Temple of Janus (Autun)

Temple of Janus

Temple de Janus
The remains of the cella as seen from the South-West.
Shown within France
Location	Autun, Saône-et-Loire, France
Region	Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Coordinates	46°57′27″N 4°17′18″E / 46.95760°N 4.28840°E / 46.95760; 4.28840
Altitude	290 m (951 ft)
Type	Romano-Celtic Temple
Length	16.80 m (55.12 ft)
Width	16.35 m (53.64 ft)
Height	24 m (78.74 ft)
History
Material	Sandstone
Founded	1st century CE
Abandoned	Middle Ages
Periods	Classical Antiquity
Cultures	Aedui, Gallo-Roman
Site notes
Excavation dates	1970s, 2000s
Condition	Ruined
Ownership	Public
Public access	Yes
Monument historique
Designated	1840

The "Temple of Janus" is a Romano-Celtic religious structure located in Autun, Saône-et-Loire, France, to the North-West of the ancient city of Augustodunum.

The temple lies in the center of a vast sanctuary, whose extent and complexity was revealed by excavations conducted between 2013 and 2016. The site's history dates back to Neolithic times and underwent an important phase of monumental construction in the 1st century CE. The temple was abandoned at the onset of the Early Middle Ages, and its structures were later reused in the fashioning of a Medieval defensive work. The temple has retained two sides of its square cella at a height of over 20 meters, as well as vestiges of its ambulatory and side structure foundations. The temple's supposed dedication to the Roman god Janus is not based on any archaeological or historic fact, and the deity that was venerated in the temple is unknown.

The Temple of Janus was included on the first list of protected historical French monuments, established in 1840.^[1]