Temple of Proserpina

The Temple of Proserpina or Temple of Proserpine was a Roman temple in Mtarfa, Malta, an area which was originally a suburb outside the walls of Melite [1]. It was dedicated to Proserpina, goddess of the underworld and renewal [1]. The date of construction is unknown, but it was renovated in the 1st century BC or AD [1]. The ruins of the temple were discovered in 1613, and most of its marble blocks were later used in the decoration of buildings, including Auberge d'Italie and the Castellania in Valletta [1]. The only epigraphic evidence of the temple is the Chrestion inscription, which was discovered among its ruins in 1613 [1]. It records that the temple was already old and was threatening to collapse during the reign of Augustus in the 1st century BC or AD, and it was restored by Chrestion, the procurator of the Maltese Islands [1]. This inscription is the earliest known Latin text that was found in Malta [1]. The temple was built out of marble and its columns were in the Corinthian order [1].