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Monumentum

Eros and Psyche

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

    Eros leading Psyche from the Mitreo di Capua Vetere.
    Mihr* 

  • Eros leading Psyche from the Mitreo di Capua Vetere.

    Eros leading Psyche from the Mitreo di Capua Vetere.
    The New Mithraeum / Andreu Abuín (CC BY-SA) 

 
 
The New Mithraeum
18 Jul 2009
Updated on Jan 2022
 

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White marble relief inserted above a water basin in the podium's Mithraeum. The relief which was carefully framed with a red border, represents a nude winged child Eros with a flaming torch in his outstretched left hand. With his right hand he takes Psyche under one arm to lead her away. She is wearing a long diaphanous dress the hem of which she is holding in her right hand. She has on her shoulders delicate wings like those of a butterfly.

It is remarkable that a marble group of Eros and Phyche has been found in the Iseum at Savaria also. This means that in the Mithraic and Isaic mysteri…

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.

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.

 

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.

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.

 

Aion fresco of Caputa Vetere

Minto has claimed that the time god Aion was painted on the corner of the north wall of the Mitreo de Santa Capua Vetere.

Prostrate figure fresco of Capua Vetere

Representation of a person lying prostrate on the ground between two other walking figures on the Mitreo of Santa Capua Vetere.