Temple of Vesta

The temple of Vesta in Rome since ancient times was one of the most important and revered buildings of the city. The temple was built in honor of the goddess Vesta, the patroness of the hearth. Inside the temple constantly burned fire, personifying the immortality of Rome and considered sacred to every inhabitant of the city.

The sacred flame was maintained by six priestesses-vestals, who came from very noble families. The young priestesses lived in a separate house next to the temple and led an ascetic lifestyle, maintaining a vow of celibacy for thirty years. After the end of the term of service to the Temple, the Vestal women became one of the richest inhabitants of Rome and could start a family. Every year, the Romans came to the Temple on July 9 to ask for blessings and protection for Rome and their homes from the goddess Vesta.

The round building of the Temple of Vesta is made in the form of tolos. It is surrounded by twenty columns, the upper part of which managed to darken from the flames of the sacred fire. In 394, the emperor Theodosius ordered the closure of the Temple, after which it pretty dilapidated, but still preserved to this day.