1100s Items (19 total)
Introduction to the Disabitato
An understanding of medieval Rome is incomplete without a grasp of the massive population drain that followed the collapse of the Empire in the fifth century. At its height in the third century, Rome was home to around 1,000,000 people, yet this…
The Vatican
Following the coronation procession route of Pope Innocent III at the end of the 12th century, the Vatican would have been the start. Papal coronations represented the pope’s authority and power over secular rule, and there is no better place to…
San Clemente
The coronation procession followed a pattern. It began in the Vatican for the consecration and then crossed the river to go into the city, the archeological zone, and then the churches. Among others, Pope Innocent III’s coronation procession route…
Medieval Processions: An Introduction
Religious processions were common occurrences in medieval Rome. Romans took to the streets to celebrate religious holidays, feast days, baptisms, and funerals almost weekly. The largest and grandest of the processions occurred more rarely: the…
Jews at the Orsini Fortress
The position of Jews in 12th century Rome was complex, and nowhere was this more apparent than in processions. Their role was to present the pope with a set of laws for his ratification at what was known as the Arpacata, an Orsini family fortress,…
The Dioscuri
According to Benedict, the supposed author of Mirabilia Urbis Romae, the statues are of two young men named Praxiteles and Phidias during the time of Emperor Tiberius. The Emperor respected their wisdom and kept them in his palace. One day Emperor…
Marvels of Rome: Colosseum
Benedict’s Colosseum is not the site of gory battles, martyred Christians, or blood games played for the amusement of the Roman people and the glorification of the fighters. Instead, he speaks of a grand temple to the Sun, “of marvelous beauty and…
The Pantheon
The legend of the Pantheon begins with a Prefect named Agrippa. He was returning to Rome after subjugating the Suevians, Saxons, and other western nations when the bell signalling rebellion in Persia started to ring. In this time at the Temple of…
The Hospitallers and the Order of Santo Spirito
Guy de Montpellier, a Templar Knight from France, founded the Order of the Holy Spirit in 1170 and the hospital Saint-Esprit in 1174. The Hospitallers (also known as the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem) were a religious order that adopted a version…
The Tomb of Alfanus at Santa Maria in Cosmedin
The Tomb of Alfanus is located on the porch of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. Attributed to a wealthy, twelfth-century noble, this tomb is one of the best examples of twelfth-century tombs in Rome. Although perhaps unremarkable to the untrained eye, John…
San Biagio: Benedictine Rule to Franciscan Control
Founded in the 10th century by the Benedictines, the San Biagio Hospice was built near the edge of the Roman city wall. It was a part of the San Cosimato Monastery complex during the Benedictine rule (the two are separated by only 250 meters). San…
In Search of Jewish Temple Relics: the Lateran Basilica and the Arch of Titus
During the Middle Ages, both Jews and Christians held the popular belief that relics from Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem were housed in the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano. Benjamin of Tudela, a twelfth century Jewish visitor to Rome, reports…
The Tor Millina
When one thinks of the Middle Ages, a few images come to mind. Knights in shining armor and princesses, but also castles and towers. In Rome, there are a great many medieval towers. Among these is the Tor Millina, situated just west of the Piazza…
Christ between Two Captives at San Tommasso in Formis
This unique mosaic is positioned over the entrance of San Tommaso in Formis, a small church located on the Caelian Hill, a hotbed of medieval-era ecclesiastical sites. The artwork is a legacy of San Tommaso’s Trinitarian heritage. After a dream of…
The Medieval San Cosimato Portico
Near the Piazza S. Cosimato, a medieval portico juts out from the sides of a nondescript building. The portico leads to the outdoor atrium of the church of San Cosimato, a part of the former Monastery of San. Cosimato. It began as a Benedictine house…
San Saba: A Spiritual Outpost in the Disabitato
Established as a monastery in the 7th century by Palestinian monks who had fled Jerusalem, the current church structure of San Saba dates to the 12th century but has undergone numerous renovations and restorations. After Pope Lucius II gave the…
Entering Christian Rome: Porta San Pancrazio
Located on the Janiculum hill overlooking Trastevere, Porta San Pancrazio has been an important entryway into Rome since antiquity. In Ancient Rome, the gate was called Porta Aurelia because it was along the Aurelian wall and allowed access to an…
The Torre Sanguigna
The Torre Sanguigna is a medieval tower just north of the Piazza Navona. Despite the large number of noble family towers that once filled Rome, it is today one of the “ill-documented and few” towers that still survive from the inhabited city center…