Vesta worship can be traced as far back as the founding of Rome believed to be BCE. Though the household was the principal site of Vesta worship, there was a temple dedicated to the goddess as well. Located in the Roman Forum, the Temple of Vesta housed the ignes aeternum, a sacred eternal fire that would burn for as long as Rome prospered.
Sworn to virginity under penalty of death, the Vestales tended to the Temple of Vesta—they alone were permitted entry—and maintained the eternal flame. They were drawn from the patrician class Roman aristocracy , and lived together in a complex called the Atrium Vestae.
During the Vestalia , barefoot maidens formed a procession leading to the Temple of Vesta, where they would make offerings to the goddess. The Vestalia was enormously popular—after the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire, it remained as the last public festival to celebrate a pagan deity.
When Theodosius finally abolished the celebration in CE, his decision was met with public disapproval and unrest. Coelia Concordia, the last Vestalis Maxima , gave up her title in CE, thus ending over one thousand years of unbroken tradition. De Natura Deorum. Translated by H. The Loeb Classical Library. Translated by James Frazer. The Classical Texts Library.
She represented herself as a flame in her temple. Vesta, the goddess of hearth and home, was not as important, perhaps, to the ancient Roman women as she was to the ancient Greek women. Roman women had far more freedom, especially under the empire. They were not always home.
Both Roman and Greek women took comfort in this powerful goddess whose job it was to watch over their hearth and home and family, whether they were home themselves or not. It was believed that no bodies could originate from the important element of fire. Her image was placed in an entry, often accompanied by her favorite animal, the donkey.
That association was gleaned from her connection with baking, which was of course done at the hearth. Donkeys were the animals that pulled the millstone to grind wheat for the bread. She also held flowers and sometimes a kettle, representations of home life. Unlike other goddesses who appeared in various states of undress, Vesta was always fully clothed.
The priestesses of Vesta took a vow of chastity and spent their time devoted to study and religious rituals. They were selectively chosen for the position when they were under the age of 10, taken from their parents, brought to the temple, and sworn to celibacy for 30 years. The first 10 years were for study, the next to serve, and the last 10 were spent as a teacher.
Once the 30 years had passed, the vestal was retired and replaced. She was given a pension and allowed to marry. Generally, the marriages were arranged by the high priest called the Pontus Maximus, who was the overseer of the virgins. Marrying a former Vestal was considered an honor, and also lucky. However, many of the retired vestals preferred not to marry at all, and chose to keep their rights, and live out their retirement on a comfortable nest egg.
Notably, the ceremony for choosing the Vestal Virgins was called a captio , which means capture. Seems a fitting title for a year investment in service. Life as a Vestal Virgin also had its privileges. They were escorted by guardians to all public gatherings and rode in a carriage.
At the Coliseum games, they sat in special seats of honor with a great view of the events. After the 30 years had passed, they were free to marry. The Vestals enjoyed a high social status in Rome. Each year on the Roman New Year, March 1, the perpetual fire in the temple was ritually extinguished and re-lit. If the fire went out at any other time, it was seen as a bad omen for Rome. The festival to Vesta, called the Vestalia, was held on June 7 to Rituals included sweeping out the temple and ritually disposing of the sweepings.
The festival was considered a time of bad luck until the sweeping was completed. Normally, the inner sanctuary of the temple, called the penus Vestae, was not open to the public, but on the first day of the festival, women bearing gifts could visit if they entered barefoot.
The sacred fire of Vesta was maintained until A. Because of the need for fire in everyday life, Vesta was worshiped in nearly every Roman home as well. Many homes had a household shrine that included an image of Vesta. She was often worshiped alongside household deities called Penates. Statues and other artwork depicting Vesta typically show her draped in long, full robes, wearing a stern expression and with her head covered.
She often holds a scepter in one hand. Interestingly, a statue of the goddess was not included at any of her temples. However, the penus Vestae housed the Palladium, a statue of the Trojan Athena. This object was considered too sacred for a man too look upon. When it was rescued from a fire that destroyed the temple in B.
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