Mapping Sacred Rome

MAPPING
Sacred Rome

San Clemente


Allie Caulfield, Mithraeum under the basilica of Saint Clement in Rome, 2006, Photograph. No changes made. CC BY 2.0

Labicanense, Basilica di San Clemente al Laterano, 2023, Photograph. No changes made. CC BY 4.0



     Beneath the current church lies a 1st century Mithraeum, a hidden temple dedicated to the god Mithras. It was built to resemble a cave relating to the story of Mithras. It features a central aisle with benches on either side and an altar depicting Mithras slaying a bull in the center.  Devotion to this eastern god was popular among soldiers.