The Villa of the Mysteries is a well-preserved suburban ancient Roman villa on the outskirts of Pompeii, southern Italy. It is famous for the series of exquisite frescos in Room 5, which are usually interpreted as showing the initiation of a bride into a Greco-Roman mystery cult. These are now among the best known of the relatively rare survivals of Ancient Roman painting from the 1st century BC.
Villa of the Mysteries
Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii seen from above
Cast of girl found at the entrance to the Villa
The first fresco depicting the reading of the rituals of the bridal mysteries
A Roman villa was typically a farmhouse or country house in the territory of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, sometimes reaching extravagant proportions.
Villa Poppaea at Oplontis (c. 50 BC)
Villa Regina, Boscoreale
Villa of the Mysteries, Pompeii
Entrance to the Villa San Marco, Stabiae