Early Christian Archaeology

Les presents propostes són el producte de cinc anys de recerca sistemàtica al voltant dels documents altmedievals de les esglésies de Sant Pere. Un gran èxit va ser, ja fa un parell d'anys, la publicació del diplomatari de les esglésies d'Ègara. Mirant de seguir una dinàmica de treball continuat i crític, de polir les idees que es tenen i que es construeixen entorn de la història medieval de Terrassa, a continuació provarem d'oferir noves perspectives d'estudi, no només de les esglésies de Sant Pere (procurant d'evitar, de nou, una mirada excessivament museística i patrimonial al recinte, i de dotar-la del contingut històric necessari per tal d'incitar al reciclatge del coneixement i la recerca), sinó també de tot el territori del Terracium castellum i del castrum Terracense, al principi (segles IX-X), i del castrum Terracie, durant els segles X-XII. Volem mostrar quines són les principals novetats que per a la història medieval presenta la documentació de les esglésies de Sant Pere, i sobretot per a l'anàlisi de l'origen i la formació d'una domus: una casa eclesiàstica dins un règim feudal. Els documents que presentem no parlen directament de l'origen baiximperial de les esglésies, ni parlen del seu desenvolupament durant la baixa edat mitj ana. En tot cas, de vegades, fan com unflash-back cap als seus orígens antics, i presenten intuïcions al voltant del futur. Els documents són textos escrits i, per tant, diuen, semblen dir, poden voler dir, o no diuen pas. El que ara farem és presentar allò que diuen d'entrada, sense un gran esforç de lectura, i demostrarem que les possibilitats d'aquesta documentació són altíssimes. En primer lloc, i fonamentalment, per a refer la història de les esglésies de Sant Pere, i en segon lloc, per a refer la història medieval de Terrassa. Fa deu anys el I Simposi Internacional (i malauradament l'únic fms ara) sobre les esglésies de Sant Pere es va fer ressò d'una mancança, i era precisament la de la documentació medieval relativa a les esglésies. Avui, amb l'edició del present diplomatari, la del diplomatari del monestir de Sant Llorenç del Munt i la del diplomatari de la cartoixa de Montalegre, ens trobem en una situació única a tot el territori català. Són ben pocs els indrets que disposen de tantíssima documentació altmedieval original com el terme de Terrassa, i, malgrat aquesta condició privilegiada, la història de les esglésies de Santa Maria d'Ègara, és a dir, de Sant Pau, Sant Vicenç, Sant Sadurní, Santa Eulàlia, Sant Just i Sant Pastor, i Santa Maria, encara ens ofereix molts interrogants. La cronologia que abasta aquest primer diplomatari, i que cobreix l'espai de temps entre el 958 i ei 1207, es pot dividir en tres etapes, força clares, de desenvolupament i funcionament de les esglésies: 958-1037,1038-1112 i 1113-1207. Abans de passar a analitzar-les, però, hem de dir que tenim poques notícies del que passa abans del 958, malgrat que probablement ja existia alguna cosa: l'única notícia certa és de l'any 874, en què un tal Baió va ser amonestat pel bisbe Frodwin (o Frodoí) de Barcelona perquè, sembla, volia tenir una certa autonomia en la presa de decisions. Des de llavors, silenci. Pot ser que ja existís un grup de clergues organitzats al terme, dels quals en sabem alguns noms, però no podem acabar de precisar quin tipus de contacte o relació podien tenir amb les esglésies. La primera notícia i primera etapa coneguda comença l'any 958, any de la probable instauració de la domus de Sant Pau (que després es dirà Sant Pere). Ens trobem, a més, amb una comunitat de clergues seculars estables, que porta-

La penisola anatolica, terra di collegamento tra il continente europeo e quello asiatico, è stata teatro non solo delle controversie più accese del cristianesimo primitivo ma anche fucina di istituzioni ed elaborazioni teologiche che hanno permesso al fenomeno cristiano di sviluppare percorsi identitari forti e durevoli. Studiare il periodo immediatamente post apostolico e quello precedente l'era costantiniana, tra Marco Aurelio e Diocleziano appunto, consente di mettere a fuoco le principali e multiformi spinte interne che hanno forgiato l'esperienza di fede dei cristiani di quel tempo, i quali, se da una parte hanno rielaborato l'eredità apostolica, dall'altra hanno posto le basi della fede delle successive generazioni. Di questi temi legati alla regione anatolica, della loro portata teologica e dello spirito sorgivo che si respira leggendo ancora i testi di quell'epoca, si è occupato il Convegno i cui Atti sono contenuti in questo libro, arricchiti anche da altre relazioni che contribuiscono a gettare luce sui molteplici reciproci influssi e confronti tra tradizione asiatica e alessandrina. Nell'intento di ravvivare l'amore per la storia del primo cristianesimo che ancora riserva, a uno studio attento, aspetti da scoprire e su cui meditare, si è voluto onorare la memoria di mons. Luigi Padovese (1947-2010), organizzatore per decenni dei Convegni a Tarso e ad Efeso e vescovo di Anatolia.

