Caverna del Dio Mithra

Grotta del Mitreo - Mithra's Cave

Useful Information

Location:	Near Duino. From the Timavo spring and the church San Giovanni in Tuba follow SS14 2 km towards Duino. At the crossing at the city limits of Duino turn left, at the doors of the barracks of the Forest Service turn left again. The cave is immediately before the underpass of the freeway.
Open:	All year Thu 9-11. [2006]
Fee:	free. [2006]
Classification:	Karst cave Mithras Grotto
Light:	not necessary.
Dimension:	L=12 m, W=6 m.
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Cultural Heritage Office of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, Grotta del Mitreo (Grotta del Dio Mithra), Via Duino, 34011 Duino-Aurisina TS, Tel: +39-040-43631.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1963	rediscovered by speleologists of the CGEB.
1976	first archaeological excavations.

Description

The Caverna del Dio Mithra is a small cave known to man for many thousand years. It was the place of a Mithras temple during the times of the Roman empire. During excavations two Mithras reliefs were discovered.

The cave starts with a huge pit, an entrance doline with a diameter of six meters. A small stair was cut into the south western wall leading down to the floor of the cave. The cave itself is a huge domed chamber, about six meters wide and twelve meters long.

The temple consisted of a altar at the far end, with a Mithras relief. Two parallel stone benches provided seats for the believers. It is typical for the Mithras cult to worship underground, either in natural or artificial caves. Later, when the Romans became Christians, the cult was practised secretly in this cave. Finally the cave was forgotten and rediscovered by chance in 1963.