Statue of Caesar Augustus

The statue of Caesar Augustus was inaugurated on May 26, 2017, in a ceremony that was part of the Braga Romana 2017 program. The statue was erected by Braga City Council as a tribute to the founder of Bracara Augusta, Caesar Octavian Augustus, the first emperor of Rome, and placed in Largo Paulo Orósio, where the ancient forum of the Roman city probably stood.
Octavian Caesar Augustus lived between 63 BC and 14 AD and founded the city of Bracara Augusta around 16 BC, the period in which he ruled became known as the "Pax Romana", a period of peace, prosperity and expansion.

Designed by Emma Zahonero Moreno and Jesús Mendiola Puig, the statue, made of fiberglass, is a reproduction of the statue discovered on April 20, 1863 in Augustus' Villa, Prima Porta, and is known as Augustus de Prima Porta. Caesar Augustus is represented in military dress and armor, with reliefs depicting the conquest of Hispania and Gaul and the typical toga of the Empire. He is in a pose of command and importance, with his right hand raised, appearing to be directing the troops and barefoot, with Cupid at his feet. The colors used reproduce the polychromy that was used in sculptures executed in antiquity. The sculpture rests on a granite pedestal, bearing an inscription which reads "IMPERATORIS CAESARIS AUGUSTI DIVI FILII PATRIS PATRIAE", i.e. Emperor Caesar Augustus Son of a God Father of the Fatherland.