It is one of the many buildings at the Roman Emerita-Augusta; today, Merida.
This is the only religious building remaining on its original place at Merida. It was built at the end of the 1st century b.C. and is a great construction on the Municipal Comitium. Therefore it should have been a model of luxury and decoration. This temple was probably devoted to Augustus Emperor worship, not to Diana, as can be understood from the many sculptorical elements found. They represent persons from the Imperial family: the divine Emperor himself and the Genius of Senate.
The temple has a rectangular plan with a hexastyle portico -with six columns-, surrounded by new columns peripter. They have a groove trunk, and are crowned by corinthian capitals. They were finished with stucco and painted with a color of red marble. Placed on a basis or podium 3 m. high it could be reached through stairs that did not survive.
It is 40,70 m. long -including access stairs- and 22 m. wide.
It was the center of a sacred area surrounded by a peribolus or wall for limiting outer space for this square. There should have also existed a pool and many canals. Joined to the rest of remainings, they give a good idea of the religious importance of the temple.
The whole construction is built with ashlars and granite stones.
Its façade in front of the Comitium was crowned by a tympanum with a semicircular inner section, supported by six columns of the portico.