Rex sacrorum

The Rex Sacrorum ( Latin for " holy king "), even Sacrificulus Rex ( Latin for " victims king" ), was one of the highest Roman priest. When the Romans abolished the monarchy, took over this priest those religious duties that had previously occupied the king.

The Rex Sacrorum belonged to the college of pontiffs and reported directly to the Pontifex Maximus, though he stood in the traditional ritual hierarchy over the flamines maiores and the pontifex maximus. He had broadly the same privileges as the pontiffs, but was defeated in contrast to these more serious office -related constraints. The important thing was that he was allowed to hold any political office, what the office in the late Republic did not make very desirable. In February, informed the rex Sacrorum and the Flemish Dialis jointly from Februa, a ritual broom, with which at the beginning of the field order of fields, meadows and houses were ritually cleansed

The Rex Sacrorum had to come from the patricians and closed with the special ceremony of confarreatio marriage produced. He himself had to be married after this rite. His wife was the Regina Sacrorum that had to be a patrician and also had cultic duties. Thus, the rex Sacrorum sacrificed at each of the Kalends in the Regia of Juno a pig or a sheep. At the Agonalien ( on the 5th day before the Ides of January = January 9 ) sacrificed the rex Sacrorum the god Janus in the Regia, the former residence of the exiled Roman kings and later the office of the Pontifex Maximus, a ram.

The Office of Rex Sacrorum is outside of Rome detected as urban priesthood of the imperial period in central Italy and North Africa.