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House of the Wooden Sacellum (Casa del tramezzo di legno) (Herculaneum)

The house with a Wooden Sacellum or wooden sanctuary was named after a small casket or Cabinet found during excavations. A house with a wooden sanctuary stands on Cardo IV street. It is located north of the House of the Great Portal. The house was named in honor of the charred sanctuary, found here. This wooden sanctuary was made in the form of a temple, and inside it were located statuettes of deities or geniuses who protect the family of this house. The sanctuary itself stood on another wooden Cabinet. Inside it, archaeologists found many household items, including buttons, a bowl of garlic (possibly to ward off evil spirits) and perfume bottles. The house itself, with its wooden sanctuary, also has frescoes on the walls, indicating the wealth of the former owners.

The corridor (a) of the house with a wooden sanctuary opens from the West side of Cardo IV street, leads to a square atrium (b) or living room with a Central imluvium-a pool and two stairs that led up to the private rooms of the owner of the house. A staircase led to two separate upper floors: one to the rooms on the street side and one to the rooms behind the atrium at the back of the building. In this part was located the family dining room kenaculum (cenaculum). Apparently, the people who lived here were quite private and loved the comfort of family. Usually the dining rooms were located on the first floor in a traditional Roman house. The atrium has rooms only on the East and West sides. Like many houses in Herculaneum, The house with its wooden sanctuary was cut by tunnels from the time of the Bourbon rule. Today, some of these holes have been repaired, but traces are visible in the atrium wall.

The small room (c) (apparently for servants) has a niche under the stairs and is decorated in a simple style. Room (d) on the opposite side of the corridor is a bedroom with a simple finish and a partially vaulted ceiling.