#furrinalia

[honorthegods]

Today, July 25, is the Roman festival of Furrinalia. Furrina is the patron deity of a sacred spring and grove on the eastern slope of the Janiculum hill (modern Gianicolo), a spot on the right bank of the Tiber which once lay beyond the western walls of Rome.  Her cult may have originated with the Etruscans. Furrina was among the deities considered of such significance to the Roman state as to have been assigned a flamen (priest) to administer her annual rites. Her cult persisted until the end of the 4th century.  

The ancient location of Furrina’s sacred precinct is believed to be quite near to this fountain at the Villa Sciarra, now part of a peaceful public park and botanical garden within the city of Rome. Her festival, which was designated as a day to refrain from all but the most urgent physical labor, must have been a welcome respite from the heat of summer, and her shady sanctuary and refreshing waters provided - and still provide - a pleasant spot for meditation and relaxation.

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Featured image: Fountain of the Cherubs, Villa Sciarra, Rome. Photo by Lalupa, 2010.

Image source:  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:V_Sciarra_sculture_e_stemma_Visconti_1170988.JPG  

Image license: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported. 

[the-faramir]

Happy Furrinalia!

July 25th is Furrinalia. Happy Furrinalia, everyone!

Furrinalia « IMPERIUM ROMANUM

Furrinalia was a little-known festival in honour of Furrina, a Roman goddess of Etruscan origin. Disputes about her worship and role are ong

[honorthegods]

Today, July 25, is the Roman festival of Furrinalia. Furrina is the patron deity of a sacred grove (Latin: lucus) and spring located on the eastern slope of the Janiculum hill, a spot which once lay across the Tiber and beyond the walls of Rome. Furrina was one of the oldest Roman deities and was accorded the honor of a flamen (public priest) appointed by the Pontifex Maximus.

The sanctuary of Furrina dates to the pre-republican period. A temple to Jupiter Heliopolitianus was later built on the site in the 1st century CE. The temple was reconstructed and expanded during the reigns of Marcus Aurelius and his successor Commodus, and rebuilt once again in the reign of Julian.

The area was later encompassed in the Renaissance by the Villa Sciarra and is now a pleasant park known for its trees, gardens, fountains, and mythological statues. 

Featured image: Gates of the Villa Sciarra by Alisha, 2010.

[honorthegods]

Gates of the Villa Sciarra by Alisha. 2010.

Today, July 25, is the Roman festival of Furrinalia. Furrina is the patron deity of a sacred spring and grove located on the eastern slope of the Janiculum hill, a spot which once lay across the Tiber and outside the walls of Rome. The area has long been encompassed by the Villa Sciarra, now an unexpectedly peaceful park within the bustling city. 

French archaeologist Paul Gauckler found epigraphic evidence on marble fragments and altars in 1906 linking the site with the cult of Furrina, and later discovered an ancient well dating to the pre-republican period. Exploring the well, he found passageways that were aligned with the points of the compass, and a rocky grotto “all hung with stalactites, a dark and secret cavern in which the first explorers of the spring had without doubt believed themselves to be in the mysterious retreat of the divinity of the place.”

Source: http://www.bollettinodiarcheologiaonline.beniculturali.it/documenti/generale/4_GEE.pdf