Temple of the Augustales in Centuripe
The temple of the Augustales in Centuripe, also known as Augustales, is one of the monumental public buildings of the imperial era located along the ancient Via Giulio Cesare.
Among the other monumental buildings present in Centuripe, called Augustali di Centuripe , there are also the Dogana, the Corradino Castle and Terme Bagni.
The temple of the Augustali is a public complex of rectangular shape and composed of different rooms, one of which is mosaic, originally paved in marble and with marble cladding also on the walls and with columns. Upstream, the complex was bordered by a retaining wall with a refined drainage system to dispose of rainwater. The temple, compared to the road, was elevated. Overall, a considerable amount of marble statues and inscriptions were found: a head of Augustus, portraits of Drusus Major, Drusus Minor and Germanicus, and a series of headless statues, together with the dedication to the Genius of Augustus by a quadrunviro Augustale. All these findings have made it possible to identify the building complex as the seat of the Augustales, a priesthood of the imperial cult, near the Forum of the city. The temple is adjacent to the new headquarters of the Archaeological Museum of Centuripe.
