Title

Author(s)

Yeşim Kutkan Öztürk

Affiliation

TED University, Ankara

DOI

https://doi.org/10.65686/EFWP1451

Keywords

Adaptive Reuse, Layered Sanctity, Critical Conservation

PP

716-723

How to Cite

Kutkan Öztürk, Yeşim. “Sacred Continuities The Afterlife of the Ancyran Temple of Augustus and Roma.” In Proceedings of the International Conference on Adaptive Reuse. Volume 1, edited by Andrea Crudeli, Francesca Molle, and Emanuele Carrai, 716–723. Firenze: STH Press, 2026.

Abstract

This paper examines the adaptive transformation of the Temple of Augustus and Roma in Ankara within the framework of historical reuse, layered sanctity and critical conservation. Originally built as the architectural representation of imperial cult ideology in the early Roman province of Galatia, the monument underwent significant functional and symbolic redefinitions. First, it was converted into a Christian church during the Byzantine era and later became an integral part of the Hacı Bayram Mosque complex in the early Ottoman period. Rather than resulting in the erasure of its classical identity, these successive appropriations perpetuated its sacred status and, perhaps unintentionally, protected its material fabric. Based on insights from my doctoral dissertation — recently published as a monograph titled Between Text and Monument: Unveiling the Architectural Historiography of the Temple of Augustus and Roma at Ancyra (2025) — the paper situates the Augusteum as a palimpsest site whose continuity has relied less on deliberate conservation efforts than on successive phases of religious reuse, thereby examining the monument not as a static heritage object but as a dynamic participant in evolving urban, religious and political contexts. Through a close analysis of epigraphic evidence, spatial transformations and shifting historiographic narratives, the study illustrates how ritual function, communal veneration and local associations contributed to the structure’s long-term preservation. By reframing adaptive reuse in light of sacred continuity, the research contributes to broader debates in critical conservation. It argues that in contexts where formal preservation mechanisms were absent or inapplicable, the persistence of sanctity could itself serve as a powerful — if unintentional — means of architectural resilience. The case of Augusteum thus invites a reconsideration of the presumed dichotomy between preservation and transformation, proposing instead a model in which faith-based continuity sustains material endurance.

Edited by
Andrea Crudeli
Francesca Molle
Emanuele Carrai

Publisher
STH Press, Firenze

ISBN Paperback – 9791281661141
ISBN Ebook – 9791281661158
DOI – https://doi.org/10.65686/SISY7263

Year
2026

Proceedings of
International Conference on Adaptive Reuse
hosted by The University of Pisa, Italy
15-19 September 2025, at the Gispoteca di Arte Antica dell’Università di Pisa.