Temple of Vesta in Rome (Italy) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.

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It is difficult to find a city richer in attractions than Rome. It will take more than one week to explore only the historical places of the capital of Italy. Moreover, in Rome the number of interesting places is constantly growing - as new archaeological excavations are carried out. For example, the world learned about the existence of a once rich temple dedicated to the goddess of the hearth and home only in 1877. But at one time it was one of the most important religious buildings of the Roman Empire.

Today, all that remains of the building that impressed the townspeople with its beauty are ruins, dissolved among the treasures of the famous Roman Forum.

Story

In ancient times, the Roman Forum was the center of the city's social and religious life. Therefore, it is not surprising that its territory was gradually overgrown with iconic buildings, places of worship and monuments. The Temple of Vesta, located next to the Temple of Caesar in the southeast of the Forum, became one of the main places of attraction for the townspeople.

Any images of Vesta were prohibited in the temple. Therefore, the constantly burning Sacred Fire was considered its symbol.

Services in the temple were conducted by the Vestals, whose main function was to maintain the Sacred Fire safe and sound. According to legend, as long as it does not go out, nothing bad will happen to Rome.

Ironically, this fire completely destroyed the Temple of Vesta several times. In 191, after one of these devastating fires, the building was rebuilt, led by Julia Domna, the wife of Emperor Septimius Severus. It was then that the temple acquired an appearance familiar to tourists: a round stone building in the shape of a tholos, with columns and a metal dome, placed on a high podium. The Temple of Vesta closed in 394 when the Roman Emperor Theodosius I the Great banned pagan worship. The sacred fire was extinguished and the institution of the Vestal Virgins was disbanded.

In 1877, the temple was discovered by pure chance during research by archaeologist Rodolfo Lanziani. He managed to find not only the podium, but also columns, pilasters, and many coins from that era. Found images of the temple suggest that it was built of white marble and had 20 columns.

What to see

Today, the Temple of the Goddess Vesta in the Roman Forum is a picturesque ruin: only a small wall of the once large building has survived, including a podium and columns, several statues, the destroyed dwelling of the Vestals and the portico that surrounded it.

Practical information

The Temple of Vesta is located on the territory of the Roman Forum. Address: Rome, st. Via della Salaria Vecchia, 5/6. GPS coordinates: 41.892422, 12.485328.

Nearest metro station: Colloseo, line B.

Entrance: 12 EUR. The ticket includes admission to the Roman Forum, the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill. Prices on the page are as of September 2018.

Rome, as it is also called the “Eternal City,” is a tasty morsel for tourists. It is a magnificent city with a legendary history that dates back to BC and continues to this day. The sights of Rome have seen the dawn of this beautiful city and are happy to share their secrets with tourists.

One of these attractions is the temple of the goddess Vesta, revered by the Romans before the adoption of Christianity. It is located in the historical center of Rome. There are many stories, legends and beliefs about this temple, since the place is truly a cult place for Rome. Despite its age, this grandiose structure has been perfectly preserved, serving as a laconic but eloquent confirmation of the greatness of this people.

This temple is located on the famous Roman Forum. During the times of Ancient Rome, this place was the center of political, social and cultural life. This is due to the abundance of religious buildings in this place, and one of them is dedicated to the goddess Vesta.

Cult of the goddess Vesta

The goddess Vesta is a female deity who patronizes family and home comfort. She is the goddess of the hearth and hearth, who maintains the peace and prosperity of the family. Her cult dates back to the era of the first kings (800-700 centuries BC). Even then, the rulers of Rome realized that the family is the unit of a healthy and prosperous society. Therefore, the cult of the goddess Vesta was important for Roman citizens.

The personification of the deity was not statues, it was a much more symbolic thing - the eternal flame. It was fire that maintained warmth and comfort in the house during the cold season, which is why it was chosen as a symbol personifying Vesta. Temple priestesses were required to maintain the fire. At first, the servants were the king's daughters, and when Rome switched to a republican form of government, the position of the king was abolished and this duty was transferred to six servants.

The ancient Roman holiday dedicated to the goddess Vesta was celebrated on June 9. During the celebration, Roman citizens made sacrifices, which were accompanied by requests for peace and prosperity for their family. The donkey is the main draft animal that the peasants used to rest on this holiday. This is due to the fact that it was the cry of the donkey that woke up the sleeping goddess and saved her from the impudent advances of Priapus.

Sculptural images of the deity can be found very rarely, since fire is considered to be her original personification. On rare sculptures she is represented as a young and beautiful maiden, in simple clothes. Her images are also present on coins.

