Christian Archaeology
Archeologia Cristiana · 318 articles · Principal contributors · All subjects-
Macarius
MACARIUS. - Graecized name of Giovanni L'Heureux, archaeologist, philologist, Hellenist, b. in 1540 or 1551 at Gravelines on the Channel,… -
Madaba
MADABA. - City (Heb. Mēdhhbā'; Septuagint Mᾶᾶᾶᾶ and Mᾶᾶᾶ; Vulgate Medaba; stele of Mesha: Mhab') in Jordan, 8 km southeast of Heshbon (v.).… -
Marangoni, Giovanni
MARANGONI, GIOVANNI. - Priest, archaeologist, b. at Valdagno di Vicenza ca. 1672, d. at Rome on 5 February 1753. In Rome he was for about… -
Marchi, Giuseppe
MARCHI, GIUSEPPE. - Archaeologist, Jesuit, b. at Tolmezzo (Udine) on 22 Feb. 1795, d. at Rome on 22 Feb. 1860. Having entered the Society… -
Marini, Gaetano
MARINI, GAETANO. - Priest, epigrapher, archivist, archaeologist, b. at S. Arcangelo di Romagna on 10 Dec. 1740, d. at Paris on 17 May 1815.… -
Martigny, Jean-Alexandre
MARTIGNY, JEAN-ALEXANDRE. - Priest, archaeologist, b. at Sauverny (Ain) on 22 Apr. 1808, d. at Bagé-le-Châtel on 19 Aug. 1880. After ten… -
Martin, Arthur
MARTIN, ARTHUR. - Jesuit, archaeologist, b. 4 Sept. 1801 at Auray (Morbihan), d. at Ravenna on 24 Nov. 1856. Having entered the Society of… -
Martin of Tours, Saint (MARTINO DI TOURS, SANTO)
MARTIN OF TOURS, Saint. - He was the first father of monasticism in the West and a great apostle of Gaul. His biographer Sulpicius Severus… -
Marucchi, Orazio
MARUCCHI, ORAZIO. - Archaeologist, b. in Rome on 10 Nov. 1852, d. there on 21 Jan. 1931. A disciple of G. B. De Rossi, he took part from… -
Masonry Structures (STRUTTURE MURARIE)
MASONRY STRUCTURES. - When man abandoned the natural shelters of caves and built rudimentary dwellings, he formed settlements which he… -
Massa Martana
MASSA MARTANA. - A small town in Umbria that derived its name from the "Vicus Martis Tudertium." G. Sordini discovered near M. M. an… -
Mausoleum of Saint Constance (COSTANZA, MAUSOLEO DI SANTA)
MAUSOLEUM OF SAINT CONSTANCE. - It was built by Constantina or Constance, daughter of the emperor Constantine, as her mausoleum, when… -
Mensa
MENSA. - The term is sometimes used as a synonym for the altar (v.) erected on the tomb of a martyr. Thus St. Augustine, speaking of the… -
Mérida (MĚRIDA)
MÉRIDA. - It is the ancient colony of Emerita Augusta, a Spanish city located in the province of Badajoz on the right bank of the Guadiana.… -
Mileto
MILETO. - A city located on the coast of Asia Minor near the mouths of the Meander. Inhabited already in prehistoric times, it was occupied… -
Mirabilia Urbis
MIRABILIA URBIS. - The M. contain notices concerning the most notable Roman and Christian monuments and their vicissitudes, elaborated by… -
Miracle of the Fountain (FONTE, MIRACOLO DELLA)
MIRACLE OF THE FOUNTAIN. - The miracle worked by Moses in the desert was represented quite early in primitive Christian funerary art; the… -
Monza
MONZA. - City in Lombardy (diocese of Milan), which was of great importance in the time of the Lombards, who enriched it with monuments.… -
Narbonne (NARBONA)
NARBONNE. - Ancient diocese and city in southern France, capital of an arrondissement in the department of Aude. Occupied first by the… -
Nativity Scene (PRESEPE)
NATIVITY SCENE. - St. Jerome writes in 404 to Eustochium that Paula, entering Bethlehem into the "Specum Salvatoris," saw the "stabulum"… -
Nave
NAVE. - In ancient Christian art the ship represents the Church (v.), whose pilot is Christ himself and whose oarsmen are the Evangelists,… -
Nibby, Antonio
NIBBY, ANTONIO. - Archaeologist and topographer, b. in Rome on 14 Oct. 1792, d. there on 29 Dec. 1839. Still a youth, he founded among his… -
Nicaea (NICEA)
NICAEA. - Ancient city of Bithynia, today a mere village, founded in 316 B.C., under the name of Antigoneia, in the Hellespontine Phrygia,… -
Nicolai, Nicola Maria