Francesco Barbesino
Diplomado em engenharia industrial,
trabalha no Departamento de Química da
Politécnica de Milão, primeiro como
responsável pelo Laboratório de Provas
Materiais, depois como cientista sênior no
Centro de Informações, Estudos e
Experiências de Milão. Participa de
numerosos programas multidisciplinares de
pesquisas como expert em provas materiais
e envelhecimento de materiais poliméricos.
Há muitos anos faz parte da Aliança
Católica, uma associação cívica cultural
para a difusão da doutrina social da Igreja
Católica[...]
Mario Moroni
Há cerca de vinte anos, dedica-se a
experiências e estudos sobre o Santo
Sudário. É membro da British Society for the
Turin Shroud (Sociedade Britânica de
Estudos sobre o Santo Sudário de Turim) e
do Centro Internazionale di Sindologia di
Torino (Centro Internacional de Pesquisas
sobre o Sudário de Turim). Autor de
numerosas memórias apresentadas em
congressos nacionais e internacionais,
projetou-se, sobretudo, como expert
numismático na condução de numerosas e
interessantes campanhas experimentais
para a verificação de algumas das
problemáticas ligadas à formação da
imagem, à datação dos tecidos de celulose
e outros [...]
[...]
Em todo o caso, os próprios limites de cada pesquisa sobre documentos
históricos não autorizam uma objeção irracional. Porém, o que não faltam são
falsificadores. Nos debates sobre o Sudário de Turim foram inseridas freqüentes
demonstrações de velhas teses contestadas, objeções para as quais já se
respondeu, então, inventam-se novas para dar continuidade. Nós estamos na era da
propaganda: o ponto principal é apresentar suas próprias teses conscientemente,
sem incertezas. Sempre há um grande número de distraídos ou desinformados que
proporcionam ótima audiência. Até mesmo se alguém se irritasse em demonstrar o
contrário lhe ocorreria muito tempo para analisar, verificar e rebater: desse modo, o
golpe quase sempre tem sucesso.[...]
ÍNDICE
Prefácio ............................................................................................................................... 11
Introdução........................................................................................................................... 16
A procura da data do nascimento ....................................................................................... 18
Um grande tecnólogo.......................................................................................................... 24
O pano ............................................................................................................................ 24
A imagem........................................................................................................................ 25
O quadro......................................................................................................................... 27
A impressão térmica ....................................................................................................... 35
Radiação nuclear e outras formas de energia...................................................................... 44
Imagens negativas naturais ............................................................................................ 47
Gênese natural por contato ............................................................................................ 48
O incêndio de 1532 confunde as cartas ................................................................................ 56
Uma primeira consideração ................................................................................................ 63
Um grande conhecedor do mundo antigo ........................................................................... 65
Os aromas....................................................................................................................... 65
A terra............................................................................................................................. 67
O pólen ........................................................................................................................... 68
Um doutor anticonformista................................................................................................ 74
O flagelo ............................................................................................................................. 75
A coroa de espinhos ............................................................................................................ 76
A ferida do pulso esquerdo.............................................................................................. 77
... e ao pé direito .............................................................................................................. 81
A ferida nas costas ......................................................................................................... 83
A moeda sobre o olho direito........................................................................................... 85
... e sobre o supercílio esquerdo ....................................................................................... 90
Uma segunda consideração ............................................................................................ 92
Uma pequena fonte de luz .................................................................................................. 94
As análises com o C14.................................................................................................... 94
As respostas dos obscuros ............................................................................................ 100
O Sudário é autêntico................................................................................................... 114

Recenti studi e pubblicazioni hanno permesso di rilevare, all’interno
della Basilica di San Simplicio in Olbia – SS, sopra una delle colonne
che separano la nave centrale dalle navatelle laterali, un capitello
di forma quadrangolare già conosciuto in letteratura. Il capitello, registrato
all’interno del Catalogo Generale dei Beni Culturali, è collocato
a coronare una colonna posta a circa un metro dall’antica sede di un
ambone in legno. Tale elemento, la colonna, è il quarto sostegno a destra,
partendo dall’abside, su cui si imposta il claristorio che divide la
nave centrale dalla navatella settentrionale, ovvero la navatella dell’epistola.
Il capitello, o meglio la scultura ricavata dall’antico capitello,
dovrebbe essere incluso nella prima fase costruttiva, quella che vedeva
una piccola chiesa molto più corta della Basilica attuale, realizzata, secondo
il Delogu, attorno all’XI secolo ma, a ragione di dati mensiocronologici,
secondo l’opinione di chi scrive, tale edificazione potrebbe
essere più antica.

