London Mithraeum

I have written about many countries around the world which I have visited over the years. There are many more countries and places to write about which I am sure I will as it is one of the best ways to relive the wonderful experiences. But this month I thought of writing about an exceptional place located in the city of London. I have visited this place quite a few years back and found it fascinating. It is considered as one of the most famous Roman finds in the city of London.

Right in the heart of the city of London on Walbrook, lies the London Mithraeum also known as the Temple of Mithras. This is a Roman Mithraeum, a temple dedicated to the Mithras God. Roman God Mithras was originally a Persian god and adopted by the Roman as their own around first century AD. As per legend, Mithras was born in a cave from a rock and possessed extreme strength and courage. Roman soldiers practiced a religion called the Mysteries of Mithras and are thought to be have built this temple around 2nd century AD in Londinium, the capital of Roman England at that time.

The Temple of Mithras was built into the ground to give it a cave like atmosphere on the banks of the now underground River Walbrook which was a source of fresh water in Londinium. The layout of the temple is what we see in most temples with a central nave, aisles and columns.

The temple was discovered during the post war reconstruction of London in 1954 while the site was being excavated to build a modern multi-story building Bucklersbury House to house the Legal & General office. The construction work was stopped to allow the experts from Museum of London to investigate the site who confirmed it was a temple of Roman origins. The excavation was carried out by the then director of the Museum of London W.F. Grimes and Welsh archaeologist Audrey Williams. 

To allow the construction to progress, and to preserve the significant archeological find, the entire site was relocated about 100 meters to Temple Court, Queen Victoria Street. In 1962 the dismantled parts were reassembled and an open-air public display was set up. It remained here until a plan to return the Mithraeum to its original site was drawn up in 2007 after the demolition of Bucklersbury House and some other buildings to allow the redevelopment of Walbrook Square. 

Nothing progressed much on this until the Walbrook Square was purchased by the Bloomberg company in 2010 and they decided to work with the Museum of London to restore the Temple of Mithras to its original glory as part of their new European headquarters.

During the construction work at Walbrook Square between 2010 and 2014, a team of 50 archaeologists from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) did further excavations on the site. They recovered more than 14,000 artefacts from leather shoes, tablets to tools. Also found were sherds of Roman pottery and about three tonnes of animal bones. One of the tablets dated AD 57 has the oldest financial document from London and also found were two addresses considered one of the earliest mentions of London from AD 62 and AD 70. 

It is now possible to see and experience the remains of the Temple of Mithras which is currently situated on the site of Bloomberg’s European headquarters. As you descend down to the Mezzanine level, you’ll experience the last days of Roman Britain about AD 410. The exhibition space showcases the reconstructed ancient temple, a selection of over 600 Roman artefacts found from the excavations. 

Descending from the Mezzanine floor at about 7 meters (23 ft) below the street level you’ll find the reconstructed Temple of Mithras. To preserve parts of the walls which were discovered in the latest excavations and considered very fragile, the reconstructed temple was moved a little to the west of its original position. 

The entire area of the Temple has been reconstructed as they were found at the end of the excavation in October 1954. This reflects the first building phase of the temple around AD 240. A lot of the bricks and stones in the exhibition space are original. The mortar used to reconstruct were based on mortar samples from contemporary Roman London structures. 

The light and the sound of footsteps, chanting and secret whispers in the space creates an atmosphere of mystery as you explore the area. It will transport you back to AD 240 to the Roman cult of Mithras who used to meet at this very site.

You are likely to enjoy the visit to this Roman site beneath the hustle of bustle of city of London over which you might walked many times.

HELPFUL HINTS

• You can visit the London Mithraeum free but must book your visit in advance here https://www.londonmithraeum.com
• It takes about an hour and a half to explore the entire site.
• Since the entire site is located underground there is no need to worry about the weather.

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