The Sanctuary of
Aphrodite-Venus
The extra-urban Sanctuary of Aphrodite-Venus is located just beyond the southern stretch of Paestum’s city walls, in the area of Santa Venera, across the Capodifiume stream and along the road to Agropoli. The sanctuary was in continuous use for nearly a thousand years—from the founding of Poseidonia through to Late Antiquity—and was dedicated to the eastern cult of Aphrodite Urania, goddess of life and death. It was a sacred place for female rites of passage and, particularly during the Roman period, is known to have been associated with sacred prostitution.
Today, the ancient sanctuary is not fully visible, as part of the site lies beneath the buildings of the former Cirio factory, a tomato-processing plant constructed in the early 1900s. However, the remains of several monuments behind the industrial structure can still be seen, thanks to excavations that began in the 1950s. Significant archaeological work was carried out in the 1980s by a joint mission from the Universities of Michigan and Perugia, providing essential insight into the history of the site.
A major redevelopment project is now underway to transform the former Cirio factory into a modern cultural centre and create a new entrance to the archaeological park.
The History of the Santa Venera Archaeological Area
The history of this sacred site begins with the founding of the Greek colony of Poseidonia. The first monumental development of the sanctuary took place between 500 and 480 BC, when the three main buildings were constructed around which the worship and religious rites of the Greek-Lucanian period were performed.
These included the Oikos—the main cult building dedicated to the goddess, featuring a distinctive floor plan with a circle inscribed within a rectangle; the Rectangular Hall—a large building used for collective rituals; and the smaller South Building, which served as a resting place and shelter for worshippers. The sanctuary was accessed through a monumental entrance gate located just beyond the stream.
With the establishment of the Latin colony in 273 BC, the appearance of the Santa Venera sanctuary changed very little, except for the name of the deity at the heart of the cult, who became known as Venus Iovis. Major architectural transformations occurred during the late Republic and again between the late Augustan period and the early Tiberian age, thanks to two related Roman matrons who served as priestesses of the goddess.
Inscriptions found during excavations reveal that one matron, Sabina, funded the restoration of the Oikos, while her niece, Valeria, not only restored many of the buildings but also expanded the sanctuary and added new structures, including a kitchen and the strongyla—low, circular-plan niches used for the ritual bathing of young girls from Paestum as they transitioned into womanhood.
Rites of Passage at the Sanctuary
At the suburban sanctuary of Santa Venera, rites of passage were held for young girls approaching marriage. Like Aphrodite “born from the waters” the girls would bathe in the Capodifiume stream after experiencing their first menstruation. This ritual bathing served to signal, first to the community of women and then to their families, that the girls had reached reproductive maturity and were ready for marriage.
In addition, the large number of service areas within the sanctuary suggests the presence of a significant population of enslaved individuals.Given the characteristics of the cult devoted to Aphrodite-Venus, these individuals were likely involved in hieroduly—sacred prostitution, a practice also attested at other sanctuaries of the goddess throughout the Mediterranean.
I Parchi archeologici di Paestum e Velia sono un istituto del Ministero della Cultura dotato di autonomia speciale, iscritto dal 1998 nella lista del patrimonio mondiale UNESCO.
The Archaeological Parks of Paestum and Velia; an institute of the Ministry of Culture, with special autonomy and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.
