vestal virgins en

Priestesses in ancient Roman religion who tended the state cult of Vesta, the goddess of the hearth; the cult existed from ca. 7th century BCE until it was banned in 394 CE by Theodosius I. Each vestal virgin served for 30 years, during which time she remained chaste and tended to the rituals of the temple, such as tending the perpetual fire in the Temple of Vesta, fetching water from a sacred spring, preparing ritual food, and officiating at the annual Vestalia festival. The virgins lived in the House of the Vestal Virgins on the Roman Forum, near the Temple of Vesta.