NICOLAI, NICOLA MARIA. - Archaeologist and historian of the Roman countryside, b. in Rome on 14 Sept. 1756, d. there on 18 Jan. 1833. He… -
Nicomedes, Cemetery of (NICOMEDE, CIMITERO DI)
NICOMEDES, Cemetery of. - The martyr N. is commemorated in the Passio of the martyrs Nereus and Achilleus, which is devoid of historical… -
Nicopolis Of Epirus (NICOPOLI D'EPIRO)
NICOPOLIS OF EPIRUS. - City founded by Augustus as a monument to his victory at Actium. Favored by the Emperor and by its excellent… -
Nimbus (NIMBO)
NIMBUS. - A disc which from as early as the 4th century B.C. is found placed around the head of images of divinities or of deified beings.… -
Northcote, Spencer James
NORTHCOTE, SPENCER JAMES. - Archaeologist, b. at Feninton Court (Devonshire) on 26 May 1821, d. at Stoke-upon-Trent (Staffordshire) on 3… -
Novatian Cemetery (Cimitero detto di Novaziano) (NOVAZIANO, CIMITERO DETTO DI)
NOVATIAN CEMETERY (Cimitero detto di Novaziano). - Discovered in 1926 and 1929 on the occasion of the widening of the Via Tiburtina and the… -
Nubia
NUBIA. - In medieval historical geography, N. means that part of the Nile valley which lies south of the first cataract up to about the… -
Nunziatella, Cemetery Known as the (NUNZIATELLA, CIMITERO DETTO DELLA)
NUNZIATELLA, Cemetery Known as the. - At the fourth mile of the Via Ardeatina, near the sanctuary of the N. In 1877 a Christian hypogeum… -
Orante
ORANTE (Orant). - The early Christians adopted for prayer the same gestures used by the pagans (Cicero, Fam. 7, 5; Virgil, Aen., II, 687… -
Orsera
ORSERA. - An Istrian municipality near Parenzo. Ursaria appears in the "Tabula Peutingeriana," where the name is attributed to an island,… -
Orsi, Paolo
ORSI, PAOLO. - Archaeologist, b. at Rovereto on 18 Oct. 1859 and d. there on 8 Nov. 1935. A professor at the Liceo-Ginnasio of Alatri, he… -
Osroene
OSROENE. - The Christian province of O. took shape within its definitive boundaries rather late, around the middle of the 5th century: its… -
Ostia
OSTIA. - City and suburban see in the province of Rome. By decree of the Sacred Congregation of the Consistory of 22 May 1948, the area of… -
Paliano, Cemetery of (PALIANO, CIMITERO DI)
PALIANO, Cemetery of. - Ancient Christian cemetery in the district of S. Quirico, near P., that is, at the 36th mile of the Via Prenestina.… -
Palma
PALMA. - By their blood the martyrs merit from Christ the prize of eternal life, and therefore in the apocalyptic division they carry the… -
Pamphilus Cemetery (PANFILO, CIMITERO DI)
PAMPHILUS CEMETERY. - Located in that stretch of the Via Salaria Vetere that today corresponds to the Via Giovanni Paisiello. The Notitia… -
Pastore, Buon
GOOD SHEPHERD. - The people of Israel were eminently agricultural, and in the Old Testament the expression "shepherd" is often used. Moses… -
Paul, Apostle, Saint (PAOLO, APOSTOLO, SANTO)
PAUL, Apostle, Saint. - Apostle who spread Christianity among the Gentiles, b. at Tarsus (v.) in Cilicia in the first decade of the… -
Peacock (PAVONE)
PEACOCK. - The peacock, originally from India, was known in Israel perhaps already in the time of Solomon, then in Greece and in Rome. It… -
Pecora
PECORA. - Symbol of the soul, it is known from the parable of the Good Shepherd (v.). Gregory of Nyssa, addressing the Good Shepherd with… -
Pelliccia, Alessio Aurelio
PELLICCIA, ALESSIO AURELIO. - Neapolitan priest, historian, archaeologist, b. in 1740 (or '44), d. in 1823 (or '22). At the age of 16 he… -
Penula
PENULA. - Among the Romans the paenula was a dark-colored cloak, perhaps of Celtic origin, closed also at the front and sleeveless,… -
Peratè, Joseph André
PERATÈ, JOSEPH ANDRÉ. - Archaeologist and art critic, b. in Nancy in 1862, d. in 1947. He was for two years a member of the École française… -
Personifications (PERSONIFICAZIONI)
PERSONIFICATIONS. - Early Christian art generally continued to make use of the personifications created by classical art. For example, the… -
