The excavation of the Renaissance church of Santa Maria Maggiore at Trento revealed archaeological evidence relating to the life of this area which, from the time of the foundation of the _municipium_, had been for public use. Four religious buildings came to light which pre-dated the conciliare church (pre-Renaissance, Romanesque, early medieval and early Christian). A public space was also uncovered which saw various events and uses between the 1st and 4th-5th century A.D. The church buildings were all on the canonical east-west alignment and all underwent alterations which saw them expand and contract, beginning with the first construction of the _ecclesia intra moenia_ in the 5th century. However, in the full imperial and late antique periods the area had another civic function. In the first place it was perhaps the site of a bath complex and subsequently became a paved open space which continued to make partial use of the earlier hydraulic structures before becoming a cult site.