Sacra (ancient Rome)

In ancient Roman religion, sacra (Latin, neuter plural, "sacred [matters]") were thel transactions relating to the worship of the gods, especially sacrifice and prayer. They are either sacra privata or publica. The former were undertaken on behalf of the individual by himself, on behalf of the family by the pater familias, or on behalf of the gens by the whole body of the people.

Sacra privata

The centre of the domestic service of the gods is formed by the worship of the Penates and Lares. In particular cases recourse was also had to certain specified deities. Besides this, private sacra were attached to particular families; these passed to the heir with the succession and became a burden on him. Hence an inheritance without sacra [hereditas sine sacris] proverbially signified an unimpaired piece of good fortune. If a patrician wished to become a plebian he had to renounce his familial sacra, his gens and his curia. As the family had sacra, so also had the gens, which had arisen out of the family by expansion. These were performed by a sacrificial priest flamen appointed from among the gentiles, the celebration taking place in his own house or in a special sacellum in the presence of the assembled gentiles.

Sacra publica

The sacra publico were undertaken pro populo, i.e., collectively, (1) by the curia, pagi, or vici, into which the community was divided, whence such sacrifices were called sacra popularia; or (2) by the individual gentes and societies, i.e., the sodalitas, to which the superintendence of a particular cult had been committed by the State; or (3) by the magistrates and priests of the Roman State. The sacra of the gentes were with few exceptions performed in public, though the multitude present remained silent spectators; only in a few cases they took part in the procession to the place of worship or in the sacrificial feast.

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