Hidden in Plain Sight: 2,000 Years of History

Monochrome photography from Barcelona in Spain

If you walk into a nondescript building at the highest point of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, this is the view waiting for you.

There are the remains of the Temple of Augustus, hidden as you pass this medieval courtyard. Looking straight up, you get a sense of just how massive these four Corinthian columns really are—standing nearly 30 feet tall since the 1st century BC. Once you enter and pass this courtyard, you will be greeted by 2,000 years of history…

Barcelona is full of surprises, but finding a Roman temple hidden inside a residential-style building is definitely at the top of the list.