UMI, ProQuest ® Dissertations & Theses. The world's most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses. Learn more... ProQuest, Christian burial practices at Ostia Antica: Backgrounds and contexts with a case study of the Pianabella Basilica. ...

We present new epigraphic discoveries from Saranda that illuminate its historical and socio-economic role in ancient Epirus. Our findings, including three newly identified inscriptions, reveal insights into local administration, trade networks, and civic life, emphasizing Saranda's importance within regional and Mediterranean contexts. We invite you to read our paper and share your thoughts!​

This study takes its cue from archaeologist Giovanni Battista de Rossi’s ground-breaking, “analytical, not synthetic” approach to ancient cemetery investigation. His research on ancient Christian institutions in Rome would define the state of the field in the second half of the nineteenth century and the century to come. Here, the historiographical discourse focuses on an ancient catacomb for Jews in southeast Rome on the historic Randanini estate. The purpose is to examine not only the remains themselves but also why they mattered and to whom. It reveals what their enduring presence has signified to later generations up to the present day.
The catacomb of Vigna Randanini remained in use for interment throughout much of the late Roman era (third through seventh centuries CE) before its apparent loss to recorded history as a distinctly Jewish site. In light of this strange omission—we are talking about not just a handful of objects but several thousand tombs—this study seeks to identify the circumstances in which generations of Christians visited, studied, and ultimately preserved a Jewish site. It offers new perspectives on site formation by integrating unpublished archival data with deep knowledge of the site. Addressing complex layers of setting, identification, interpretation, and presentation from antiquity to the present sharpens our image of the catacomb, of which significant areas remain undocumented and purposefully obscured.
How this situation fits within the larger picture of archaeological activity and site preservation in Rome underscores a distinct and enduring relationship between Jews and Christians in the Roman Catholic imagination. This association underwent profound changes in de Rossi’s lifetime and helped shape his fundamental conclusions about catacomb development and utility beyond a primarily theological perspective. In a startlingly vivid way, a new consideration of de Rossi’s pivotal role in identifying Jewish catacombs in Rome transforms the canonical account of the founding father of Christian Archaeology. This book reassesses de Rossi’s deep personal commitment to the study of Christianity and something equally dear to the Roman-born: the pursuit of the city’s past and its renewed significance to the modern world.

U radu se donosi preliminarna analiza groba 13 s lokaliteta Vir -Smratina. Na navedenom lokalitetu istražena su dva sakralna objekta. Starija crkva podignuta je u 6. stoljeću, a unutar nje je, najvjerojatnije u romaničkom razdoblju, sagrađena manja crkva. Uz južni zid starije crkve nalazio se dječji grob (grob 13) u kojem je sahranjeno sedmero djece. U tom su grobu pronađene dvije fibule koje se mogu pripisati ranokršćanskom vremenu: jedna u obliku ptice i jedna pločasta fibula -bula.

The impact of Christianity on the rural landscape and settlement patterns of the Southern Erei district is primarily known through a limited number of sites, including three places of worship dating to the 5th-8th/9th centuries AD (at Philosophiana, Piano Cannelle, and Contrada S. Ninfa), as well as via necropolises, scattered burials, and artifacts bearing religious symbols, notably a significant collection of oil lamps recovered from the Villa del Casale. Recent archaeological field surveys, conducted between 2020 and 2021 in the territories of Enna and Piazza Armerina, have led to the identification of two previously unknown early medieval single-nave churches and respective settlements, at Balatella and San Nicola. These places of worship have been placed in the context of their settlements, attempting the definition of patterns of diachronic evolution and development intertwining churches with their rural communities. In addition to this, the present study provides a chrono-typological interpretation of the burials identified in the area, including those at Montagna di Marzo, Polino, Gallinica, Balatella, and Philosophiana. This interpretation is based on an examination of masonry techniques combined with material evidence collected during the field surveys. The paper concludes with a reassessment of the dating of the single-nave church at Rossomanno, challenging the hypothesis of an early medieval foundation and instead proposing a chronology to the Later Middle Ages (ca. 13th century AD).

