Immigrant Labor on the Via Sacra
Title
Description
The via Papalis or via Sacra is a set of streets throughout Rome that connect the Lateran Complex all the way to St. Peter's square, passing through the Castel Sant’Angelo, the Capitoline Hill, and a series of prominent marketplaces along the way. It was the traditional route for the pope to follow upon his election, and as such, many pilgrims followed the route every year.
The buildings and streets of the route required significant upkeep, and many of the laborers who did this were immigrants themselves. This was especially true in the early fifteenth century, and may have been because of foreigners following the popes back across the Alps. Immigrant labor was used heavily in projects restoring the Lateran Cathedral and St. Peter’s Basilica.
Later in the 15th century the popes ordered the Castel Sant’Angelo be reconstructed, and for the via Sacra to be widened in the stretch between the castle and St. Peter’s Square. Interestingly, these later projects involved fewer trans-alpine workers, but large numbers of immigrants from other Italian cities were involved. This may have been due to foreigners assimilating quickly into Rome and changing their last names to “de Roma,” which would mean we could no longer identify them as foreigners from notarial records.
These laborers were paid on a day-to-day contract, and thus enjoyed little stability. The notarial records show that on some days , only 12 "muratores" or skilled laborers were hired, while 94 were hired on others. Manovales, the less skilled counterpart, may have endured even more variation in employment status. Part of this is likely because workers could work on different projects on different days. But in the case of injury or sickness, laborers had no security to fall back on. This was only exacerbated by their immigrant status, which suggests that they may have lacked a support network in Rome to depend upon while recovering. Thus construction work was a sort of vicious cycle, appealing only to those desperate for work, but ultimately ensuring that these individuals remain in the lowest classes.
Creator
Edited by Ella Parke (2027) and Julia Tassava (2026)
Source
Lee, Egmont. "Workmen and Work in Quattrocento Rome." In Rome in the Renaissance The City and the Myth, edited by P. Ramsey, 141-52. Binghampton, NY: Center for Medieval & Early Renaissance Studies, 1982.
Lee, Egmont. " Notaries, Immigrants, and Computers: The Roman Rione Ponte, 1450-1480." In Sources of Social History: Private Acts of the Late Middle Ages, edited by Paolo Brezzi, 239-49. Rome: Istituto di Studi Romani, 1984.
P. Ligorio, Urbis romae situs, Rome, M. Tramezzino, 1552.
Rights
Identifier
Coverage
Spatial Coverage
Description
The via Papalis or via Sacra is a set of streets throughout Rome that connect the Lateran Complex all the way to St. Peter's square, passing through the Castel Sant’Angelo, the Capitoline Hill, and a series of prominent marketplaces along the way. It was the traditional route for the pope to follow upon his election, and as such, many pilgrims followed the route every year.
The buildings and streets of the route required significant upkeep, and many of the laborers who did this were immigrants themselves. This was especially true in the early fifteenth century, and may have been because of foreigners following the popes back across the Alps. Immigrant labor was used heavily in projects restoring the Lateran Cathedral and St. Peter’s Basilica.
Later in the 15th century the popes ordered the Castel Sant’Angelo be reconstructed, and for the via Sacra to be widened in the stretch between the castle and St. Peter’s Square. Interestingly, these later projects involved fewer trans-alpine workers, but large numbers of immigrants from other Italian cities were involved. This may have been due to foreigners assimilating quickly into Rome and changing their last names to “de Roma,” which would mean we could no longer identify them as foreigners from notarial records.
These laborers were paid on a day-to-day contract, and thus enjoyed little stability. The notarial records show that on some days , only 12 "muratores" or skilled laborers were hired, while 94 were hired on others. Manovales, the less skilled counterpart, may have endured even more variation in employment status. Part of this is likely because workers could work on different projects on different days. But in the case of injury or sickness, laborers had no security to fall back on. This was only exacerbated by their immigrant status, which suggests that they may have lacked a support network in Rome to depend upon while recovering. Thus construction work was a sort of vicious cycle, appealing only to those desperate for work, but ultimately ensuring that these individuals remain in the lowest classes.
Creator
Jack Lightbody (2018)Edited by Ella Parke (2027) and Julia Tassava (2026)
Coverage
1400sSource
Lee, Egmont. "Workmen and Work in Quattrocento Rome." In Rome in the Renaissance The City and the Myth, edited by P. Ramsey, 141-52. Binghampton, NY: Center for Medieval & Early Renaissance Studies, 1982.
Lee, Egmont. " Notaries, Immigrants, and Computers: The Roman Rione Ponte, 1450-1480." In Sources of Social History: Private Acts of the Late Middle Ages, edited by Paolo Brezzi, 239-49. Rome: Istituto di Studi Romani, 1984.
P. Ligorio, Urbis romae situs, Rome, M. Tramezzino, 1552.