Pompeii. Household shrines to the domestic gods in villas on the Via dei Sepolcri.

Villa of Diomedes, Villa of Mosaic Columns, Villa of Mysteries, Villa of Cicero.

Villa di Diomede, Villa delle Colonne a Mosaico, Villa dei Misteri, Villa di Cicerone.

These pages contain all the references to Lararia, Aedicula, Niches, Sacrarium/Sacellum, and Lararium paintings, found inside these villas in Pompeii.

For some of these the actual purpose is unknown.

The individual locations identified on each item may contain further photos and details, you can see these by looking at the pompeiiinpictures pages in question.

Back to household shrines list

Villa of Diomedes, Villa di Diomede. Pompeii.

Small niche at entrance to service’s section (HGW25).

Villa of Diomedes, Pompeii. May 2024.

East wall at side of stairs, with lararium niche in upper wall with window below. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

According to Boyce,

Just to the right of the main entrance six steps lead down to the servants’ quarters, and in the wall beside this stair is a piccolo larario – apparently only a niche, in which a statuette of Minerva was found.

See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14, (p.97, no.476).

See Giacobello, F., 2008. Larari Pompeiani: Iconografia e culto dei Lari in ambito domestico. Milano: LED Edizioni, (p.221, no.3).

Villa of Diomedes, Pompeii. October 2023.

Room 5,18, looking east towards steps up to peristyle, from end of corridor 5,12.

Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

Semi-circular niche in east wall at south-west end of peristyle (HGW25). (No photo).

HGW24 Pompeii. May 2010. Room in south-west corner of garden area, looking towards remaining east wall.

According to Garcia y Garcia, a bomb was dropped here during the night of 18th September 1943.

This bomb fell on the south-west corner of the peristyle causing the destruction of part of the wall south of the turret and the collapse of the rear slope.  It was restored in 1946.

See Garcia y Garcia, L., 2006. Danni di guerra a Pompei. Rome: L’Erma di Bretschneider. (p.160-1)

According to Boyce, a small room opened off the south-west corner of the large portico surrounding the garden.

This room had a semi-circular niche in the east wall. The room was called a lararium in the reports.

See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14. (p.97, no.478).

(Villa Diomedes Project – area 86).

(Fontaine, room 5,2).

See Giacobello, F., 2008. Larari Pompeiani: Iconografia e culto dei Lari in ambito domestico. Milano: LED Edizioni, (p.221, no.3)

Niche with painting of Fortuna in servants quarters (HGW25).

HGW25 Pompeii. September 2015. Looking west across room towards doorway to servants’ area.

In the background is the supporting arch of the east end of the upper terrace.

HGW25 Pompeii. September 2015.

Looking towards south-east corner and Lararium in south wall, with remains of a painted Fortuna with rudder and cornucopia.

No 67, 68 and 69 on the La Vega plan –

From PAH 1,1, p.272-3, 1st May 1773: (addendum p.129 and 159 – See transcript below at end of photos): (La Vega: 67, 68, 69).

After having worked for many weeks to lift the earth from around the rustic courtyard of the said dwelling, we have entirely freed two rooms near to the said courtyard. Although, these have very ordinary floors and everything poorly arranged, they are not worth mentioning having some ordinary paintings decorated with panels.

These (rooms) would have been used by the servants of the owners, because of the work-tools found used to cultivate the soil, and for cooking, and for the large quantity of ordinary vessels that there were, that is to say water-jugs, pots of many sorts which were well smoked, and carafes, many of which were found broken.

The entire things found in the indicated rooms were - (see page 273 for the list of the finds, Bronze, Glass, Terracotta)

In the entrance of the courtyard, there was a small room with the usual; and in a small niche of the same room, there was a painted Fortuna, as one could see by the rudder and the horn of plenty. Above this room, there was a partition with burnt straw, of which…. (della quale si son fatti prendere alcuni massi).

HGW25 Pompeii. 1991. Small room in north-west corner south wall.

Lararium niche with a painting of Fortuna with rudder and cornucopia. [Fontaine 7.5] La Vega 70?

According to Boyce –

“On the back wall of a niche (Note 2 below) was painted the figure of Fortuna with cornucopia and rudder”.

(Note 2 – Boyce says the location was most indefinite).

He quoted references – Helbig 74b; PAH, I, I, 273 (May 1, 1773).

See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14. (p.97, no.477).

Square niches on south wall of room 7,6 of servants quarters (HGW25).

