This catalogue contains the photographic collection of Santa Prisca and its underlying Mythraeum, made by Anton van Munster.
Santa Prisca and its Mithraeum A photographic collection mady by Anton van Munster
Anton van Munster and Santa Prisca Anton van Munster was a well-known Dutch cinematographer, especially known for the work he created with director Bert Haanstra. As with so many other Dutch artists in past and present, the pathway of Van Munster led to Rome. He studied at the “Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia” in Rome and for some time he actually lived at the Dutch Institute. Santa Prisca is a medieval church standing on the Aventine hill in Rome. The church is not well-known among tourists, although it is a very interesting place. Due to excavations by Augustinian Fathers in 1934 a Mithraeum was found below the church. During the 1950’s these excavations were continued under Dutch supervision, with the permission of several Italian professors and institutions.[1] Van Munster, then still a student at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, made pictures of the excavations in the winter of 1960-1961. The library of the Royal Dutch Institute in Rome has a complete set of copies of those pictures. They are one of a kind and give insight in the excavations back then, as the mithraeum is now unfortunately only rarely open to the public. If you wish to use the pictures, please contact the library. We would like to thank the family of Anton van Munster for their permission to use this documentation. [1] Professor Dr. Salvatore Aurigemma, Professor Dr. Pietro Romanelli, Professor Dr. Renato Bartocini, Professor r. Giulio Iacopi, Direzione Generale delle Antichità e Belle Arti and the Consiglio Superiore dell Antichità e Belle Arti. See Vermaseren M.J. and C.C. van Essen, The excavations in the mithraeum of the church of santa prisca in Rome (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1965), IX.
1. Tablet with sponsors
2. Facade of the church
3. Streetview: chuch and surrounding houses
4. Back of the church with surrounding houses
5. Back of the church
6. Buttresses in the outer wall
7. Outer wall windows
8. Outer wall
9. Outer wall
10. Outer wall
11. Outer structure
12. Courtyard
13. Entrance to courtyard
14. Entrance to courtyard
15. Wall with label and pipe
16. Gallery in the Santa Prisca
17. Altar
18. Entrance
19. Gallery
20. Capitel
21. Altar
22. Bronze figurines
23. Passageway with fresco’s in the lower church
24. The altar in the lower church
25. The altar in the lower church
26. Passageway with fresco’s in the lower church
27. Passageway
28. Part of the original floor level
29. View into lower parts of the church
30. Part of the original wall
31. Space in the lower church
32. Passageway
33. Part of the lower church
34. Ceiling
35. Wall
36. Passage
37. Upper part of passage
38. Entrance
39. Space
40. Entrance
41. passageway
42. Passageway
43. Shark-fin shaped space
44. arch
45. Bipedalis with brickstamp
46. Mithraeum of Santa Prisca
47. Mithraeum of Santa Prisca
48. Mithraeum of Santa Prisca
49. Mithraeum of Santa Prisca
50. Mithraeum of Santa Prisca
51. Mithraeum of Santa Prisca
52. Mithraeum of Santa Prisca
53. Mithraeum of Santa Prisca
54. Mithraeum of Santa Prisca
55. Circular structure
56. Mosaic floor
57. Four tablets with engravings or brickstamps
58. Column
59. Column
60. Mithraeum of Santa Prisca
61. Mithraeum of Santa Prisca
62. Mithraeum of Santa Prisca
63. Mithraeum of Santa Prisca
64. Mithraeum of Santa Prisca
65. Passageway
66. Inscribed tablet
67. Inscribed tablet
68. Relief of a woman
69. Display of reliefs and pottery
70. Head of a man
71. Sculpture of a headless body
72. Untitled
73. Head of a woman
74. Head of a woman
75. Display of sculptures and pottery
76. Display of pottery
77. Display
78. Head of a woman
79. Display
80. Display
81. Display room
82. Tablet
83. Fresco
84. Fresco: figure with halo
85. Fresco: four men carrying objects, projected in the same direction
86. Fresco
87. Fresco of mythological figure
88. Inscription
89. Pottery
90. Pottery
91. Detail of building element
92. Small square-formed space
93. Pottery in ceiling
94. Mithraeum of Santa Prisca
95. Drain
96. Wall
97. Construction
98. Small passageway with potterysherds
99. Pipes under the floor level
100. Inscription
101. A built-in piece of pottery
102. Carved image of a male head
Via Omero 10/12 Roma 00197 Italy