Among the many gods and goddesses charged with protecting the ancient city of Rome was Vesta, the goddess of house and hearth. Every Roman family worshiped Vesta in their home, and early on in Roman history, a king named Numa decreed that the city of Rome, like a family, would honor Vesta by building a temple to her in the Roman Forum.
Because Vesta was the goddess of the hearth, her temple housed a flame that was always kept burning thanks to the careful care of Rome’s most important women, the Vestal Virgins, who lived nearby. Just as Romans considered women the caretakers of the home, the Vestal Virgins were considered to be special guardians of the state, watching carefully to insure that the fire burned at all times.
Now the Temple of Vesta is in ruins and the house of the Vestal Virgins is nothing more than a must-see on every tourist itinerary. But the spirit of Vesta lives on. Yesterday, 21 April 2007, Rome celebrated its 2760th birthday and among those present at the party were modern-day Vestal Virgins who rekindled the sacred fire (never mind they were standing in front of the Temple of Hercules when they did so – it’s the thought that counts).
Certainly the goddess was pleased by the observation of her rituals, but if truth be told she’s not in Rome much these days. Vesta’s taken her home fire to the Venetian lagoon. Since 2001 the deity has been the CEO of Venice’s waste management and environmental services company, having decided to extend her homemaking influence beyond the bounds of the Eterna in an effort to keep La Serenissima fresh and clean.
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