4
Visitors to the National History Museum in Sofia can now take a virtual walk in the temple of the ancient Roman goddess of happiness and fortune Fortuna. The building is part of the former Roman colony of Ulpia Oescus near the present-day Bulgarian village of Gigen, near the Danube River. The virtual restoration reveals in the smallest details all the splendor and beauty of the former temple and is now part of the permanent exhibition of Bulgaria’s National History Museum.
The Temple of Fortune (templum Fortunae) was located in the Forum complex of Ulpia Оеscus. It has been fully discovered and studied by archaeologists. The building was constructed in the Corinthian style. According to a Latin inscription, the temple was dedicated to the Roman emperor Commodus (180-192) and was built with the funds of the then "association of craftsmen" (collegium fabrorum) in 190.
The colonnade of the courtyard was decorated with a frieze - architraves with embossed bull heads and laurel garlands. The temple consisted of an entrance hall and a cult room. Its southern façade had four Corinthian columns. On the triangular pediment there were two Victorias depicted, holding a laurel wreath. Inside, in the wreath, was a relief image - probably the head of Medusa, to protect against evil. The temple complex was destroyed by the Goths or by an earthquake in 376-378.
You can find more interesting details related to the tumultuous story of the ancient Roman city of Ulpia Oescus here:
Compiled by Veneta Nikolova
Photos: National History Museum
English version Rositsa Petkova
Passion Week is the last week before Easter. It is also the most austere week of fasting at the end of the long Great Lent, which prepares the faithful for Christ's Resurrection. It begins after the Sunday on which Christians celebrate the Lord's entry..
The Zograf Monastery on Mount Athos has a new abbot. Hieromonk Gavriil has been elected as the new abbot of the monastery, reported the website of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. "On Lazarus Saturday, the Zograf Monastery on Mount Athos held elections to..
Pipes from the end of the 17 th , the 18 th and the 19 th century and the tradition of growing tobacco in Bulgaria are presented in the newest exposition at the Museum of Archaeology in Burgas. “Pipes like this are to be found often on the..
One of the most revered holidays for Muslims, Kurban Bayrami (Eid al-Adha), has begun. It is associated with sacrifice, forgiveness and compassion...
Today, June 7, is one of the special days in the liturgical year, in which we offer prayers for forgiveness of sins and repose of the..
Partly Cloudy
Clear