HGW25 Pompeii. Part of Villa of Diomedes. October 2023. South wall of room 7,6 with square niches. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

Villa of Mosaic Columns, Villa delle Colonne a Mosaico, Pompeii.

Sacellum.

HGE12 Pompeii. December 2006. Looking east towards lararium.

HGE12 Pompeii. 1961. Looking east towards lararium. Photo by Stanley A. Jashemski.

Source: The Wilhelmina and Stanley A. Jashemski archive in the University of Maryland Library, Special Collections (See collection page) and made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial License v.4. See Licence and use details.

J61f0618

HGE12 Pompeii. Drawing of Sacrarium by Breton, 1855.

See Breton, Ernest. 1855. Pompeia, decrite et dessine : Seconde édition. Paris : Baudry, p. 233.

HGE12 Pompeii. December 2006. Lararium with altar, south and east wall.

According to Boyce, in an open court was a sacrarium, apparently dedicated to Hercules and Bacchus.

Upon the yellow background of the rear wall of a deep niche were painted the attributes of Hercules – a large skyphos and a club.

In the pediment on the wall above the niche was painted the figure of Bacchus, accompanied by two flying cupids holding a wreath, one on each side of him.

See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14.  (p.97, no.479)

HGE12 Pompeii. December 2006. Lararium with altar, east wall.

HGE12 Pompeii. December 2006. North and east side of ceiling in lararium.

HGE12 Pompeii. December 2006. Wall painting on east wall of lararium, above altar.

HGE12 Pompeii. December 2006. Wall painting on east wall of lararium, above altar.

HGE12 Pompeii. December 2006. Masonry podium, according to Boyce, this was the base for a statue.

HGE12 Pompeii. December 2006. Masonry altar (w.0.47, h.0.96) coated with stucco.

According to Boyce, this was ornamented with figures in painted stucco relief on all sides.

On the front, a popa held a knife in his right hand, and grasped a hog wearing a red girdle with his left hand.

On the left side, a skyphos stood on a reddish base.

On the right side, a club leaning against a base could be seen.

On the rear, was a cock.

See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14.  (p.97, no.479)

See Fröhlich, T., 1991, Lararien und Fassadenbilder in den Vesuvstädten. Mainz: von Zabern.  (p.300, L112, Taf. 48,2).

Niche with painting, in kitchen.

HGE12 Pompeii. December 2006. Doorway to room on east side (right) of entrance to central corridor.

HGE12 Pompeii. December 2006. North-west corner of room to right of entrance to central corridor.

HGE12 Pompeii. December 2006. North-east corner of room, with niche. Was this the kitchen?

According to Boyce, in the kitchen was “un piccolo larario…..colla pittura del genio del loco”.

He thought this was probably a niche with a single serpent painted on the wall beside it.

See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14.  (p.97, no.480)

See Giacobello, F., 2008. Larari Pompeiani: Iconografia e culto dei Lari in ambito domestico. Milano: LED Edizioni, (p.221, no.2)

Villa of Mysteries, Villa dei Misteri, Pompeii.

Painting and niche, north wall of kitchen courtyard.

Villa of Mysteries, Pompeii. Drawing of west and north walls of kitchen courtyard with remains of painted lararium on right, by R. Oliva.

See Maiuri, A. (1967 ed). La Villa dei Misteri, (p.36-7)

Villa of Mysteries, Pompeii. Drawing of north wall of kitchen courtyard with niche, altar and remains of painted lararium, by R. Oliva.

See Maiuri, A. (1967 ed). La Villa dei Misteri, (p.36-7).

Villa of Mysteries, Pompeii. October 2023.

Room 61, kitchen courtyard. North side with lararium niche and altar. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

Villa of Mysteries, Pompeii. May 2006.

Room 61, niche (h.0.76, w.0.80, d.0.28, h. above floor 1.40) in north wall, with remains of stucco pediment above.

According to Boyce, the small altar embedded in the floor of the niche, was decorated with an image of a gorgon and two heads of bulls.

Two sculptured heads, a terracotta one of a goddess and another of tufa representing Hercules, (h.0.17) were found inside the niche.

See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14. (p.97)

Villa of Mysteries, Pompeii. May 2010. Room 61, north wall of kitchen courtyard near niche and altar.

According to Boyce in 1937, -

the last layer of plaster had already fallen revealing an earlier layer beneath it, decorated with a figure painting in red and yellow.

Maiuri concluded that this was a fragment of the pre-Roman art of the house shrine.

