Altstadt in Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany — Central Europe

Der Römische Tempel Unter Der Basilika St. Kastor

The Roman Temple Beneath St. Kastor Basilica

The roman Temple Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Steve Stoessel, December 16, 2024

1. The roman Temple Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Vom 1. bis zum 4. Jahrhundert befand sich an der Stelle des heutigen Chors der Basilika St. Kastor ein römischer Tempel. Im Grundriss ist ein doppeltes Mauerviereck zu erkennen, das typisch ist für einen sogenannten gallo-römischen Umgangstempel mit Cella und Umgangsmauer. Um die 5,20 Meter lange und 4,80 Meter breite Cella führte eine quadratische Umgangsmauer von 9,30 Meter Länge. Der außerhalb der Stadtmauern gelegene Tempel hatte einen außergewöhnlichen Standort. Er stand auf einer hochwassersicheren Erhöhung unmittelbar am Ufer, dort, wo ursprünglich die Mosel in den Rhein floss. In fränkisch-merowingischer Zeit entstand auf dem Areal um den ehemaligen Tempel ein Friedhof, der seit etwa 600 n. Chr. bis zur Mitte des 12. Jahrhunderts benutzt wurde. Die Tradition des kultischen Ortes blieb jedoch durch die spätere karolingische und romanische St. Kastorkirche gewahrt.

From the 1st to the 4th century, there was a Roman temple at the very site of today's choir of the St. Kastor Basilica. The plan displays a square consisting of two walls which is typical for so-called Gallo- Roman ambulatory temples comprising a cella and an ambulatory wall. The cella measured 5.20 x 4.80 meters. It was confined by a square ambulatory wall, whose sides were 9.30 m long. The temple was located outside the city walls at an location. It stood on a flood-safe elevation right next to the river bank where the Mosel once flowed into the Rhine. During the Frankish-Merovingian period, a cemetery developed around the former temple and remained in use from approximately 600 A.D. to the middle of the 12th century. The ritual tradition of this site remained however preserved through the later construction of the Carolingian and Romanesque St. Kastor Basilica.

[Photo Captiom ]
Der römische Umgangstempel unter der Basilika St. Kastor bestand aus einer Cella, einem geschlossenen Mittelbau mit Satteldach, um die ein offener Umgang mit einem von Säulen getragenen Pultdach führte. Welche Götter im Tempel verehrt wurden, ist nicht bekannt.

The Roman ambulatory sample beneath the St. Kastor Basilica consisted of a calla, a confined central tract covered by a double pitched root around which was an open ambulatory with a single pitched roof supported by columns. It is unknown to which gods the temple was dedicated, though an affiliation with fluvial divinities seems likely.

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This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Religion & Religious Structures.

Location. 50° 21.73′ N, 7° 36.294′ E. Marker is in Koblenz, Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate). It is in Altstadt. It is on Kastorhof north of Kastorhof, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Konrad Adenauer Ufer, Koblenz RP 56, Germany. Touch for directions.

Regionally, it is in Europe,

the European Union,

Atlantic Europe,

Central Europe,

the Schengen Area,

Western Europe,

and the Western World.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Roman Empire

and specifically also the Holy Roman Empire.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Mittelalter - Neuzeit: Basilika St. Kastor (here, next to this marker); Moderne: Deutsches Eck Mit Kaiser-Wilhelm-Denkmal (here, next to this marker); Vor- und Frühgeschichte / Pre and Early History (here, next to this marker); Römische Zeit/ Roman Period (here, next to this marker); Geologie - Landschftsentwicklung / Geology - Landscape Development

Photographed by Steve Stoessel, December 16, 2024

2. The Roman Temple Marker

(here, next to this marker); Historical Findings at St. Kastor (here, next to this marker); Spätgotische Kapelle / Late Gothic Chapel (within shouting distance of this marker); Mit Demonstrationen und Kerzen zur Friedlichen Revolution (about 210 meters away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Koblenz.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 9, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 21, 2025, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York. This page has been viewed 103 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 21, 2025, by Steve Stoessel of Niskayuna, New York.