🗿 Bas-relief mithriaque
Roman Mithraic carved relief in southern France
📌 Fast Facts
- 3rd century AD rock-cut relief carved into limestone
- Depicts Mithras sacrificing a bull, central to Mithraic mythology
- Located in the Vallon de Tourne near Bourg-Saint-Andéol
- Classified as a Monument Historique by the French Ministry of Culture
The Bas-relief mithriaque is a low-relief sculpture carved directly into the limestone rock face in the Vallon de Tourne near Bourg-Saint-Andéol in southern France. Dating to the 3rd century AD, it depicts the central scene of Mithraic mythology: the god Mithras, associated with light and justice, sacrificing a bull. The composition includes symbolic elements—a dog, snake, scorpion, and representations of the sun and moon—characteristic of Mithraic iconography. A three-line inscription at the ...