Venta Belgarum Venta Belgarum Venta Belgarum was a town in the Roman province of Britannia Superior, the civitas capital of the local tribe, the Belgae, and which later became the city of Winchester. The name comes from Common Brittonic "*Uentā", meaning "town, place", plus the Latin genitive plural "Belgarum" "of the Belgae (tribe)". The settlement was apparently established around AD 70, partially on the site of Oram's Arbour which had been abandoned for some years. It became the tribal capital of the Belgae who had probably held several Iron Age hill forts in the near vicinity of the site (St Catherine's Hill,
Venta Silurum Roman temple, perhaps dedicated to Mars and the Celtic god Ocelus, have been identified on the site. A bowl with a chi-rho symbol shows that the worship of early Christian worship had begun in the late 3rd century. Following the withdrawal of the Roman legions from Britain, the town remained occupied until at least the mid-5th century. Early Christian worship was still established. The town might have had a bishop. A monastery was founded by Saint Tatheus in the 6th century. The site of the present church occupies part of an early Christian cemetery. The name "Venta" gave its name