Draft:TEMPLVM Project

• Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest guideline, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. Atellus (talk) 15:58, 25 May 2026 (UTC)

The TEMPLVM Project, or simply TEMPLVM, is an international Roman Reconstructionist organisation centred around the traditions of the Ancient Roman religion. With members from 30 countries around the world, the organisation itself is based in Poltava, Ukraine, and Toronto, Canada, and focuses on re-establishing the public, active religious practices of the religious Traditions of Ancient Rome. The organisation uses written historical sources in order to recreate as many aspects of Roman religion as accurately as possible.^[1]

The organisation’s centre is the Temple of Jupiter, the first public Roman temple since Classical Antiquity ^[2] , and serves as a centre of public, collective worship for practitioners of Roman religion. Its ultimate aim is to restore the Pax Deorum - the Roman concept of peace through divine favour.

The TEMPLVM Project was founded in 2009, by a small group of members from the organisation Nova Roma and their associates.^[3] It was born out of a need for ritually pure sacred grounds where Roman religious tradition could be properly practiced. The founders believe that the performance of traditional Roman rites in other places, such as open-air museum grounds, historical ruins or unconsecrated buildings are unsuitable and spiritually invalid.

The TEMPLVM Project, therefore, aimed to establish a formally consecrated templum - a type of sacred, formally designated space, using information from historical sources and following ancient, defined procedures. Believing that collective, public worship is the foundation of Roman tradition, the site today is host to over 60 altars dedicated to different deities, including Fortuna, and both the Archaic and Capitoline Triads. Offerings of libum cakes and wine are given at these altars at the request of members, patrons and worshippers from around the world, and performed in accordance with ancient tradition.^[4]

The first altar that was built and consecrated in the templum (defined and ritually purified sacred ground) established on private property, was dedicated to Jupiter Perunus. In 2010 another, larger templum was dedicated, and this sacred ground was again expanded in 2011, now measuring 12x24m, and containing a temple building also dedicated to Jupiter.^[5] The building itself has been steadily improved on and decorated over the years. In accordance with the Interpretatio Romana, Jupiter's name is syncretised with the Slavic God of Thunder, Perun, stylised as IVPPITER PERVNVS on the entrance to the temple building.

In September 2011, a group of Russian Orthodox Christians broke into the TEMPLVM grounds, assaulted the priest and left graffiti inside the grounds. ^[6] There was no lasting damage, and the priest made a full recovery. The attack was conducted before the Temple building had been erected, and thus could not have been damaged.^[7]

Following the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine, the Templvm Project continues to operate despite new challenges and logistic problems caused by the Russian invasion. At the initial outbreak of the invasion, prominent members of the Templvm Project helped co-ordinate refugee evacuations, with at least one sustaining injuries in the process.^[8]