Sacello degli Augustali (Miseno)

Near the centre of Roman Misenum, the Sacello degli Augustali served the imperial cult. First built in the Julio-Claudian period, it was restored in the mid-second century at the expense of Cassia Victoria in honour of her husband, the Augustalis Laecanius Primitivus. Discovered in 1968, the shrine lies about six metres below the modern street and preserves a temple front, imperial portraits and a ship-and-dolphin relief.

Why it matters

The Augustales were priests, often freedmen, who organised worship of the emperor in towns across Italy. At Misenum, home of the imperial fleet, their shrine took monumental form. The building's later marble restoration was funded by Cassia Victoria for her husband, a priest of the order. Its architectural decoration connects the imperial cult with the maritime setting of this Roman port.

What to notice

Three vaulted rooms stand side by side, partly built in masonry and partly cut into the natural tuff. The central room contains the sacellum, raised on a podium and approached by a marble staircase flanked by offering benches. Cipollino columns support the temple's pediment. In its tympanum, portraits of the patrons appear within an oak wreath held by two Victories. A ship and a dolphin are carved on the pediment corners. The earlier building was faced with stucco; marble coverings and statues of Vespasian and Titus marked later phases.

Context and history

An inscription records Cassia Victoria's restoration of the shrine in the mid-second century. The Augustales also appear in Petronius's Satyricon: Trimalchio is portrayed as a member of the order. The building later collapsed and was partly crushed by blocks falling from the tuff cliff behind it. Construction work brought the sunken rooms to light in 1968; the original floor lies about six metres below the modern street and was found flooded by groundwater.