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Reconstruction of the Temple of Venus in Pompeii.
This was the temple of the goddess to whom Silla dedicated the colony in calling it Cornelia Veneria Pompeianorum. The building, made entirely of marble, was situated in the part of the town with the best view out to sea and was clearly visible to ships. Little of the temple now remains as a result of the damage it suffered in the earthquake of 62 A.D. and also because it was stripped of its marble after the eruption of 79 A.D.
The Temple of Venus was closed off by a high wall and could be reached by the entrance in the north eastern corner on Via Marina. The temple stood on a podium measuring approximately 30 metres by 15 metres and was surrounded by a portico with two rows of columns on the longer sides and one row on the northern wall. The eastern side of the temple was embellished by two pedestals with statues and provided access to the houses at the foot of the slope where the priests of Venus probably lived.
The cult of Venus at Pompeii is important because the goddess is the protector of the town. When Pompeii became a Roman colony, it was called Pompeii Colonia Veneria Cornelia Pompeianorum, by the name of Lucius Cornelius Silla, its conqueror and by the name of Venus, its patron. The temple of Venus was the most important of the town. It was built by Silla, and then, expanded and covered with precious stones, was still undergoing a reconstruction in 79 AD, at the time of the eruption of Vesuvius. If it had been completed, the temple, with its magnificent arcades, became the most monumental of Pompeii. Worship of the goddess is also witnessed by the numerous statues and depictions that are painted inside homes. In a scene painted in the peristyle of the House of Venus, for example, the goddess enthroned on a large shell, with the blue sea in the background. She holds with her hand the veil inflated by the wind, boasts an elaborate hairstyle and wearing only her jewellery: a tiara, a necklace, bracelets and anklets. On both sides of the shell are two cupids, one of them riding a dolphin.