Šime Perović
NALAZI STAKLA IZ RANOKRŠĆANSKOG KOMPLEKSA NA BRZETU KOD OMIŠA (CRKVA SV. EUFEMIJE)
U članku se donosi pregled i interpretacija neobjavljenih staklenih arheoloških nalaza pronađenih na ranokršćanskom lokalitetu Brzet kraj Omiša. Riječ je o građi koja je jednim dijelom bila dio arhitektonske opreme ranokršćanske crkve sv. Eufemije datirane u 6. stoljeće (prozorska stakla i rasvjetna tijela), dok drugi dio sačinjavaju uporabni predmeti vezani uz sakralnu funkciju. Generalno gledano, korpus staklenih nalaza iz ranokršćanskog kompleksa na Brzetu dobro se uklapa u panoramu sličnih ranokršćanskih konteksta u Dalmaciji. Posebno to vrijedi za staklene svjetiljke koje predstavljaju neizostavan i prepoznatljiv dio materijalne kulture starokršćanskih lokaliteta. U cjelini, stakleni nalazi s ovog lokaliteta mogu se usporediti s pronalascima na lokalitetima Podvršje, Crkvina u Galovcu, Sv. Juraj u Putalju i Srima kod Šibenika, te zapravo potvrditi pretpostavljenu unificiranost takve građe unutar crkvenih kompleksa u Dalmaciji.

Glass finds from the early Christian complex in Brzet near Omiš (church of St. Euphemia)
This article provides an overview of archaeological glass finds from the early Christian site of Brzet near Omiš. The first group of finds belongs to equipment of the early Christian church of St. Euphemia dated to the 6th century (window panes and lighting devices), while the second part of finds consists of utilitarian objects related to the sacral function.
In general, the assemblage of glass finds from the early Christian complex in Brzet corresponds well to similar early Christian contexts in Dalmatia. This is especially true for glass lamps, which represent an indispensable and recognizable part of the material culture of early Christian sites. They were used to illuminate public and private spaces throughout the Mediterranean and its periphery in a wide time span from the 4th to the 8th century, and some forms, with certain modifications, were in use even longer. However, they are common as liturgical equipment in church spaces from the second half of the 4th century, and their importance is evidenced by numerous records and artistic representations.
Although it seems that glass lamps first appeared in the Eastern Mediterranean, probably in the Syro-Palestinian area from the 4th century onwards, their production soon developed also in the West, in the  Rhineland workshops. In Italy, possible production centers of glass oil lamps are mentioned, for example, in Piazza della Signoria in Florence
and Lungotevere Testaccio in Rome, where lamp fragments were found inside the furnace together with other glass material. The possibility of early medieval production of glass, perhaps even flat window panes, is also attributed to the monastic complex of S. Vincenzo al Volturno. Some authors consider a possibility of certain regional or almost local production of glass lamps from the area of the Eastern Alps, but it seems to us that the majority of finds from early Christian sites in Dalmatia were imported, regardless of whether it was import of eastern or western Mediterranean provenance. Possible western provenance of the glass lamps from Brzet could be considered with regard to the examples of conical lamps of the Uboldi III type, in which some authors recognize the influence of Merovingian glassmaking. As a whole, the assemblage of glass finds from the early Christian complex in Brzet near Omiš (the church of St. Euphemia) can be compared to the finds from the sites of
Podvršje, Crkvina in Galovac, Sv. Juraj in Putalj, Srima near Šibenik, actually confirming the assumed unification of such finds within church complexes in Dalmatia.

Analisi di un'iscrizione inmurata nel prospetto meridionale della chiesa medievale di San Lussorio, a circa 1,5 km a sud di Fordongianus, eretta nel locus depositionis delle spoglie del martire, inglobando un martyrium paleocristiano, ampliato nell'altomedioevo

In western society, as in the rest of the world, the vast majority of teenagers mould their identity by reacting to the world around them. However this sense of identity is unlikely in the early twenty-first century to be predicated by religion; music, sport, fashion and choice of friends are the elements by which schoolchildren and students define themselves and, with the notable exception of some members of minority religions, Faith is unlikely to play a major part in their formation of "self'. There is little understanding as to why immigrant Muslim, Sikh or Hindu communities place such a high value on their children remaining within the orbit of the local place of worship, as religion is seen by many of the white majority as a peripheral part of life.

