVI, 10, 15, a. 435).
The actual destruction of pagan places of worship, except for the few cases of which there is record, was due to neglect. In Rome, moreover, the anti-pagan legislation was not applied with the severity seen in the East, where popular fury destroyed the famous Serapeum in Alexandria (391). As for the sanctuary of the Eleusinian Mysteries, it was destroyed in 394 by the Goths of Alaric. St Jerome recalls the destruction of the Mithraic cave in the seventh region carried out by the prefect Graius; but Claudian (*De sexto consulatu Honorii*) recalls the wonderful Forum Boarium full of temples and gilded statues. The taurobolia continued in the Phrygianum near Caligula’s circus until 390, as attested by surviving inscriptions. The Temple of Vesta remained in use until the definitive prohibition of 394, but the complex of annexed buildings was found in good condition in the excavations of 1883. Some buildings were given a new purpose, such as the heroon of Romulus, son of Maxentius, which became the atrium of the basilica of SS. Cosmas and Damian occupying the site of the temple of the *Sacra Urbs*; the Pantheon was dedicated to the Virgin, Queen of Martyrs; others became the seat of those centers for the distribution of alms under the ministry of the deacons (q.V. Diaconia).
The Church did not officially set itself against the monuments of pagan cult but either transformed them into churches (temple of Antoninus and Faustina, Mater Matuta, Pantheon) or installed in them the diaconiae, which in Rome from the 7th to beyond the 9th century were centers of public religious and social assistance. Striking in this regard is the instruction that St Gregory the Great, after careful reflection, sent in 601 to St Augustine, head of the mission in England, not to destroy pagan temples but, after removing the idols, to consecrate them, foreseeing ablution with holy water and the deposition of relics, as Christian churches so that the people might more willingly resort to places that had already become familiar to them in order to worship the one true God: “Deum verum cognoscentes ac adorans ad loca, quae consuevit, familiarius concurrat” (Registrum, XI, 56).