Old Saint Peter's, Rome

Description

St Peter's Basilica in Rome is arguably the most important church in Western Christendom, and is among the most significant buildings anywhere in the world. However, the church that is visible today is a youthful upstart, only four hundred years old compared to the twelve-hundred-year-old church whose site it occupies. A very small proportion of the original is now extant, entirely covered over by the new basilica, but enough survives to make reconstruction of the first St Peter's possible and much new evidence has been uncovered in the past thirty years. This is the first full study of the older church, from its late antique construction to Renaissance destruction, in its historical context. An international team of historians, art historians, archaeologists and liturgists explores aspects of the basilica's history, from its physical fabric to the activities that took place within its walls and its relationship with the city of Rome.

Rosamund McKitterick is Professor of Medieval History at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Sidney Sussex College. She has published on literacy, manuscript transmission, perceptions of the past, and political culture in the early Middle Ages. In addition to many articles, chapters in books, edited books and monographs, her most recent books include History and Memory in the Carolingian World (Cambridge, 2004), Charlemagne: The Formation of a European Identity (Cambridge, 2008), and Rome across Time and Space: Cultural Transmission and the Exchange of Ideas, c.500-1400 (with C. Bolgia and J. Osborne, Cambridge, 2011). John Osborne is Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Carleton University, Ottawa. His publications cover topics as varied as the Roman catacombs, the fragmentary mural paintings from excavated churches such as San Clemente and S. Maria Antiqua, the decorative program of the church of San Marco in Venice, seventeenth-century antiquarian drawings of medieval monuments, cultural transmission between Western Europe and Byzantium, and the medieval understanding and use of Rome's heritage of ancient buildings and statuary. Carol M. Richardson is Lecturer in the History of Art at the University of Edinburgh. Her book Reclaiming Rome: Cardinals in the Fifteenth Century (2009) was described as 'a milestone in the history not only of artistic patronage but also of the papacy in fifteenth-century Rome [which] will become a standard work for scholars to return to again and again' (Simon Ditchfield, Art History 34/1 (2011)). She has also edited a number of Open University textbooks which are widely used to teach history of art on both sides of the Atlantic. Joanna Story is Professor of Early Medieval History at the University of Leicester, specialising in interdisciplinary research into the history and archaeology of Europe in the age of Charlemagne. She has published widely on the contacts between Anglo-Saxon England and the Continent at this time, focusing especially on manuscripts and inscriptions, and the links between England and Rome.

'... impressive and interesting ...' The Times Literary Supplement 'Although this book has been written for experts, it will not fail those who are eager to know more about the first church of Christendom.' The Art Newspaper 'This elegantly conceived volume adds considerably to our knowledge and understanding of one of the most remarkable buildings to have been constructed over the last two millennia ... the book amply and illuminatingly demonstrates that an old and long-vanished building can still remain a powerful resource for historical research of the highest significance.' David Hemsoll, History Today '... splendid and lavishly illustrated ...' Timothy D. Barnes, Expository Times '... an essential reference tool ... illuminating observations ... the production of the volume is highly commendable, with maps that will make it a pleasure to use this work for research and teaching purposes.' Richard Westall, The Classical Review 'Together they have created an impressive book that sports nearly 130 illustrations, images and plates. Most of the contributions start out with a detail of the modern plan of St Peter's, showing the most important places in the church that the following pages proceed to deal with, which is very helpful. The special highlight is the (approximately) 62x48 cm (or a little more than 2x1.5 ft!) fold-out facsimile of Tiberio Alfarano's plan of Old St Peter's shown in the relationship to the new basilica from 1590. This alone is great to have; albeit admittedly relatively modern, it shows many locations in the old church.' Clemens Gantner, Early Medieval Europe