London Mithraeum, Roman temple in City of London, United Kingdom.
The London Mithraeum is an underground Roman sanctuary in the City of London that lies beneath the Bloomberg headquarters and preserves a rectangular stone worship chamber. The space shows the architectural structure of a temple dedicated to the Persian god and rests more than 20 feet (7 meters) below today's street level.
Construction workers discovered the remains in 1954 during demolition work after World War II and uncovered a temple from the third century AD. The worship site was later moved to a different location and only returned to its original place in 2017.
The sanctuary displays stone reliefs and altars that offer insight into the secret rituals practiced by Roman followers of this eastern mystery religion. Visitors today see original objects used during ceremonies that reveal the spiritual importance of the cult for soldiers and merchants.
Access is through the ground floor of the Bloomberg building near Bank underground station and requires a free reservation in advance. The rooms are open on weekdays and offer short guided tours that use light and sound effects to recreate the ancient atmosphere.
Excavations brought to light a marble statue of the Egyptian god Serapis that shows how different religious traditions coexisted in Londinium. The find suggests that the place may have been used for multiple cults before it served as a purely Mithraic temple.
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