When excavated, the paintings were very poorly preserved, and had almost disappeared by 1937.

The following description was written by De Petra in Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità, 1910, p. 141:

“Below and to the right of the niche is represented a procession made up of two horsemen, a crowd of people and a tibicen who approaches the altar in the centre, coming from the left.

To the right of the same altar are a Camillus and a second figure.

A still more ancient layer of plaster shows on the right of the niche a strange figure like a Lar pouring from a rhyton of curious shape into a patera (?) held in the other hand; on each side of him are garlands”.

See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14. (p.97)

See Maiuri, A. (1967 ed). La Villa dei Misteri, 80, and fig. 32, (reference given in Boyce).

See Giacobello, F., 2008. Larari Pompeiani: Iconografia e culto dei Lari in ambito domestico. Milano: LED Edizioni, (p.220, no.1)

Villa of Mysteries, Pompeii. May 2006. Masonry altar (0.71 by 0.45, h.0.90).

Rectangular niche, east wall of kitchen courtyard.

Villa of Mysteries, Pompeii. October 2023.

Room 61, west wall with hearth and oven, and remains of niche. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

According to NdS, another niche lararium was above the podium of the hearth and oven.

The stucco had fallen and brought to light a part of an ancient painted lararium, for all its simplicity, not without interest.

At the side were the remains of a painted helmeted Minerva, and of another divinity, perhaps Vulcan.

See Notizie di Scavi, 1910, p.141-2.

According to Boyce –

In the east wall of the same courtyard, above the hearth, is a second rectangular niche (h.070, w.0.60, d.0.20) on the back wall of which De Petra saw painted the figures of Minerva armed with the helmet and of another divinity – perhaps Vulcan.

Reference Maiuri, Villa dei Misteri, 81.

See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14. (p.98, no. 482).

Niche in west wall in small room in rustic servants’ quarters.

Villa of Mysteries, Pompeii. May 2010. Room 31, rustic room, looking west.

According to Boyce, in the west wall was a niche with a projecting shelf elaborately decorated with a frieze in stucco.

He assumed it was a lararium, even though when found it only had a few kitchen jars of coarse materials in it.

See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14. (p. 98, no.483).

Sacellum? Room in north-west corner of large peristyle.

Villa of Mysteries, Pompeii. October 2023.

Room 26, at front, looking into room 25, apsidal hall at rear. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

According to Boyce –

In a room opening off the north-west corner of large peristyle is a room of curious shape with an apse in the side opposite the entrance door, and four rectangular niches in the walls. It was undergoing renovation at the time of the eruption designed to make it a finer room that before.

Maiuri thought it may have been intended as a domestic Sacellum, and possibly would have housed the statue of Livia found nearby in the peristyle.

See Boyce G. K., 1937. Corpus of the Lararia of Pompeii. Rome: MAAR 14. (p. 98, no. 484).

See Maiuri, 1967 Ed. Villa dei Misteri, (76 and fig.29).

Villa of Mysteries, Pompeii. February 2021.

Statue of Livia, found in peristyle of Villa of Mysteries, on display in Antiquarium at VIII.1.4.

Photo courtesy of Fabien Bièvre-Perrin (CC BY-NC-SA).

Villa of Mysteries, Pompeii. October 2023. Room 25, detail from west side of window. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

Villa of Mysteries, Pompeii. October 2023. Room 25, looking north to window. Photo courtesy of Johannes Eber.

Villa of Mysteries, Pompeii. May 2010. Room 25, looking towards east side of apsidal hall, from room 26.

Villa of Mysteries, Pompeii. May 2010. Room 26, east side.

Pompeii. Villa of Cicero, Villa di Cicerone.

Plaque found reused in the niche of a shrine in the Villa of Cicero at Pompeii (HGW06).

Terme di Marco Crasso Frugi. Torre Annunziata

Plaque found reused in the niche of a shrine in the Villa of Cicero at Pompeii.

Now in Naples Archaeological Museum. Inventory number 3829.

The inscription reads:

THERMAE
M. CRASSI FRVGI
AQVA MARINA ET BALN
AQVA DVLCI IANVARIVS L.

According to Epigraphik-Datenbank Clauss/Slaby (See www.manfredclauss.de) this reads

Thermae

M(arci) Crassi Frugi

aqua marina et baln(ea)

aqua dulci Ianuarius l(ibertus)      [CIL X 1063 (p 967) = D 05724]

Back to household shrines list