The word sacra gentilicia or sacra gentilitia is attributed to the cult or ritual that the gens of Ancient Rome rendered to the gentile gods also known as manes, and to the so-called lares and penates, who were considered the gods of the home. In other words, by sacra gentilicia is understood the private rites that a particular gens or clan developed. These rites had to do with the belief in the shared ancestry of the members of a gens, since the Romans placed great value on the identity of the family and the commemoration of the dead.
The Roman adoption practices that were carried out at that time, including the so-called “testamentary adoption” stated that when an adult heir was declared in a will, they were intended to perpetuate the sacra gentilicia, as well as preserve the family name and property.. A person adopted by another family usually renounced the sacra of his birth in order to dedicate himself to those of his new family.
The sacra gentilicia many times acquired public importance, and if at that time the gens were in danger of extinction, the State could take charge of its maintenance. One of the myths related to the time of Hercules in Italy explained why his cult in the Ara Máxima was in the care of the Patrician gens Potitia and the gens Pinaria; the decline of these families by 312 BC. prompted the sacra to transfer to the custody of public slaves and support with public funds.
