"Mille dea est operum [...] ingeniosa dea est." (Ov. Fasti, III, 833, 840)

Tuesday, 3 May 2016

On Tuesday morning, our student group travelled to the Sanctuary of Minerva in Spinera (Breno, Cividate Camuno). There, we immersed ourselves in the history of the sanctuary under expert guidance.

Located directly on the eastern bank of the River Oglio, the Minerva sanctuary was built on a rocky outcrop and was integrated into the natural surroundings.

The site has served as a place of worship for the Camunni, the inhabitants of Valcamonica, since the Iron Age. Archaeologists have found a sacrificial shrine and a burnt offering place from that time. From the very beginning, water seems to have played a major role in the cult practised there in honour of a presumably female deity.

In the course of the Roman conquest of the Camunnian area in the early 1st century AD, a Roman temple was built on the site of the former sanctuary, which was renovated in the Flavian period. The temple was dedicated to the Roman goddess Minerva. She was considered the goddess of craftsmanship, trade, wisdom, art and tactical warfare. However, Minerva Spinera was primarily the Roman interpretation of a native deity who was closely associated with the worship of water. Minerva Spinera was therefore believed to have healing powers. Ritual baths were probably practised as part of the cult.

The sanctuary consisted of several rooms that were built right up to the rock. The sides were flanked by porticoes. The courtyard of the temple ran towards the river and was bordered by it. A short staircase led up from the courtyard to the main room of the slightly elevated temple.

The interior of the temple was decorated with mosaic floors and frescoes on the walls, while a series of water basins and fountains were located in the side rooms, emphasising the cult's close connection to water. The floor of the main room was decorated with a black and white tile mosaic, in which images of branches and dolphins were incorporated. The statue of Minerva stood in this room. This statue was a Roman copy of a Greek original from the 5th century B.C. It was made of Pentelic marble.

In the 4th century AD, the progressive Christianisation of Valcamonica led to the end of the Minerva cult in this geographical area. The sanctuary was destroyed by fire. After the memory of the temple had all but died out - a bridge near the sanctuary is still referred to as the Bridge of Minerva by the local population - its remains were rediscovered in 1986 during excavation work.

The remains of the sanctuary have been open to the public as an open-air museum since 29 September 2007. While visitors can see a copy of the Minerva Spinera in the open-air museum, the original is on display in the archaeological museum of Cividate Camuno. Parts of the small archaeological finds from the temple, such as votive offerings to Minerva, can also be viewed there.