in the mid-fifth century but only in a few isolated incidents.According to modern archaeology, of the thousands of temples that existed across the empire, 120 pagan temples were converted to churches, with the majority dated after the fifth century. It is likely this stems from the fact that these buildings remained officially in public use, ownership could only be transferred by the emperor, and temples remained protected by law.

In the fourth century, there were no conversions of temples in the city of Rome itself. It is only with the