The "iconic" image of the Forum, the three magnificent extant columns of this circular temple loom over the center of the Forum. This is where the highly privileged vestal virgins kept the sacred vestal flame alive. Next to the temple, the ruins of the Casa delle Vestali give no hint of the splendor in which the women lived out their 30-year vows of chastity. Inside was the garden courtyard of their palace, surrounded by lofty colonnades, behind which extended at least 50 rooms. Chosen when they were between 6 and 10 years old, the six vestal virgins dedicated the next 30 years of their lives to keeping the sacred fire, a tradition that dated back to the very earliest days of Rome, when guarding the community's precious fire was essential to its well-being. Their standing in Rome was considerable; indeed, among women, they were second in rank only to the empress. Their intercession could save a condemned man, and they did, in fact, rescue Julius Caesar from the lethal vengeance of his enemy Sulla. The virgins were handsomely maintained by the state, but if they allowed the sacred fire to go out, they were scourged by the high priest, and if they broke their vows of celibacy, they were buried alive. The vestal virgins were one of the last of ancient Rome's institutions to die out, enduring as late as the end of the 4th century AD, even after Rome's emperors had become Christian. They were finally suppressed by Theodosius.