Pesarini, Santi
PESARINI, SANTI. - Historian and archaeologist, b. at S. Piero in Bagno on 8 Jan. 1853, d. in Rome on 10 March 1922. He was a profound… -
Pettorio
PETTORIO. - Mutilated Greek inscription in 7 fragments found on June 24, 1839 in a polyandrion at St-Pierre-l'Estrier near Autun (Saône et… -
Phoenix (FENICE)
PHOENIX. - A symbolic bird originating from India, according to the Physiologus (J. Strzygowski, Der Bilderkreis des griechischen… -
Pileo
PILEO. - A cap of leather or cloth, from the Greek πῦος, used by the Greeks, the Etruscans and the Romans. In ancient Christian monuments… -
Platonia
PLATONIA. - From platoma or platomum: marble slab. The term is found used in the Liber Pontificalis, in the biography of Liberius, of whom… -
Pluteo
PLUTEO. - This refers to an element mostly of marble or also of wood (in Syria) used as a screen. Famous were the p. of Trajan (anaglypta… -
Podgorica (PODGORITZA)
PODGORICA. - It is the ancient "Dioclea" in eastern Illyricum, where in 1873 a large dish of diaphanous white glass with raised rims was… -
Polyandry (POLIANDRO)
POLYANDRY. - From the Greek πολύς = much and ἀνὴρ = man, it is a term used by Fr. G. Marchi to indicate a tomb containing several human… -
Portrait (RITRATTO)
PORTRAIT. - I. ARCHAEOLOGY. - The portrait was a characteristic of Roman art. Christians had no portraits either of the Savior or of the… -
Prepositi
PREPOSITI. - They were the officials in charge of administration in the cemetery basilicas of St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Lawrence and St.… -
Prisca, Saint (PRISCA, SANTA)
PRISCA, santa. - In Rome in the 7th century a P. martyr was commemorated on Jan. 18, also remembered by the Gregorian Sacramentary. The… -
Priscilla, Cemetery of (PRISCILLA, CIMITERO DI)
PRISCILLA, Cemetery of. - On the Via Salaria nuova (today the entrance is at Via Salaria 430). It is indicated in the Depositio martyrum… -
Profumo, Attilio
PROFUMO, ATTILIO. - Archaeologist and historian, b. in Genoa in 1859, d. in Rome in 1945. He first studied architecture in Naples, then,… -
Pulpit (PULPITO)
PULPIT. - I. ARCHAEOLOGY. - The pulpit, also called tribunal, pyrgus, analogius, was introduced quite early into buildings of worship,… -
Quadriportico
QUADRIPORTICO. - Varro in "De Lingua latina" (V, 161) specifies the peculiar function of the atrium or q. as an environment "qui esset ad… -
Quails (QUAGLIE)
QUAILS. - La presa delle q., che fu uno dei cibi apprestati dal Signore agli Ebrei nel deserto, come si narra in Ex. 16,13, venne scolpita… -
Ram (ARIETE)
RAM. - Although the figure of the ram appears as a decorative ornament on secular monuments, it constitutes a symbol of which Christianity… -
Refreshment (REFRIGERIO)
REFRESHMENT. - In Greek ἀνάφυξις means refreshment, relief, banquet. Among the Romans it is found as such: refrigeratio aestate (Cicero, De… -
Review of Christian Archaeology (RIVISTA DI ARCHEOLOGIA CRISTIANA)
REVIEW OF CHRISTIAN ARCHAEOLOGY. - After the Nuovo bulletino di archeologia cristiana ceased publication in 1922, the Pontifical Commission… -
Ricci, Corrado
RICCI, CORRADO. - Archaeologist and art critic, b. in Ravenna on 18 April 1858, d. in Rome on 5 June 1934. A student at the University of… -
Rignano Flaminio
RIGNANO FLAMINIO. - At the twenty-sixth mile of the Via Flaminia, nestled at the foot of Soratto, lies R. F., which, under the name of… -
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (SAINT-REMY-DE-PROVENCE)
SAINT-RÉMY-DE-PROVENCE. - A small town at the foot of the Alpilles in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in France. It is situated north of… -
Salamis (SALAMINA)
SALAMINA - City on the eastern shore of the island of Cyprus. It dates back at least to the 6th century B.C. It was a flourishing Jewish… -
Salona
