Tongeren: Gallo-Roman Temple

Tongeren — the first and oldest city in Belgium. Founded by the Romans around 10 BC, it was burned down by the Batavians half a century later, only to rise again, proudly rebuilt. Tongeren became the illustrious capital of the civitas Tungrorum, the administrative district of the region, where the Mediterranean influence of Rome was undeniable: a flourishing villa landscape, a magnificent aqueduct, grand temples and bathhouses, and markets brimming with exotic goods.

Even today, the Romans are never far away in Tongeren-Borgloon. Most hotspots are just minutes apart. Along your journey, on the northwestern edge of the Roman city, you can find a monumental temple dating to the end of the first century AD.

The Temple

The sanctuary was located at the highest point of the city and formed the religious centre of Atuatuca Tungrorum, modern day Tongeren. Excavations revealed a monumental stone podium foundation, with traces of a staircase and rows of columns that indicate a temple in the classical peripteral style. Fragments of limestone capitals, roof tiles, marbles, and painted plaster illustrate the rich decoration it had.

The temple, most likely dedicated to Jupiter, was part of a larger sanctuary with a surrounding portico, an open forecourt, and annex buildings. We find this layout in many other provincial temple complexes in Gaul and Lower Germany.

Today, a full-scale evocation recalls the vanished temple. This reconstructive installation makes the dimensions and spatial impact of the sanctuary visible once again, inviting visitors to imagine how the temple once dominated the Roman cityscape of Tongeren as a religious and visual landmark.

An Immersive Change to the Roman Walk, 2027

The story of Tongeren doesn’t end here. In 2027, the Roman city walk of Tongeren will receive a multidimensional upgrade as part of the VIA VIA project. The Roman hotspots on it will be enhanced with reconstructions and immersive storytelling. You will get an even clearer sense of the Roman road and the Roman city of Tongeren, and you will also be invited to visit the aqueduct, the Plinius springs, and other local sites. Through an app, you will see what the streets of Atuatuca Tungrorum looked like in the second century. Your guide? An AI character from the glory days of Roman Tongeren.

Are you ready for a stroll through the past?

“We cross a modern aqueduct and reach the edge of the city. Atuatuca Tungrorum. I have dreamed of visiting the only city in the region for so long. It does not disappoint. So many colours and scents. So many sounds. Barking dogs, shouting people, the rattling carts of traders like us. The streets overflow with delights. The finest fabrics. Exotic fruits and woods. Bottles and flasks. Oil from the south. Meat, bread, and perfumes. Two women argue loudly in a language I do not understand. Men in open doorways beckon passers-by inside. The sweet aroma of a bathhouse mingles with the stench of boiling animal bones for glue. I am ecstatic and despondent at the same time. For how can we sell our wares in this place? Here, in this city that already has everything?” – Ammulva Iucunda