The church and monastery on Sir Bani Yas Island (Abu Dhabi) comprise the first Christian site ever discovered in the UAE, and one of the only two found to date. The site includes a church surrounded by a walled compound and a series of domestic spaces, interpreted as monastic dormitories. To the north and north-west, at least six (potentially up to ten) free-standing courtyard houses have been identified, built in the same style and with the same technique as the church and dormitories, and yielding similar material culture assemblages. These have been interpreted as part of a dispersed monastic settlement, of a type which has both been described in written sources and identified at other archaeological sites in the Gulf. Excavations have proceeded at the church and monastery since 1992; most recently, two of the free-standing courtyard houses were excavated by the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism in 2025. This project is still ongoing. At the same time, archival documentation from past excavations is being prepared for publication as a monograph. This paper presents a brief overview of this important Christian site, followed by the results of archival material reassessments carried out over the past two years. It then discusses the most recent results of excavations at the two courtyard houses from winter 2025. The paper concludes with an outline of future work, as well as a brief summary of protection, activation and public engagement activities related to the site.

The Commission for Sacred Archaeology, officially founded by Pope Pius IX on Jan. 6, 1852, and declared “Pontifical” by Pius XI with the Motu Proprio of 1925, was established “to guard the sacred ancient cemeteries, to take preventive care of their conservation, further exploration, investigation and study”. In the Historical Archive of that institution, which has undergone a major digitization campaign over the years, there is a wealth of documentation related to access practices and the disciplining of visitors to the Roman catacombs. A systematic perusal of the minutes of the meetings of the members of the Commission, compiled by Secretary Giovanni Battista de Rossi, makes it possible to understand how, as early as the preparatory sessions of 1851, the need to draw up a precise system of regulations – both for the curious and for scholars – aimed at guaranteeing the safety of visitors, the preservation of the paintings and the protection of the materials kept in the catacomb galleries is reiterated. The initial provisions contained in the Constitutive Act, following an exponential growth of those who “yearned to visit the sacred hypogea,” were followed by numerous variations, ratified during the ordinary meetings of the Commission, which led, in 1880, to the creation of the role of “inspector of the catacombs” – whose charge was entrusted, until 1886, to Vincenzo Gozzi – and to the dissemination of new regulations in 1895 and 1901. The paper, therefore, on the basis of official documents (minutes, registers and accounts) aims to focus attention on issues related to granting of licenses, the printing of entrance tickets, the costs associated with light- ing, the accompaniment of the public by “quarry- men”, printed guides and, more generally, the strategies deployed by the Institution to plan the experience visiting the catacombs of Rome open to the public in the second half of the 19th century.

This paper deals with a silver coin discovered within burial no. 16 at the eastern necropolis of Remesiana. It deals with the rare rare example of the heavy miliarense of Constantius II which was discovered within the closed context during the systematic archaeological research, by which its significance overcame the simple numismatic value. The coin was recovered from the double burial excavated in 2019 which was placed within the walls of memoria built by stone in drywall technique. It has been archaeologically confirmed that the grave of an adult was reopened to bury the child. Interestingly, the coin, together with other objects like glass bottle and silver fibula has been discovered as an inventory of child burial, since it is most likely that those were part of one or more donativa. The position and type of the burial, just like the choice of the object placed within the grave, leads us to believe that these objects could be regarded not only as luxurious but also symbolically significant. Furthermore, they may represent the "family heirloom" which was placed in the grave together with the remains of the last (male) member of a late Roman family from Remesiana.

Durant el període visigòtic, sobretot durant els segles VI-VII, el culte a sant Feliu, el màrtir gironí de principi del segle IV, adquireix un desenvolupament i una difusió molt important. En un intent de reconstruir l'expansió d'aquest culte, des del seu nucli originari -Gerunda-fins als indrets on és present en aquesta època, disposem de pocs testimonis-la majoria dels quals són tardans (s.VI-VII)-, i que es poden agrupar bàsicament en dos grans grups: els que fan referència a l'existència d'edificis religiosos (temples, monestirs,...) intitulats o dedicats a sant Feliu de Girona', i, en segon lloc, el fons de la litúrgia hispànica, expressió d'un culte oficial de l'Església visigòtica envers el màrtir gironí. En aquesta comunicació ens referirem al segon d'aquests aspectes: parlarem de quins eren els principals textos litúrgics del ritu hispànic emprats en època tardo-visigòtica en la celebració litúrgica de la festivitat de sant Feliu de Girona, el dia 1 d'agost. ' Fora de la mateixa ciutat de Girona on el culte fou molt important en els segles VI-VII, el culte al màrtir gironí Feliu és difós en els segles VI-VII a la mateixa Gàllia Narbonesa (Tours), a Hispània (basíliques de Saetabis (Xàtiva), Guadix, Bierzo (Lleó) i els monestirs de Tutanés i Caba (Toledo) i el de Visònia al Bierzo (Lleó), i al mateix N.d'Àfrica). Sobre la figura de sant Feliu de Girona i el seu culte en època visigòtica, veieu J.M.NOLLA-N.M.AMICH, Els orígens del cristianisme i la baixa antiguitat al nord-est de Catalunya (en premsa), amb tota la bibliografia sobre el tema.

