Tempio Rotondo

The "Round Temple" is found, along with the Temple of Portunus, in the archaeological area of the Boarian Forum , which was the ancient  meat market of Rome. Since the Renaissance until recently it was known as the Temple of Vesta because of the similarities with another temple, located in the Roman Forum , dedicated to this  goddess. When the  dedicatory inscription made by an olive merchant by the name of Marcus Octavius Erennius was found, the temple was correctly attributed to Hercules. Moreover, in the area around the Boarian Forum, there already existed other monuments dedicated to this divinity. The temple itself is the oldest existing example of a marble building in Rome. It was built, using Greek pentelic marble, in the first century b.C. with additional refurbishing done, using different varieties of marble, under the  Emperor Tiberius. In the twelfth century it became a church dedicated firstly to Saint Stephen  and then, in the sixteenth century, to Saint Mary of the Sun . Inside  the building various frescoes dating from the 1400s have been recovered.