Il Frigianum del Vaticano

The Frigianum was one of the most important Roman sanctuaries dedicated to Magna Mater, located in the Vatican area of Rome. It is mentioned in the late 3rd-century Regionary Catalogues. The name "Frigianum" references the Phrygian origin of the goddess. Numerous taurobolic altars (used in bull sacrifice rituals for purification) have been found around the Vatican, dating from the 2nd–4th centuries AD. These finds help localize the sanctuary, although none were found in situ. Two provincial inscriptions from Lyon and Kastel (near Mainz) refer to sanctuaries named Vaticanum or Mons Vaticanus, modeled on the Roman original, indicating its prestige. The name Vaticanum in ancient Rome referred to a specific area, which included parts of today’s Vatican. The term also came to indicate the sanctuary itself, as seen in sources like the Historia Augusta, which recounts a procession with elephants by Emperor Elagabalus inside the sanctuary. Some dedications distinguish the Transtiberine Magna Mater (in the Vatican area) from the Palatine Magna Mater on the Palatine Hill, both with their own cultic traditions. Dating the sanctuary is difficult. The oldest related inscription is from 160 AD, implying the Vatican sanctuary predates that. Some theories place its foundation in the time of Claudius, but there's no solid evidence. Hypotheses linking it to the Circus of Caligula or identifying it with the Rotonda of St. Andrew are considered speculative and weakly supported. The Frigianum appears in the Regionary Catalogues alongside the Gaianum, a space possibly tied to the cult of the Earth goddess Gaia. The Gaianum may have hosted initiation rites during the Magna Mater festival cycle. The final phase of the sanctuary is tied to the Christianization of Rome. The last taurobolic altar dates to 390 AD. A gap in dedications (c. 319–350 AD) might reflect a hiatus due to Constantine’s construction of St. Peter’s Basilica, possibly incompatible with pagan rituals. A short revival under the usurper Magnentius ended definitively with Theodosius I’s ban on pagan cults in the 390s.