a figura del màrtir gironí Feliu o Felix és l'única que ha perdurat fins als nostres dies com a testimoni dels primers i més difícils moments de la presència cristiana a la ciutat de Gerunda a principi del segle IV. El testimoni més antic que tenim per determinar l'antiguitat d'aquest culte a Gerunda són els versos del Peristephanon (IV, 29-30), del poeta hispanoromà Aureli Prudenci: «Parua Felicis decus exhibebit / artubus sanctis locuples Gerunda» ('La petita Girona, rica de sagrades relíquies, presentarà la glòria de Feliu'), escrits els primers anys del segle V. Aquesta brevíssima però molt valuosa citació, a part de confirmar la innegable autenticitat del martiri de Feliu durant la persecució de Dioclecià, a l'inici del segle IV, sembla assenyalar, per altra banda, que aquells mateixos anys les seves despulles i relíquies (el seu sepulcre) ja descansaven i eren venerades a la mateixa ciutat. Encara que Aureli Prudenci en cap moment no parla directament de l'existència a la ciutat d'un temple martirial o d'una basílica dedicada a Feliu, sembla molt probable que aquest ja existís en el mateix segle IV. La important difusió, nord enllà, sobretot a la regió de la Gàl•lia, del culte i de les relíquies del sant -fet que es documenta amb seguretat des de mitjan segle V-semblaria confirmar-ho. Fins i tot el mateix bisbe Gregori de Tours (538-594), contemporani de la penetració del culte a les Gàl•lies, sembla indicar-nos en una de les seves obres (De Gloria Martyrum, 92) que coneixia l'existència a la ciutat de Gerunda d'una basílica dedicada a Feliu. Felix de Gerunda: origen i evolució d'un culte gironí a l'antiguitat tardana (s. IV-VII) Narcís M. Amich Raurich Sant Feliu de Girona. Vista general del sarcòfag cristià de fris continuat, també conegut com a "sarcòfag de sant Feliu".

La ciutat de Gerunda, que havia anat adquirint cada cop més importància al llarg de l'Alt Imperi i que es consolidà notablement a partir de finals del segle III, després de proveir-se d'unes poderoses muralles i, sobretot, aprofitant de manera extraordinària la seva situació geogràfica excepcional, als peus de la Via Augusta, sembla incrementar el seu paper en època visigòtica. Un dels fets cabdals, i de fet així semblen reflectir-ho les fonts escrites, és l'aparició, possiblement durant la segona meitat del segle IV, de la seu episcopal. Aquest fet fou extraordinàriament important en la història de la ciutat en època tardoantiga. Els prelats que la van dirigir, els noms d'alguns dels quals coneixem, sobretot pel que fa als segles VI i VII, a més de mostrar-se com a personalitats d'un altíssim nivell intel•lectual, literari i eclesial (Joan de Biclara, Nonnit...) en el marc general de la societat i de l'Església hispànica de l'època, sembla que van ser els grans catalitzadors, en molts casos, de la vida de la ciutat i del culte al màrtir gironí Feliu, i a més van actuar en diverses ocasions com a veritables interlocutors i dirigents en els principals afers ciutadans, un fet que per altra banda sembla certament freqüent en moltes altres ciutats hispàniques i forànies, on els bisbes acabaven assumint sovint moltes de les atribucions antigament reservades als magistrats municipals de l'època baix imperial. Encara un altre aspecte ajuda a comprendre millor el paper de la ciutat gironina en època tardoantiga: la seva estratègica situació, immillorable, als

Sembla cada vegada més dar que el paper de la ciutat de Gerunda en època tardoantiga, especialment en els segles VI i VII, fou molt important en el context de la Hispània del moment. Ala seva extraordinària situació estratègica, als peus de l'antiga Via Augusta, excel•lentment comunicada per tant amb el sud peninsular i amb la Gàl•lia, cal afegir-hi també l'extraordinària vitalitat d'alguns dels seus dirigents, sobretot els bisbes que governaren la seu episcopal gironina^ Les fonts textuals, tant gasives en aquests moments, ens han conservat algunes referències que permeten intuir com, entre finals del segle VI i la primera meitat del VII, la seu episcopal de Gerunda era una de les que gaudia d'un prestigi més gran en el marc de l'Església hispànica del moment. A aquest fet hi van contribuir d'una manera molt decisiva dues figures excepcionals, de grans qualitats intel•lectuals, literàries, eclesials i, per què no, humanes. Ens estem refrint als bisbes Joan de Biclara i Nonnit Nonnitus, fou en molts aspectes continuador de la tasca portada a terme