Priestesses of the goddess Vesta

All the activities of the servants in the temple of Vesta were to maintain the fire, which was located in its center. If the fire went out, then all the priestesses of the temple were beaten with whips. Only on March 1, the day when the New Year was celebrated, this fire was extinguished in order to be solemnly re-lit. Then the citizens of Rome came with lamps, from which they lit fires in their hearths. Thus, in each dwelling a fire burned, which was part of the sacred flame in the temple.

Only full-fledged female citizens could be priestesses. Moreover, they were recruited exclusively from representatives of noble families. The service in the temple lasted for 30 years and was divided into three equal periods of time, 10 years each. During the first, training and initiation into all the intricacies of the priestly craft took place, during the second the servant herself was engaged in the performance of rituals, and during the third they themselves acted as priestesses for the younger generation.

But in Roman society, the priestesses of the Temple of Vesta (Vestal Virgins) had not only responsibilities, but also rights. The priestesses of this goddess had considerable weight in Roman society. This was eloquently evidenced by the fact that the word of the Vestals, in the absence of the Emperor, was of utmost importance in matters of life and death in gladiatorial battles. In addition, serving as a priestess had important property privileges. Each servant was entitled to a country villa, they rode around the city in a chariot, and at gladiatorial fights they took places near the emperor.

Alas, the price for such a high position in Roman society was just as high. Servants were required to maintain virginity throughout their entire service. Those who disobeyed faced a cruel death. Her lover was also subject to the death penalty. The priestess could lead a full love and family life only after completing the service in the temple.

Temple of the Goddess Vesta - yesterday and today

The very first incarnation of this structure was a simple Roman dwelling, which was built at that time. The point here is not that there were not enough funds to build a more grandiose structure. Simply, then the citizens of Rome were guided by the fact that since the goddess Vesta is the protector of home and family, her temple should be a home.

Then the structure changed its appearance over the course of many centuries, until finally the Temple of the Goddess Vesta appeared before the inhabitants of Rome in all its splendor.
With the advent of Christianity, the pagan cult was banned, so the building could not be restored. Unfortunately, this led to its gradual decline. Today, only ruins remain of this grandiose structure, which, however, still look quite impressive.

A reconstruction carried out by archaeologists based on data from various sources showed what this temple looked like. The basis of the structure was made up of 20 columns made of white marble, they were connected by metal gratings, and the temple was covered by a domed roof, on which there was a hole that served to exhaust smoke.

The columns of the temple are made in the Corinthian style with characteristic Romanesque elements. They are richly decorated with ornaments of various flowers. Tall, solemn and beautiful, they are capable of causing genuine delight even among those who are not interested in architecture.

How to get to the Temple of Vesta?

It's not difficult to find your way around here. The main thing is to get to the Roman Forum. The building is located near the Capitoline Museum, the ruins of the Colosseum, as well as Piazza Venezia. If you take the metro, get off at Colloseo station, line B.

The Temple of Vesta (Tempio di Vesta) is one of the oldest temples in Rome, dedicated to the patron goddess of the hearth and located in (Foro Romano) in the south of the Sacred Way (Via Sacra).


The history of the temple began in the 7th century BC, presumably under King Numa Pompilius. Over the centuries, it burned and was rebuilt many times, until finally a round structure with a façade of white marble, surrounded by twenty Corinthian columns, stood on a podium. In 64 AD There was a big fire in Rome, the temple of the goddess burned again, but was immediately rebuilt.

The modern Roman Forum preserves the remains of the Temple of Vesta, reconstructed after a fire in 191. The restoration was carried out by Julia Domna, the wife of Emperor Lucius, a great admirer of the goddess. Under Emperor Theodosius I, paganism was banned (394), and the cult of Vesta became a thing of the past, and the temple was destroyed, and only its ruins, found during excavations in 1877, recall the respect that the Romans had for the goddess of the family hearth.

Cult of Vesta

Vesta, the daughter of God, is the personification of the hearth, the patroness of the family, the most respected of the ancient goddesses. She did not marry either Apollo, who wooed her, or Mercury, and swore with the head of Zeus to preserve her virginity. For the inviolability of the vow, Zeus ordered her to be venerated in all temples and to be the first to bring gifts to family hearths, where, according to tradition, images of other deities were also placed. Vesta herself was almost never depicted: she was always present among the family gathered at the hearth, in the form of a fire burning there.

The fire that constantly burned on the altar in the Temple of Vesta symbolized the eternity of Rome, the inviolability of the state and its orders.

Dear reader, to find an answer to any question about holidays in Italy, use. I answer all questions in the comments under the relevant articles at least once a day. Your guide in Italy Artur Yakutsevich.


In the “holy of holies” of the temple there was a hiding place, where one of the most important city shrines was kept - the Palladium, a wooden image of Aphrodite, brought from Greece by the ancestor of Romulus and Remus - Aeneas. Once a year on New Year's Day, the fire was ceremoniously rekindled, either with the help of a magnifying glass from sunlight, or by friction, so that it was of natural origin. At first, the royal daughters watched over him, and then this responsibility passed to the priestesses of the cult of the goddess - the Vestal Virgins.

Vestals

Six Vestals - priestesses of Vesta, were chosen from among girls from 6 to 10 years old, daughters of free respected citizens (patricians), and remained at the temple for thirty years. The newly elected spent the first ten years studying, the last ten years teaching the new ones, and only ten years did they engage in actual service. The names of many Vestals are known; their statues adorned the temple for centuries.

A prerequisite for the Vestals was the preservation of virginity. A servant of the cult of the goddess Vesta, who broke her vow, was buried alive in the “field of villains”, and she was carried there in complete silence of the public in a closed stretcher, and she had to go down to the grave, where they put a bed, a lamp and some food. An equally sad fate awaited her seducer: he was beaten to death with rods for blasphemy. But after the end of her term of service, the Vestal Virgin could get married, and this was a great honor for her chosen one.

Over the 11 centuries of the cult’s existence, only thirteen Vestal Virgins broke their vow, but this does not mean that the rest were afraid of the death prepared for the apostates. The Vestals enjoyed great respect in Rome, and wherever they appeared, they were given the most honorable places, and just meeting them on the way to the place of execution could give the condemned life.

Donkey head

On the lamps in the sanctuaries of Vesta, images of donkey heads are preserved in memory of how the donkey woke up the sleeping goddess with its cry and saved her from shame - the demigod Priapus, the patron of fertility, wanted to take possession of her. In memory of this event, a celebration was established in Rome: every year on June 9, the Romans came to the Temple of Vesta with gifts and did not have the right to force their donkeys to work on this day.

How to get there

The Temple of Vesta and the House of the Vestals in Rome can be easily reached on foot from (Colloseo), which is very close to the Roman Forum, from Piazza Venezia, from the Capitoline Museum (Museo Capitolino) in Piazza del Campidoglio. The closest is Colloseo, line B.

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Temple of Vesta and House of the Vestals

All the activities of the Vestals were concentrated in a small space near the Sacred Road. There was a small, round temple of Vesta, its shape reminiscent of the ancient huts of the founding fathers of Rome. They say that the temple, like those huts, once had a thatched roof. In historical times it was decorated with Ionic columns, between which stood patterned grilles; in the upper part of the conical roof there was a hole (as in the Pantheon), from which the smoke of the Vestina hearth came out; there was probably some kind of metal structure above the hole that protected the inside of the temple from the weather. Several coins have survived that apparently depict this temple; many show a sculpture on the roof, some show a curule chair inside the temple, which is not very reliable (a curule chair is a low seat on which only officials vested with power, such as a consul or dictator, had the right to sit). In the Florentine Uffizi Gallery there is a relief from the 1st century AD. e., which also most likely depicts the Temple of Vesta. In this relief, the gratings between the columns and the tree growing behind the temple are clearly visible.

Temple of Vesta. Reconstruction.

From the Temple of Vesta, only a round concrete podium, tuff blocks and pieces of columns have survived. Before the Renaissance building fever of the 16th century, all this was faced with marble. Some fragments were later built into various churches, including St. Peter's Basilica; a lot was burned into lime. The ruins of this ancient temple paradoxically date back to the late imperial era of the late 2nd - early 3rd century AD. e., when Empress Julia Domna sponsored the reconstruction of the temple after another fire. At some point between the late Republican period (which includes coin images and reliefs) and the latest reconstruction, the Ionic columns were replaced by Corinthian ones. However, it is quite possible that the mosaic floor and pits for storing ashes were preserved from earlier times.

Some accidental fragments of the temple were found in the Forum during excavations at the end of the 19th century, and in 1930 a small part of the outer perimeter of the temple was restored. The reconstruction turned out to be successful; in any case, this monument appears on many postcards and calendars. For a long time it was believed that there was another temple of Vesta on the Palatine, but now few people share this point of view; the fact is that when Emperor Augustus was elected high priest, according to custom he had to move to the Forum, to the so-called Domus Publica; Meanwhile, he did not want to leave his palatine residence, but gave part of it to the state and turned it into a sanctuary of Vesta, and Domus Publica gave it to the Vestals. Moreover, the Palatine sanctuary was not a temple in the literal sense of the word. By the way, the Temple of Vesta was not an ordinary temple, because there was no traditional statue of the deity - only a symbolic fire. The so-called “temple of Vesta” on the banks of the Tiber, which we will talk about in the seventh chapter, definitely has nothing to do with Vesta - just any round temple for a long time, by analogy, was considered dedicated to Vesta.

