London Mithraeum: A Hidden Roman Temple Under The City

Between Queen Victoria Street and Walbrook in the City of London, you will find the ultra-modern; Bloomberg European HQ.

Underneath all the glass and steel however, 7 metres below street level, is an ancient archaeological wonder: the Roman Temple of Mithras.

This ruined Roman temple, otherwise known as the London Mithraeum, is probably the most important Roman archaeological find in London’s history and it is free to visit.

The Temple of Mithras: History

The Romans established Londinium in around 50AD and occupied the country until around 400AD. The most visible reminder of this period are the remains of the Roman city wall. You can read my Roman wall walk here.

But for this post we are heading underground…

A Temple was built on the site in around 240AD on the banks of the, now buried, River Walbrook that once flowed through the heart of the Roman city.

The temple was a Mithraeum, dedicated to the god Mithras. He was a pagan deity, possibly of Persian origin and is most commonly depicted killing a divine bull in a cave, an image known as ‘Tauroctony’.

Worshippers here were members of an all-male cult. They would meet in underground, ‘cave-like’ temples and carried out initiation rituals. The initiated were known as ‘syndexioi’, roughly translating from the Latin for ‘united by the handshake’.

Mithraism became extremely widespread in the Roman Empire, possibly due to its popularity amongst Roman soldiers. It is even considered by some to be an early contender with Christianity.

When Londinium was abandoned by the Romans, the temple was buried, lost and forgotten.

Rediscovery

In 1954, as London was being rebuilt after the Second World War, the temple was rediscovered amongst the rubble. At first it was assumed to be an early Christian church, but it quickly became clear this was not the case.

On the very last day of the dig a sculpted head of Mithras was discovered, confirming the site’s identity as a Mithraeum.

As the site was due to be built over, the remains were reconstructed 90 yards away, above ground and that is how it stayed for around 60 years.

In 2012, when Bloomberg purchased the original site to build their European HQ, they promised to put the remains back in its original position and layout.

The Temple Today

The temple is now displayed as part of a brilliant, free exhibition under the Bloomberg Building.

You are taken into the large, dark room in groups and can faintly see the ruins in the shadows…

Lights, dry ice and sounds are all used to create a mysterious and ethereal atmosphere. For example, you will hear chants, consisting of Latin words taken from contemporaneous graffiti on a wall of a Mithraeum in Rome.

All combine to create a unique experience and a very interesting way to encounter history.

Archaelogical Finds

Before or after the ruins, you can see a wall of fascinating finds from the archaeological dig.

It really brings Roman Londoners and potential Mithras worshippers to life. Here are three of my favourites:

This is part of a wooden door (43-100AD). The anaerobic conditions of the soil here due to the Walbrook River meant that wood and leather items were unusually well preserved. You cannot help but wonder what room this door would have led to and who would have used it over the years.

This is a lead bull plaque (43-125AD). It most likely represents the astrological sign Taurus. The sign of the bull was an important one to worshippers of Mithras. This plaque actually predates the Mithraeum, which suggests there could have been an even earlier temple on this site.

Finally, this is a set of weights and balances (43-170AD). These would have been used by Roman merchants and craftsmen to weigh their goods. The figure of Mercury, god of commerce, is portrayed on one of the weights.

How to Visit

I hope I have persuaded you to visit the Mithraeum because it is so worth doing.

The exhibition is totally free but you have to pre-book a timeslot. You can do so here.

It is open 10am-6pm Tuesday-Saturday and 12-5pm on Sundays.

More London history below!