History of Catholicism in Rome: Medieval

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History of Catholicism in Rome Medieval

• Ann T. Orlando
• 3 October 2005

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Outline

• Review from last time
• Constantine
• Barbarian Invasions
• Tensions between Eastern and Western Christianity
• Importance of Rome in West

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Christianity in Rome before Constantine

• Small, Greek speaking community
• Site of martyrdom of two great apostles Peter
  and Paul c. 64 AD
• Bishop of Rome is preeminent among other bishops
• Christians worship in small house churches
• Martyrs are the great heroes of the period
• Catacombs are places of burial
• Tombs of martyrs become site of reverence and
  pilgrimage

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Diocletian Just before Constantine

• Roman Empire suffering internal and external
  strife at end of 3rd C
• Diocletian divides Empire into 2 sections (East
  and West) with an Augustus and a Caesar
• Constantines father Caesar in West
• To encourage unity Diocletian starts an
  Empire-wide persecution of Christians in 303
• This was the worst of all persecutions
• When Diocletian retires, war breaks out among
  successors

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Map of Roman Empire Diocletians Divisions
http//www.unc.edu/awmc/awmcmap45.html
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Constantine the Great (c. 280-337)

• Constantines father, Constantius, one of the
  Caesars
• When he dies Constantine declared Augusts by his
  army
• Pivotal battle was at Milvian Bridge in Rome
• Constantine has a vision (dream) of a cross and
  sees By this sign conquer
• Victory at Milvian bridge gives Constantine sole
  control of the Empire
• Considers Christianity true religion but only
  baptized on his death bed

• http//harpy.uccs.edu/roman/constant.jpg

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Constantine and Rome

• Constantine celebrates his victory by
• Building an arch in forum near the Coliseum
• By completing huge basilica in forum
• Leaves Rome to establish Constantinople as
  Eastern Capitol
• http//harpy.uccs.edu/roman/archcon10.jpg

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Constantine and Church in Rome

• Before he leaves, he gives most of Rome to the
  Pope
• That is, he gives the land and buildings of his
  enemies to Pope
• Most important of these is the Lateran Palace
• Church overnight becomes the most important
  landholder in Rome
• Converts pagan temples into Christian churches
• Builds new Churches, especially at site of
  martyrdoms with money from Constantine

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Conversion of Temples Pantheon

• Built c. 120 AD
• Renamed Mary of the Martyrs
• But everyone still calls it the Pantheon

• http//www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Pantheon.h
  tml

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Main Churches in Rome

• Built by Constantine on Site of martyrdoms
• Church of St. Lawrence
• St. Peters Basilica
• St. Paul Outside Walls
• St. John Lateran
• All rebuilt in later centuries
• Baptistery of John Lateran remained

• http//www.holycross.edu/departments/visarts/proje
  cts/kempe/pilgrimage/chr_stjohn.htm

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Former House Churches

• Become sites of major Churches
• Known as Titular Churches
• Example San Clemente
• Large churches built over site of house churches

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Churches Celebrating Mary

• Starts with Council of Ephesus, 431, which
  formally declares Mary Theotokos, Mother of God
• Most famous and earliest in Rome is Mary Major,
  built in 432

• http//www.hp.uab.edu/image_archive/cr-03/cr-01/mo
  saic03.jpg

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After Constantine

• Little has changed in terms of pressures on
  Empire
• Barbarians
• Internal strife civil war amongst Constantines
  sons
• Barbarians attack and sack Rome in 410
• Huge psychological impact throughout Empire

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After Sack of Rome

• Waves of Barbarian invasions
• Goths
• Huns
• Visigoths
• Vandals
• Increasingly in the West only civil authority is
  in the Church
• Bishops act as judges and magistrates
• Only people who can read
• Western and Eastern Churches become increasingly
  separated, as political divisions grow
• Takes centuries
• Roman Empire exists in East with Constantinople
  as its capitol until 1453

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Development of Church as Political Power

• Church did fill vacuum
• Church was a democratic place
• Place of meritocracy
• Pope was the most politically powerful person in
  Western Europe for about 1000 years
• Pope crowns Charlemagne, 800
• Pope crowns Holy Roman Emperors

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Driving Force Monasteries

• The center of spirituality, education, culture in
  Western Europe during the dark ages
• Started in East in 3rd C, but adopted in West in
  4thC
• Most important Western Monastic figure St.
  Benedict of Nursia
• Lived in Rome for a while
• Moved to Monte Cassino just outside Rome
• Benedicts Rule
• Many churches is Rome have cloisters and
  monasteries associated with them
• Many Popes, including Gregory Great (d. 604) were
  monks

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Pope St. Gregory Great (540-604)

• Benedictine monk wrote a life of St. Benedict
• Lived in Monastery of St. Andrew (now known as
  St. Andrew and Gregory the Great)
• Gregorian Chant
• Clerical reforms
• Sent missionaries to England

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Modern Map of Romehttp//catholic-resources.org/A
ncientRome/Platner-modern_rome.jpg
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November Renaissance and Baroque Rome

• Great churches
• Great art
• Great city planning
• All in a time of great upheaval in the Church
  (the Reformation)
• Why I am skipping 800 years
• Rome was the political capitol of Europe Pope as
  king maker in Germany and France
• But great intellectual and artistic developments
  moved to France (e.g., University of Paris
  Romanesque and Gothic architecture)
• Much of Medieval Rome destroyed in Baroque and
  Modern periods
• Greatest Christian city in this period was
  Constantinople (New Rome