Sacred Grove

The Romans had many words for woods but 'lucus' was reserved for a sacred grove, a circular garden of trees used for prayer, worship, contemplation and remembrance. Trees were planted as a memorial to the dead or dedicated to a particular local deity. The grove was an outdoor temple and a connection between humans, nature and divinity. They were also sometimes home to statues, shrines and even the tombs of loved ones. Augustus, for example, planted a grove to commemorate the loss of his two grandchildren. Found throughout the Empire, groves were an important part of the religious landscape where rituals could be carried out. A famous grove of oak trees was used by the Vestal Virgins of Rome until it was burned to the ground in the Great Fire of AD64.