The House of the Vestal Virgins (; it, Casa delle Vestali) was the residence of

Vestal Virgin In ancient Rome, the Vestal Virgins or Vestals ( la, Vestālēs, singular ) were priestesses of Vesta, virgin goddess of Rome's sacred hearth and its flame. The Vestals were unlike any other public priesthood. They were chosen before puberty ...

s, located behind the circular

Temple of Vesta The Temple of Vesta, or the aedes (Latin ''Aedes Vestae''; Italian: ''Tempio di Vesta''), is an ancient edifice in Rome, Italy. The temple is located in the Roman Forum near the Regia and the House of the Vestal Virgins. The Temple of Vesta h ...

at the eastern edge of the

Roman Forum The Roman Forum, also known by its Latin name Forum Romanum ( it, Foro Romano), is a rectangular forum ( plaza) surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. Citizens of the ancie ...

, between the

Regia The Regia ("Royal house") was a two-part structure in Ancient Rome lying along the Via Sacra at the edge of the Roman Forum that originally served as the residence or one of the main headquarters of kings of Rome and later as the office of the ...

and the

Palatine Hill The Palatine Hill (; la, Collis Palatium or Mons Palatinus; it, Palatino ), which relative to the seven hills of Rome is the centremost, is one of the most ancient parts of the city and has been called "the first nucleus of the Roman Empire." ...

. The ''domus publica'', where the Pontifex Maximus dwelled, was located near the Atrium until that role was assumed by the emperors.SCOTT, RUSSELL T., Paul Henderson, Charlotte Steffensen, Christina Trier, Lorenzo Costantini, John Giorgi, and A. J. Ammerman. “Excavations in the Area Sacra of Vesta (1987–1996).” Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome. Supplementary Volumes 8 (2009): i–167. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25759485.

Structure

Roman-sculpture,-House-of-the-Vestals,-Forum-Romanum,-Rome-(6)

The ''Atrium Vestae'' was a three-story 50-room palace in the ancient Roman Forum built around an elegant elongated atrium or court with a double pool. To the very east is an open vaulted hall with a statue of

Numa Pompilius Numa Pompilius (; 753–672 BC; reigned 715–672 BC) was the legendary second king of Rome, succeeding Romulus after a one-year interregnum. He was of Sabine origin, and many of Rome's most important religious and political institutions ar ...

, the mythological founder of the cult. The complex lay at the foot of the Palatine Hill, where a

sacred grove Sacred groves or sacred woods are groves of trees and have special religious importance within a particular culture. Sacred groves feature in various cultures throughout the world. They were important features of the mythological landscape and ...

that was slowly encroached upon lingered into Imperial times, when all was swept away by the Fire of Rome in 64. The House of the Vestals was rebuilt several times in the course of the Empire. After the dissolution of the College of the Vestals in the late 4th century AD, the House of the Vestals continued to serve as a residence building. It now housed officials of the imperial court, and subsequently the papal court. Archaeological finds from this period include a hoard of 397 gold coins from the 5th century and another 830 Anglo-Saxon coins dating from the 9th and 10th centuries. The site was abandoned in the 11th/12th century. Today, remains of the statues of the Vestals can be seen in the ''Atrium Vestae''.

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:House Of The Vestals Ancient Roman religion Roman Forum Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Rome Ancient Roman titles Rome R. X Campitelli Vesta (mythology)