SALONA. - Today a small village in Dalmatia, > (courtesy of Msgr. d. P. Frutasi) > SALONA - Sarcophagus of the Good Shepherd (4th century)… -
Samaritan Woman at the Well (SAMARITANA AL POZZO)
SAMARITAN WOMAN AT THE WELL. - The well-known episode from the Gospel of John (4:3-43), which recounts the encounter of Jesus, fatigatus ex… -
Sarcophagi (SARCOFAGI)
SARCOPHAGI. - Within the sphere of the artistic documentation of the first centuries of Christianity, Early Christian sarcophagi… -
Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus (GIUNIO BASSO, SARCOFAGO DI)
SARCOPHAGUS OF JUNIUS BASSUS. - In 1597, during the excavations for the construction of the new Vatican Confessio, carried out by Giacomo… -
Sarti, Emiliano
SARTI, EMILIANO. - Scholar, b. in Rome in 1795, d. there in 1849. He was a writer for the Hebrew language at the Vatican Library and a… -
Sbeitla
SBEITLA. - Sufetula in Byzacena, today S. in Tunisia, was a notable Roman city that appears as early as the time of Vespasian (CIL, VIII,… -
Scaglia, Sisto
SCAGLIA, SISTO. - Reformed Cistercian of La Trappe and Christian archaeologist, b. at Anzola d'Ossola (Novara) on 14 Dec. 1872, d. at Rome… -
Schola Cantorum
SCHOLA CANTORUM. - This term designates a rectangular enclosure, often raised one or two steps above the rest of the floor, placed in the… -
Seroux d'Agincourt, Jean-Baptiste-Louis-Georges
SEROUX D'AGINCOURT, JEAN-BAPTISTE-LOUIS-GEORGES. - French archaeologist and numismatist, b. at Beauvais (France) on 5 Apr. 1730, d. at Rome… -
Sétif (SETIF)
SÉTIF. - It is Sitifis, a Roman colony of veterans founded by Nerva in Mauretania (Algeria), called "Colonia Nerviana Augusta Martiaris… -
Settele, Giuseppe
SETTELE, GIUSEPPE. - Archaeologist, canon of St. Peter's, b. in Rome in 1770, d. there in 1840. Against his father's wishes, he devoted… -
Severano, Giovanni
SEVERANO, GIOVANNI. - Priest of the Oratory, b. at S. Severino Marche (Macerata) in 1562, d. in Rome on 26 Feb. 1640; he entered the… -
Sicca Veneria
SICCA VENERIA. - It is the Roman Colonia Iulia Veneria Cirta nova Sicca in proconsular Africa, today El-Kef in Tunisia. Known from the time… -
Silvester I, Pope, Saint (SILVESTRO I, PAPA, SANTO)
SILVESTER I, Pope, Saint. - Despite his long pontificate (31 Jan. 314-31 Dec. 335), little is known of his life and activity, since it… -
Sinnada of Phrygia (SINNADA DI FRIGIA)
SINNADA OF PHRYGIA. - It is the present-day Çifitkasaba, formerly a metropolitan see of Phrygia Salutaris, now a titular archiepiscopal see… -
Siricius, Pope, Saint (SIRICIO, PAPA, SANTO)
SIRICIO, POPE, saint - Medallion from the ancient series of the popes in the basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls (5th century) - Rome.… -
Sixtus II, Pope, Saint (SISTO II, PAPA, SANTO)
SIXTUS II, Pope, Saint. - He reigned as pontiff from 257 to 258. He is commemorated in the Depositio martyrum on August 6 as buried in the… -
Society of Christian Archaeology Scholars in Rome (CULTORI DELLA ARCHEOLOGIA CRISTIANA IN ROMA, SOCIETÀ DEI)
SOCIETY OF CHRISTIAN ARCHAEOLOGY SCHOLARS IN ROME. - Founded by Fr. Luigi Bruzza and G. B. De Rossi on 12 Dec. 1875 to prepare, train and… -
Sohag (SOHÄG)
SOHAG. - A locality in Middle Egypt, near which there still stand, still fairly well preserved in their essential parts, the two most… -
Sophia (SOFIA)
SOPHIA. - Capital city of Bulgaria (v.), thus named after the ancient Basilica dedicated to St. Sofia (Sveta Sofija), it is the most… -
Stephen, Saint (STEFANO, SANTO)
STEPHEN, Saint. - I. LIFE. - Protomartyr (Gr. Στέφανος "crown"), one of the first seven deacons chosen by the apostolic community of… -
Stobi
STOBI. - Ancient city of Paeonia, on the site of the present-day village of Pusto-Gradako. In 386 A.D. it was the capital of Macedonia II… -
Styger, Paul
STYGER, PAUL. - Archaeologist, b. at Schwyz (Switzerland) on 27 Sept. 1889 and d. at Lucerne on 14 May 1939. After six years of study at… -
