THE STRUCTURE OF THE MITHRAEUM

A mithraeum was quite different from most other temples. Rectangular in shape, it was often incorporated into existing buildings, whether public or private, but could also be built in actual caves or, more rarely, on virgin soil. This is indeed the case at the site at Les Bolards.

Most known mithraea are semi-buried or arranged in a cellar, out of sight. Their small size indicates they only received a limited number of faithful. In the majority of cases, they also included annexes which were used to prepare meals or store vases and utensils. These temples were financed by cult members; the décor and furniture varied from one mithraeum to another depending on the wealth of its community.

Before entering the central room, the initiated would pass through a sort of fairly neutral antechamber; this provided space to transition from the outside world into the heart of the temple. In one corner there would be a little room, the apparatorium, where the faithful would don robes according to their grade.

They would then go down a few steps into the crypt, called the spelaeum, where the ceremony would take place. Benches would be set out along a central aisle for ritual meals. All this was under a vaulted ceiling – sometimes decorated to resemble a starry sky – in order to symbolise the lair in which Mithras sacrificed the bull.

The faithful’s gaze would immediately be drawn to the back of the room, where there would be a depiction of the tauroctony, generally placed in a niche or on a podium behind the altars.

Oil lamps would be dotted around the spelaeum, or brought together to form a sort of chandelier, creating a light display in the half-darkness. The scents and perfumes diffused (incense and myrrh for instance) would lend the mithraea a particular and almost theatrical atmosphere, enabling worshippers to immerse themselves fully in the world of Mithras.

The interior decoration of the mithraeum at Les Bolards is poorly documented. The few tesserae and the numerous fragments of painted plaster are insufficient for us to create an accurate reconstruction. However, those decorative elements that have been found suggest it was richly decorated with materials such as marble from Italy or the East.