Mitreo di Marino

Marino's mithraeum occupies a Roman underground space cut into volcanic tuff. A former cistern became a sanctuary of Mithras, with a painted image of the god killing the bull at the centre of its decoration.

Why it matters

The shrine preserves evidence of the Roman cult of Mithras in the Castelli Romani. Its painted imagery brings together the central sacrifice and episodes from the god's mythology, making the chamber more than an architectural survival.

What to notice

The tauroctony shows Mithras in his characteristic cap and trousers, his cloak spread above the bull. The dog and serpent participate in the scene, accompanied by celestial symbols and the torchbearers Cautes and Cautopates. Smaller narrative panels around the principal image expand this sacred story. Traces of waterproof plaster recall the chamber's earlier use for water storage.

Context and history

The conversion to a Mithraic sanctuary belongs broadly to the second or third century AD. A dedication names Cresces, an administrator associated with an estate; a wider connection with local quarry workers has also been proposed. Rediscovered during work in a cellar in the early 1960s, the sanctuary revealed a religious space long concealed beneath later Marino.