Description

The position of Jews in 12th century Rome was complex, and nowhere is this more apparent than in their position in processions. Their role was to present the Pope with a set of laws for his ratification at what used to be known as the Arpacata, an Orsini family fortress, and what is now known as the Palazzo Pio Righetti in Campo di Fiore. The Pope would then reject them, grabbing a Torah from the Jewish leaders and ceremonially dropping it on the ground. This was part of a medieval agreement in which the Pope guaranteed Jews protection, but publicly presented them as vastly inferior to Christians. The Pope held this power and others over the Jews, maintaining a paternalistic relationship with them.

The Church held that the Jews’ belief in the Old Testament signified the truth of Christianity, yet their suffering from the diaspora showed that God punished them for rejecting Christ. As such, the Church made sure that Christians got privileges that Jews didn’t. An example of this is how various Popes restricted the Jews’ ability to construct new synagogues, and allowed existing synagogues to claimed by Christian leaders if those leaders wanted to use the property for themselves. Yet, Jews also were granted various political rights, which were only occasionally enforced, like citizenship, protection from attacks on synagogues, and the right to not be tried during the Sabbath.

As for the fortress itself, it was controlled mainly by the Orsini family during the 12th century, an incredibly powerful and wealthy family in Rome. Over the course of about a hundred years, they managed to buy up properties all around the area, accumulating a tower, oven, garden, and house nearby. The fortress was one of three they controlled throughout the city, built on top of the old ruins of the Roman Theatre of Pompey near the Campo di Fiore. It lasted for a long time, being passed down between the Pierleone, Savelli, Massimi, and Orsini families, but sadly was torn down sometime during the 20th century. Currently, Palazzo Pio stands where it would have been.

Why this structure was chosen for the procession is not explicitly stated, but there is evidence many Jews lived nearby, plus the fortress and nearby Campo di Fiore were also important landmarks in the city. Additionally, it's important to note that this ceremony also took place at other fortresses over the years, including the aforementioned Castel di Sant’Angelo. This distinction makes it clear that the goal of this procession stop was to demonstrate the Pope’s control over the Jews, but it doesn’t answer why the Arpacata was chosen over other fortresses.

Creator

Teddy Wolfe (2020)

Date

1198

Coverage

1100s

Source

Blewitt, Octavian and John Murray. Handbook for Travellers in Central Italy [by O. Blewitt], 1853.

Brentano, Robert. Rome before Avignon: A Social History of Thirteenth-Century Rome. New York City, NY: Basic Books, 1974)

Gregorovius, Ferdinand. History of the City of Rome in the Middle Ages. G. Bell & Sons, 1906.

Macadam, Alta and Annabel Barber. The Blue Guide to Rome. London, England: Blue Guides Limited, 2016.

Partridge, Loren. The Art of the Renaissance in Rome (1400-1600). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 1996.

Rist, Rebecca. Popes and Jews, 1095-1291. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2016.

Stinger, Charles L. The Renaissance in Rome. Bloomington Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1998.