Al temple de Sant Feliu de Girona es conserva encastat a les parets del presbiteri un dels més importants conjunts d'escultura funerària antiga de la Península Ibèrica. Un d'aquests sarcòfags, conegut com "el sarcòfag de sant Feliu", ha estat durant molts segles venerat com la tomba que originàriament hauria conservat les despulles de Feliu, el màrtir gironí del segle IV. Una veneració de segles, que molt possiblement es remunta a la mateixa Antiguitat Tardana i que permet suposar que aquest culte connectaria directament amb la mateixa comunitat primitiva de l'antiga ciutat de Gerunda. L'existència del més important cementiri urbà d'època antiga a redós del sector nord de la Via Augusta, és un fet acceptat des de sempre, mai discutit i que se sostenia en dues sòlides evidències: per un costat, la tipològica -en el món romà, sempre, les necròpolis es localitzen més enllà del pomaerium de la ciutat, a un costat i altre dels camins que hi accedien, essent necessari, de vegades, crear vials paral.lels per permetre la construcció de mausoleus, areae i tombes més senzilles el més a prop possible de les muralles úrbiques pel fet que entre el món dels vius i el dels morts, les relacions eren intenses-i, per l'altre, l'existència documentada, des de l'antiguitat tardana, d'una església martirial dedicada a Feliu que s'ha suposat, assenyadament, lligada a

Lluny de les tradicions pietoses que han omplert les obres historiogràfiques gironines dels darrers segles per explicar els orígens de la seu episcopal gironina, el present treball pretén aportar una mica de llum a la qüestió, valorant el text d'una epistula papal d'inici del segle V, la qual sembla proporcionar-nos importants dades sobre els orígens del mateix bisbat, així com també sobre l'estructura i l'organització de la primitiva comunitat cristiana de Geninda, documentada almenys des de principi del segle IV. Innocenci I, successor en la seu romana d'Anastasi I (399-402), és una de les figures més importants de l'Església dels primers segles La seva tasca Sobre les fonts escrites d'època tardoantiga referents a Tantiga ciutat de Genmda, Amich 1997; Canal-Canal-Nolla-Sagrera 2000, 30-35; Amich 2002, amb un important recull historiogriífic i documental. ^Els documents més antics sobre el primitiu cristianisme a la ciutat de Girona corresponen als primers anys del segle IV, concretament els que fan referència al martiri que hi patí Fèlix, testimoniat pel poeta hispanoromà Prudenci (Peristephanon IV, 29-30), així com també el conjunt sepulcral paleocristià conservat a l'actual temple de Sant Feliu, amb una cronologia en els primers decennis del segle IV. Sobre aquest conjunt escultòric. Amich 2000.

Review of Widad Khoury et Marie-Christine Comte (dir.), Dossier :
églises paléochrétiennes à absides saillantes au Levant. À
propos de nouvelles découvertes, dans Syria. Archéologie,
art et histoire, tome 96, année 2019, Beyrouth, Institut
français du Proche-Orient, 2020, p. 11-256. ISBN 978-2-
35159-764-4

The dissertation deals with the hermits' places of retreat and pilgrimage to the rock hermitages they inhabited in Syria in the late antique-early Byzantine period. The cave or rock hermitages of the hermits did not serve exclusively as places of isolation, spiritual contemplation and prayer away from the world. Rather, they were also local, regional and supra-regional pilgrimage sites. The study of the written and archaeological sources not only makes it possible to better understand the hermitic way of life in the rock dwellings, but also to reconstruct the pilgrimage events in connection with the hermits in their rock hermitages.

This study interrogates the multifaceted processes underlying the introduction and consolidation of Christianity within the Aksumite kingdom
between the fourth and seventh centuries CE, centering on the urban and
architectural dynamics of Adulis as a paradigmatic case. The Christianization of the region emerges as a complex, stratified phenomenon marked
By an interplay of royal patronage, mercantile networks, and intercultural
exchanges. The monumental ecclesiastical architecture of Adulis, including the episcopal complex and the eastern basilica, encapsulates a synthesis
of indigenous traditions and transregional influences, notably from Syrian,
Egyptian, and Byzantine liturgical paradigms. Key historical milestones
underscore the profound and enduring ecclesiastical ties between Aksum
and the Egyptian Church, serving as conduits for theological and architectural exchanges. Radiocarbon analyses and archaeological stratigraphy situate the apex of ecclesiastical construction within the late fifth to early sixth centuries. Furthermore, discovering Indian artifacts and epigraphic material within Adulis attests to its function as a nodal point in Afro-Eurasian networks, facilitating a vernacular cosmopolitanism. This evidence collectively problematizes linear or monolithic narratives of religious conversion, instead revealing a gradual, heterogeneous process shaped by the confluence of local agency and exogenous stimuli. This research repositions early Aksumite Christianity as a locus of cultural hybridity and transregional entanglement through a nuanced reading of architectural, liturgical, and epigraphic sources.

