The Oddly Rearranged Retro-Temple of Portunus, The Merchant God of Ancient Rome

In the heart of Rome, Italy, stands the Temple of Portunus - a peculiar entity, even among Rome's peculiarities. This temple, an ode to Portunus, the enigmatic god of locks, entrances, livestock, and storage, was the most conspicuous in all of Rome. Constructed adjacent to the Forum Boarium, a realm under the auspices of Hercules, it gazed upon the Tiberine port, where Portunus kept his watchful eye, overseeing cattle barges as they navigated their way into the city from Ostia.

The original edifice rose during the 3rd or 4th century BC, with a facelift happening between the years 120 and 80 BC. During the murky, cloaked passage of the Middle Ages, it was reborn as a Christian church, christened Santa Maria Egiziaca or Saint Mary of Egypt. The church remained an active center until the early 20th century, when it was cleansed of its surrounding medieval and Renaissance structures, returning to its classic form. Although barred to the general public, its exterior holds a certain charm that can be admired from relatively close proximity.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons