House of the Vestals

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The Roman Forum 2015 (southwest). The atrium Vestae with the temple of Vesta can be seen on the right.
House of the Vestals seen from the southwest.
Reconstruction of the atrium Vestae by Christian Hülsen (1905)

The House of the Vestal Virgins ( Latin : Atrium Vestae ) was a magnificent residential building on the Roman Forum , the historical forum in Rome, Italy. It was the residence of the priestesses of Vesta , the Vestal Virgins , and was located in the immediate vicinity of the Temple of Vesta .

It was a two-story villa with heating systems, bedrooms, kitchens, reception rooms and a mill. The marble-paved arcade courtyard was decorated and arranged with a fountain and statues of the most famous vestals from the past.

At the time of Augustus , the House of the Vestals was expanded to include the Domus publica , which was previously inhabited by the Pontifex Maximus . After it was destroyed by the fire in Rome in AD 64, the building that is visible today began, which was renovated and rebuilt several times during the imperial era under Trajan and Septimius Severus . Under the Christian Emperor Theodosius I , the House of the Vestals was abandoned in 394.

  • Floor plan with legend.

  • House of the Vestals, from the south side, inside the atrium.

  • House of the Vestals, from the north side, inside the atrium.

  • Preserved area from the Republican period on the north side.

  • Hall with six rooms on the south side.

  • Preserved floor covering from the living area of ​​the Vestal Virgins.

The Vestals were the only priestesses in Rome. They kept the ever-burning sacred fire in the neighboring temple of Vesta and held their office for 30 years. During this time they were not allowed to marry. Fornication with vestals was considered incest and was accordingly punished with death. Only the Emperor and the Vestal Virgins were allowed to be buried within the walls of Rome.

The renovated facility has been open to the public again since January 27, 2011.

Web links

Commons : House of the Vestals  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Cassius Dio , Roman History, 54, 27, 3 (English translation)
  2. ↑ Juvenal (Decimus Junius Iuvenalis: Satires (Saturarum libri V - Five Books of Satires); probably written after 96). Stuttgart [1969] 1994, 4th satire, note 3, p. 176.
  3. ↑ King, Ross: The Miracle of Florence. Architecture and intrigue: How the world's most beautiful dome was created [2000]. Munich 3rd edition 2001, p. 39.

literature

Rudolf Groß : Atrium Vestae. In: The Little Pauly (KlP). Volume 1, Stuttgart 1964, Col. 716.


Coordinates: 41 ° 53 ′ 29.7 "  N , 12 ° 29 ′ 11.8"  E