House of the Vestals. 19th century drawing.

Next to the temple there is a fairly large rectangular plot, which was once occupied by the House of the Vestals, Atrium Vestae. Streets were laid on its four sides - Sacra Via("sacred") Nova Via(“new”), Vicus Vestae(“Vesta Lane”); the name of the fourth is unknown. The current location and plan of the building arose after the great fire under Nero in 64 AD. e.; both the temple and the House of the Vestals were rebuilt in accordance with the general east-west orientation of buildings in the Forum that had developed by that time. The complex was rebuilt again under Trajan and Septimius Severus. Traces of earlier floors and walls are visible on the lower level when entering through the main entrance.

The design of the House of the Vestals was most similar to an aristocratic residence, the home of a wealthy family (domus), only very big. The living rooms surrounded an open courtyard - an atrium - with pools for collecting rainwater. In the center of the east wing was a large room with three smaller rooms on three sides of it. These are most likely not the "apartments" of the Vestals - the house is so large that each of the priestesses had their own extensive chambers, including quarters for servants and slaves - but perhaps some kind of ceremonial place, such as a common refectory. In Republican times, there were shops on the outside of the house, the income from which went to the budget of the Vestals.

Along the northern wall of the courtyard are statues of the 2nd–4th centuries AD. e., which were excavated here in the 1880s. The combination of statues and pedestals with inscriptions is arbitrary. Each sculpture depicts one of the elder Vestals (Virgo Vestalis Maxima), on the pedestals there are inscriptions of gratitude. One of these inscriptions dates back to 364 AD. e.; the name of the Vestal Virgin is erased on it, only the first letter, c, is barely visible. It is possible that a statue of the Vestal Virgin Claudia once stood on this pedestal. The poet Prudentius in the hymn of St. Lawrence mentions that one of the priestesses of the most ancient Roman cult converted to Christianity:

The priest entwined with braid of old

Already going to the sign of the cross,

Already, Lavrenty, to your palace

The Vestal Virgin enters Claudia.

For apostasy, the few stubborn pagans who at that time still remained in Rome could erase the name of Claudia from the pedestal. By the end of the 4th century AD. e. paganism, including the cult of Vesta, was finally outlawed, and the House of the Vestals came under the jurisdiction of first the imperial and then the papal administration.

This complex once included the sacred grove of Vesta; it was in it, before the invasion of the Gauls, that a mysterious warning voice was heard, which was later called by the god Aius Locutius(“Ai the Talker”). For a long time it was believed that the altar with the inscription “Be you a god or goddess,” found on the Palatine in 1820, was dedicated to him; Now they think that this is a restored altar of some god, whom no one remembered, but out of respect they continued to honor.

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People have long considered fire to be a sacred element. This is light, warmth, food, that is, the basis of life. The ancient goddess Vesta and her cult were associated with the veneration of fire. In the Temple of Vesta in Ancient Rome, an eternal flame burned as a symbol of family and state. Among other Indo-European peoples, unquenchable fire was also maintained in fire temples, in front of idols, and in the sacred hearths of houses.

According to legend, she was born from the god of time and the goddess of space, that is, she arose first in a world intended for life, and, filling space and time with energy, gave rise to evolution. Unlike other deities of the Roman pantheon, the goddess Vesta did not have a human form, she was the personification of a luminous and life-giving flame, and there was no statue or other image of this deity in her temple. Considering fire the only pure element, the Romans represented Vesta as a virgin goddess who did not accept the marriage proposals of Mercury and Apollo. For this, the supreme god Jupiter endowed her with the privilege of being the most revered. One day, the goddess Vesta almost became a victim of the erotic desires of the fertility god Priapus. A donkey grazing nearby woke up the dozing goddess with a loud roar and thereby saved her from dishonor.

Since then, on the day of the Vestalia celebration, donkeys were forbidden to be harnessed to work, and the head of this animal was depicted on the goddess’s lamp.

Vesta's hearths

Its flame signified the greatness, prosperity and stability of the Roman Empire and should not be extinguished under any circumstances. The most sacred place in the Roman city was the temple of the goddess Vesta.