This paper reports the preliminary results from two short seasons of fieldwork that the Tunisian–British Bulla Regia Archaeological Report was able to undertake in September 2016 and 2017. In 2016, the work focused on a geophysical survey of the western cemetery and revealed a complex landscape of funerary enclosures and mausolea outside the protected boundaries of the site, likely to be of Roman date. In 2017, photogrammetric techniques were used to record and plan a Late Antique church and cemetery that was discovered during a rescue excavation in 2010. The church consists of three naves and a series of funerary annexes, which contained burials covered by mosaic or stone epitaphs, including those marking the graves of two bishops and two priests. The church is surrounded by an extensive cemetery with a variety of different tomb types, such as mosaic caissons and simple stepped masonry tombs. The mosaics, inscriptions and finds (ceramics, glass, coins) support a fourth to sixth/sev...

The altar table is the center of Christian worship, but what gives it its sacred character is the ara, a stone that in the Christian religion keeps the relics that sanctify it, usually hidden under the board. In the Visigothic period, pagan altars as other Roman pieces were mostly reused, Christianized by the opening of the loculus, the hole for relics, redecorating them or completely
reworking them.
A part of the Spanish bibliography does not recognize or does not highlight this significance of the aras. On the contrary, he calls them tenants or altar legs, confusing the
sacred ara with the legs of the altar board with which it sometimes matches, without museums or academia having changed the classifications and concepts. Both bibliography and museography have remained anchored in the idea of a Visigothic stylistic uniformity of religious furniture,
identifying in some way the political unification of t he kingdon with stylistic uniformity.

This article draws attention to the discursive ways in which the meaning of relics is made and remade in medieval texts by considering the issue of consent in the lives and afterlives of female martyrs as similarly narrative and subject to problematic mediation by the medieval Church. If relics and reliquaries signify primarily through written discourse, should we read a saint’s posthumous consent as similarly discursive, brought into being by the body’s very possession by the Church and the attribution of miracles through oral and written discourse? Does the process of sanctification assume consent a priori ? Does the often fragmentary or diluted nature of a saint’s relics seemingly elide the necessity of consent? This article considers how the post-sanctification treatment of female saints’ relics reinforces the patriarchal structures of the medieval Church. Relying on an assumption that consent, once given, cannot be withdrawn, the Church’s rituals surrounding relics in the Middle Ages replay the torture and violation script after the virgin martyr’s death, ignoring the women’s resistance to those violations inflicted on them in life. These rituals also served to enrich the medieval Church at the expense of women’s consent.

Since 18 December 2024, the Archaeological Museum in Frankfurt am Main has been displaying the contents of a tomb from the 3rd century AD, which includes an extraordinary find. Its small size is inversely proportional to its archaeological and historical significance. ---
Seit dem 18. Dezember 2024 zeigt das Archäologische Museum in Frankfurt am Main das Inventar eines Grabes, zu dem ein außergewöhnlicher Fund gehört. Dessen geringe Größe steht im umgekehrten Verhältnis zu seiner archäologischen und historischen Bedeutung.

A inicis del segle XX la configuració urbanística de Tarragona era molt diferent a l'actual. L'àrea de la Plaça Imperial Tàrraco era una zona d'eixample i pràcticament sense urbanitzar. L'any 1923 es va projector un edifici pels Germans de les Escoles Cristianes de la Salle. Aquesta és una congregació laica consagrada a l'Església Catòlica. La primera escola es va fundar a Reims el 1680 per Jean-Baptiste de la Salle. Era una escola gratuïta per nens pobres i del carrer. A Tarragona les classes van iniciar-se el 1906. L'any 1923 s'havia convertit en una escola tant popular que es va fer necessari construir un gran edifici per cobrir la demanda. L'encarregat de l'obra va ser l'arquitecte tarragoní Josep Maria Pujol de Barberà. Aquesta primera obra seguia un estil historicista basat en el gòtic. Les remodelacions i construccions posteriors s'han ocupat d'ocultar i destruir parts d'aquest primer edifici.