Domus do Mitreo

Opened in 2018 and managed by the University of Santiago de Compostela, the Domus do Mitreo museum occupies a building constructed around an extraordinary archaeological find: a Roman town house that was later adapted as a Mithraeum, one of the underground sanctuaries used by followers of the secretive Mithraic mystery cult during the late Empire. These are rare finds anywhere; in Galicia, it's unique.

The museum displays Roman archaeological materials including ceramics, glassware, coins, and epigraphic inscriptions alongside the exposed structural remains in situ. The building itself sits just inside the Roman walls, adding to the concentration of Roman heritage in this corner of the old town. The entrance is free for many visitors, and the museum is small enough to cover in under an hour — an excellent addition to the day after visiting the Provincial Museum and the Cathedral.

things to do museum sight
A story
When builders broke ground for a private residence in Lugo, archaeologists found the remains of a Roman domus that had been partially converted into a Mithraeum — a secret underground temple for the cult of Mithras — during the late Roman Empire. The building's architects had to redesign the entire project around the discovery. The underground cult spaces are now the centrepiece of the museum.