The Cult Spaces of Villa Cuomo
- Robyn C
- Jun 1
- 2 min read
On May 30th 2025, Villa Cuomo was opened to the public for the day to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the commune of Sant'Antonio Abate, which showcased the cult spaces of the villa. Excavated in 1975, the Villa is located in ancient Stabiae, southeast of Pompeii. It is described as a "rustic" Villa, consisting of several service rooms located around a central courtyard.
While only partially excavated, the Villa is home to at least two cult spaces. The first takes the form of a shrine with an arched niche surrounded by a simple red and black painted aedicula facade. Below the niche sat a simple moulded architrave. The shrine was further outlined by a thick black line. No further wall decoration appears to have survived in the wider room. It appears to be situated above a basic wellhead/puteal.
Excavated last year was another shrine depicting the Villa's close association with wine production. This shrine consists of a central arched niche with flanking wall paintings and a robust altar below. Limited images of the shrine indicate that the interior of the niche was fully painted, featuring a yellow, green, and cream background with numerous garlands. A central head, presumably of a deity, can be seen a the top of the back wall. The opening of the niche was outlined by a repeating pattern of red triangles, further bordered by overlapping grape vines (which appear to replace the usual aedicula facade). Above, another head and various objects can be seen hanging from a thin garland. The area below the niche appears not to have been fully excavated, but shows the focus of an altar, with thick pulvini. The entire shrine appears to be outlined by a thin red line.
On the left is a depiction of the god Bacchus/Dionysus leaning against a pillar, half-nude, with another fully robed masculine figure on his right. The god holds his kantharos sideways, with a thin line of wine flowing from the cup. In similar scenes elsewhere, Bacchus is depicted pouring wine into the mouth of his panther, and it is possible that this is the case for this scene as well (just not visible in the available images).
The wall paintings of the right side of the niche depict a group of nude men carrying out wine making (stomping on grapes, carrying baskest etc). A green line divides this section of wall painting from the unexcavated lower panel below.
The villa is currently being restored, which will hopefully bring to light more information about and more images of these cult spaces. News concerning the Villa is often published on the Soprintendenza ABAP per l’Area Metropolitana di Napoli's Facebook page.
Comentários