A pronaos is the inner area of the portico of an ancient Greek or Roman temple, situated between the colonnade or walls of the portico and the entrance to the cella or shrine. The word is Greek, meaning "before a temple". In Latin, a pronaos is also referred to as an anticum or prodomus. Categories: Architectural elements | Stub ... The Temple of Hercules Victor, near the Teatro di Marcello in Rome (a Greek-style Roman temple) // Pagan history and architecture Originally in Roman paganism, a templum was not (necessarily) a cultic building but any ritually marked observation site for natural phenomena believed to allow predictions, such as the flight... In classical architecture, a colonnade denotes a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, as in the famous elliptically curving colonnades that Bernini added to the facade of Saint Peters Basilica in Rome, which embrace and define the Piazza. ... A cella, in Ancient Greek and Roman temples was the central room that housed cult statues. ... Latin is an Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ...

Notable examples of Classical buildings with a pronaos: From the point of view of modern times, the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean sometimes seem to blend smoothly into one melange we call the Classical. ...

• Maison Carrée, Nimes
• Pantheon, Rome
• Parthenon, Athens

The Maison Carrée at Nimes, France, is one of the best preserved temples to be found anywhere in the territory of the former Roman Empire. ... Nîmes is a city and commune of southern France, préfecture (capital) of the Gard département. ... The Pantheon, Rome The Pantheon is a building in Rome which was originally built as a temple to the seven deities of the seven planets in the Roman state religion, but which has been a Christian church since the 7th century. ... The Parthenon seen from the hill of the Pnyx to the west The Parthenon (Greek: Παρθενώνας) is the best-known surviving building of Ancient Greece and is regarded as one of the worlds great cultural monuments. ... The Acropolis in central Athens, one of the most important landmarks in world history. ...

See also

• Classical architecture
• List of classical architecture terms
• Loggia
• Opisthodomos