The Lar Familiaris was a special kind of domestic guardian spirit who cared

for the welfare and prosperity of a household. A household's lararium, a

shrine to the Lar Familiaris, usually stood near the hearth or in a corner

of the atrium. Lararia often had the appearance of a cupboard or niche

containing small images, niches painted on a wall, or small freestanding

shrines. Sometimes the Genius of the head of the household, pictured as a

bearded or crested snake or as a man with the fold of his toga covering his

head, is depicted with the Lares.

 

References to domestic religious practices often pair the Lares and the

Penates. Penates, although also domestic guardian spirits, were more

specifically protectors of the master of the household and his immediate

family. The Lar Familiaris, on the other hand, protected all household

members, free or slave, and was associated with a particular place; the lar

did not accompany a family which moved.