It is believed that the custom of lighting an eternal flame in honor of the defenders of their homeland originates from the tradition of honoring this goddess. Since the Roman goddess Vesta was the patroness of the state, her temples or altars were erected in every city. If its inhabitants left the city, they took with them the flame from the altar of Vesta to light it where they arrived. The eternal flame of Vesta was maintained not only in her temples, but also in other public buildings. Meetings of foreign ambassadors and feasts in their honor were held here.

Vestals

This was the name of the priestesses of the goddess who were supposed to maintain the sacred fire. Girls for this role were carefully selected. They were supposed to be representatives of the most noble houses, possess incomparable beauty, moral purity and chastity. Everything in them had to correspond to the image of the great goddess. The Vestals performed their honorary service for thirty years, living at the temple all this time. The first decade was devoted to gradual training, the other ten years they meticulously performed rituals, and the last decade they taught the young Vestals their craft. After this, women could return to the family and get married. Then they were called “Not Brides,” thereby emphasizing the right to marriage. The Vestals were revered with the same reverence as the goddess herself. The honor and respect for them was so strong that the Vestals even had the power to cancel the execution of the condemned man if he met them on the way during their procession.

The Vestals had to sacredly preserve and protect their virginity, since violating this rule was akin to the fall of Rome. The state was also threatened with disaster by the extinguished flame on the altar of the goddess. If this or that happened, the Vestal Virgin was punished with a cruel death.

History, family and state

The history and fate of the empire was so closely connected in the minds of people with the cult of Vesta that the fall of Rome was directly linked to the fact that the ruler Flavius ​​Gratian in 382 AD extinguished the fire in the temple of Vesta and abolished the institution of the Vestal Virgins.

The concepts of family and state in Ancient Rome were equal, one was considered a means of strengthening the other. Therefore, the goddess Vesta was considered the guardian of the family hearth. Researchers believe that in ancient times the king himself was the high priest of Vesta, just as the head of the family was the priest of the hearth. Each family considered this fiery goddess to be their personal patroness. The representatives of the clan maintained the flame of the hearth with the same scrupulousness as the vestals in the temple, since it was believed that this fire signifies the strength of family ties and the good of the whole family. If the flame suddenly went out, it was seen as a bad omen, and the mistake was immediately corrected: with the help of a magnifying glass, a sunbeam and two wooden sticks, which were rubbed against each other, the fire was rekindled.

Under the watchful and benevolent eye of the goddess Vesta, marriage ceremonies were held, and wedding ritual bread was baked in her hearth. Here family contracts were concluded and the will of their ancestors was learned. Nothing bad or unworthy should have happened in front of the sacred fire of the hearth guarded by the goddess.

In Ancient Greece

Here the goddess Vesta was called Hestia and had the same meaning, patronizing the sacrificial fire and the family hearth. Her parents were Kronos and Rhea, and her youngest brother was Zeus. The Greeks did not refuse to see a woman in her and depicted her as a slender, majestic beauty in a cape. Before every significant undertaking, sacrifices were made to her. The Greeks even preserved the saying “start with Hestia.” Mount Olympus with its heavenly flame was considered the main center of the goddess of fire. Ancient hymns glorify Hestia as a “green-grass” mistress “with a clear smile” and call for “breathing happiness” and “health with a healing hand.”

Slavic deity

Did the Slavs have their own goddess Vesta? Some sources say that this was the name of their goddess of spring. She personified the awakening from winter sleep and the beginning of flowering. Life-giving fire in this case was perceived by our ancestors as a powerful force that had a magical effect on the renewal of nature and fertility. It is possible that pagan customs in which fire is involved are associated with the deification of this goddess.

It was not difficult to invite the Slavic goddess of spring into your home. It is enough to walk around your home eight times clockwise, saying “Good luck, happiness, abundance.” Women who washed themselves with melt water in the spring were believed to have a chance to remain young and attractive for a long time, like Vesta herself. The Slavic goddess also symbolized the victory of light over darkness. Therefore, she was especially praised on the first day of the new year.

Who are the news among the Slavs?

This was the name given to girls who knew the wisdom of housekeeping and pleasing their spouse. They could be married off without fear: they made good housewives, wise wives and caring mothers. In contrast, brides were precisely those young ladies who were not ready for marriage and family life.

Gods and stars

In March 1807, German astronomer Heinrich Olbers discovered an asteroid, which he named after the ancient Roman goddess Vesta. In 1857, the English scientist Norman Pogson gave the asteroid he discovered the name of its ancient Greek incarnation - Hestia.