NYMPHAEUM (Gr. vbµcbatov, vvµja"aov)  , in Greek and Roman antiquities, a monument consecrated to the nymphs (q.v.), especially those of springs . These monuments were originally natural grottoes, which tradition assigned as habitations to the local nymphs . They were sometimes so arranged as to furnish a supply of water . Subsequently, artificial took the place of natural grottoes . The nymphaea of the Roman period were borrowed from the constructions of the Hellenistic east . The majority of them were rotundas, and were adorned with statues and paintings . They served the threefold purpose of sanctuaries, reservoirs and assembly-rooms . A special feature was their use for the celebration of marriages . Such nymphaea existed at Corinth, Antioch and Constantinople; the remains of some twenty have been found at Rome and of many in Africa . The so-called exedra of Herodes Atticus (which answers in all respects to a nymphaeum in the Roman style), the nymphaeum in the palace of Domitian and those in the villa of Hadrian at Tibur (five in number) may be specially mentioned . The term nymphaeum was also applied to the fountains of water in the atrium of the Christian basilica, which according to Eusebius (x . 4) were symbols of purification .