Jajce Mithraeum, Roman mithraeum in Jajce, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Jajce Mithraeum is a Roman temple featuring underground chambers and stone carvings from ancient times. The structure displays religious devotion to a deity that traveled from the eastern world to Rome.
The spelaea was cut into the rock in the early 4th century, though it may date to the 2nd century and was repaired in the early 4th. Mithraism reached the Roman provinces through soldiers, merchants and slaves from the East. The remains were found by chance in 1931 during excavation for a private house, and the Society for the Preservation of Antiquities in Jajce bought the site.
The temple served as a sanctuary for soldiers and merchants who followed an eastern deity whose worship spread rapidly through the Roman world. The underground chambers show how people practiced their religious beliefs in secret.
The site is protected by glass barriers to preserve the ancient structures. Visitors should contact the Ethnological Museum of Jajce beforehand to arrange access.
The finds from the temple include a statuette of Cautopates, a relief of Mithras slaying the bull set into a niche, and 16 coins from Trajan to the Constantinian dynasty. All objects found on the site are displayed inside the protective structure.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,512 contributors worldwide.
