Temple of Asclepius, Rome

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The Temple of Asclepius was an ancient Roman temple on Isola Tiberina in Rome. It honored Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine. Construction began around 293–290 BC and the temple was dedicated in 289 BC.

Legend says a plague in 293 BC led the Romans to seek help from Asclepius. They consulted the Sibylline Books and sent officials to Epidaurus in Greece to bring back a statue of the god. A serpent—a symbol of Asclepius—slithered from the sanctuary and hid in the ship. On the river near Rome, the snake crawled out on the island, signaling the god’s favor. After the temple was built, the plague ended. To remember the event, the island’s front was made to look like a trireme, with a central obelisk acting as a mast and travertine blocks forming a ship’s bow and stern. Many other buildings for the sick were added, shown by surviving votives and inscriptions.

The temple was destroyed in the medieval period. By around the year 1000, Otto III had built the basilica of San Bartolomeo all’Isola on its remains. A well near the church altar is thought to be the same one used to draw water for the sick in ancient times, mentioned by the 2nd-century writer Festus. The Fatebenefratelli Hospital now stands in front of the basilica.

Only a few parts survive today: pieces of the obelisk are in Naples and Munich, some travertine blocks were reused in later buildings on the island, and a relief showing the Rod of Asclepius (the staff with a serpent) remains.