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Monumentum

Fresco scene from Mitreo of Santa Maria Capua Vetere

Fresco showing a scene of initiation into the mysteries of Mithras in the Mithraeum of Santa Maria Capua Vetere.
Fresco scene from the initiation ceremony at S. Capua Vetere

Fresco scene from the initiation ceremony at S. Capua Vetere
Stanley A. Jashemski / The Wilhelmina and Stanley A. Jashemski archive in the University of Maryland Library, Special Collections CC BY-NC 4.0 

 
 
The New Mithraeum
31 Dec 2020
Updated on 15 Jan 2022
 

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[This second panel] (W. 0.92 m.) shows once again the blindfolded and naked alumnus with his magister behind him. The mystes is kneeling on his right knee; his hands are tied behind his back. Pseudo-Augustine tells that the cords used for this were made of chicken gut. The mystagogus seems to be the same as in the previous panel since he is clad in a short white tunic and a shoulder cape bordered with red. His head is now better visible.

Related monuments

Mitreo di Santa Maria Capua Vetere

The Mithraeum of Santa Maria Capua Vetere preserves frescoes depicting several scenes of the initiation rites.

Tauroctony of Santa Maria Capua Vetere

The main fresco of the Mithraeum of Santa Maria Capua Vetere portrays Mithras slaughtering a white bull.

Eros and Psyche

The Mithraeum of Santa Maria Capua Vetere includes a marble relief depicting a child Eros guiding Psyche through the dark.

Stars of the Mitreo de Santa Maria Capua Vetere

The vault of the Mithraeum of S. Capua Vetere is ornamented with stars with holes in their centres, which used to contain colourful glass decorations.

 

Fresco de Luna en el Mitreo de Santa Maria Capua Vetere

Luna riding a biga in the Mithraeum of Santa Capua Vetere.

Cautes fresco from Mitreo di Santa Maria Capua Vetere

In the Mithraeum of S. Capua Veteres, Cautes stands between two laurel trees.

A man is initiated into the Mysteries of Mithras

This is the first of several fresco scenes depicting the initiation of a new member in a mithraic community, in Capua Vetere.

Kneeling man from Santa Maria Capua Vetere

This scene from the frescoes of the Mitreo di Santa Maria Capua Vetere shows a kneeling, naked man surrounded by two other figures.