Synagogue (SINAGOGA)
SYNAGOGUE - Painted decoration of the synagogue of Dura Europos (245-56 A.D.). > (from J. B. Frey, Une ancienne synagogue de Galilee… -
Tabarca
TABARCA. - It is the ancient Thabraca in proconsular Africa, a flourishing commercial port on the Mediterranean. It was a municipium and… -
Tebessa
TEBESSA. - Theveste, a city and ancient diocese located in proconsular Africa, present-day Algeria, is today a titular see. From the… -
Thelepte
THELEPTE. - Ancient small town of Byzacena, southeast of Tebessa in North Africa, also called Feriana and Medinet-el-Kedima. The… -
The Three Children (FANCIULLI, I TRE)
THE THREE CHILDREN. - Ancient Christian art often depicted the two episodes narrated by the prophet Daniel concerning the three young Jews… -
Thuburbo Maius
THUBURBO MAIUS. - Ancient diocese and city in proconsular Africa, called the colony "Iulia Aurelia Commoda Thuburbo Maius," present-day… -
Tiddis
TIDDIS. - Ancient diocese in Numidia, in present-day Algeria, today a titular see. It is the ancient "Castellum Tidditanum," 40 km from… -
Tigzirt
TIGZIRT. - A modern village on the Roman ruins of Rusucurru in Mauretania Caesariensis, present-day Algeria. Rusucurru is mentioned by… -
Timavus (TIMAVO)
TIMAVUS. — The mouths of the river, which after 40 km. of underground course gushes out from the rock onto the sea, were the site of a very… -
Tipasa
TIPASA. - A small town in Mauretania Caesariensis (present-day Algeria) on the shores of the Mediterranean, 70 km west of Algiers. Probably… -
Transept (TRANSETTO)
TRANSEPT. - I. ARCHAEOLOGY. - By t. is meant that architectural organism placed transversally between the naves that develop in a… -
Tribuna
TRIBUNA. - In the early Christian basilicas this was the name given to the part behind the high altar in which the bishop or the abbot took… -
Tripolitania
TRIPOLITANIA. - North-western region of Libya (v.), facing the Mediterranean between Tunisia and the Syrtis. When the Christian faith began… -
Triumphal Arch (ARCO TRIONFALE)
TRIUMPHAL ARCH. - In Christian architecture it is the great arch that separates the central nave of the church from the presbytery, whether… -
Tunic (TUNICA)
TUNIC. — A word from the Indo-European root tun, "to cover, draw tight, bind"; diminutives: tunicula, tunicella; Italian: tonaca.… -
Ugonio, Pompeo
UGONIO, POMPEO. - Priest, born in Rome around the middle of the 16th century, died there on 28 April 1614 and buried in the old sacristy of… -
Urban I, Pope, Saint (URBANO I, PAPA, SANTO)
URBAN I, Pope, Saint. - He succeeded Callistus (d. 222) and governed the Church for about 8 years, until 230. The author of the Liber… -
Vaison
VAISON. - Ancient diocese and small town on the banks of the Ouvèze, today in the archdiocese of Avignon in France. It was the ancient… -
Veli
VEILS. - The veils that adorned the Christian basilicas certainly derive from the common use in patrician dwellings and in Roman public… -
Vibia
VIBIA. - The so-called "hypogeum of V." is also known under other names, such as "of the syncretists", "of the little nuns"; better,… -
Visconti, Ennio Quirino
VISCONTI, ENNIO QUIRINO. - Archaeologist, b. in Rome on 1 Nov. 1751, d. in Paris on 8 Feb. 1818. On the payroll of Prince Sigismondo Chigi,… -
Volubilis
VOLUBILIS. - A Roman city in the interior of Mauretania Tingitana, present-day Morocco. It was the residence of King Juba and of the Roman… -
Vulci
VULCI. - Ancient Etruscan city near the Via Aurelia, about 20 km. northwest of Tarquinia. It flourished until 280 B.C., when it was… -
Wilpert, Joseph
WILPERT, JOSEPH. - Archaeologist, b. at Eiglau (Silesia) on 22 Aug. 1857, d. in Rome on 10 March 1944, dean of the Protonotaries Apostolic… -
Wulff, Oskar
WULFF, OSKAR. - Archaeologist, b. June 6, 1864 in St. Petersburg to a family of German and Protestant origin, d. in Berlin on Jan. 23,…