The Churches and Catacombs of Early Christian Rome: A Comprehensive Guide [Paperback]

Matilda Webb (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1902210581 | ISBN-13: 978-1902210582 | Publication Date: November 1, 2001

A comprehensive and important guide to the individual churches, catacombs, embellishments and artifacts of Early Christian Rome, this book covers a period from the first-century visits of the Apostles Peter and Paul to the end of the ninth-century Carolingian Renaissance. It describes precisely where the extant Early Christian features are situated and provides vital details on what can be seen. The accurate ground plan of each site studied enables the reader to locate features with ease and to appreciate the contrasting proportions and architectural development of each church.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In the best tradition of well-researched archaeological guides, this volume offers a brief history, a diagram, and description of all the early Christian churches and catacombs as well as suggested itineraries... Recommended not only for the traveller but also for libraries as a good entree into the early Christian archaeology of Rome." -- Religious Studies Review. "The early churches and catacombs of early Christian Rome not only comprise a material heart for the world's Christians but are a quintessential heritage for modern Europe. They deserve to be far better known and this should be the book to do the job. This book will delight anyone, be they archaeologist or holiday maker, who loves Rome, its people and their historical treasures." -- Professor Martin Carver, The University of York. "With clear, no-nonsense descriptions, useful plans and a range of other valuable information, the author makes it possible for the interested traveller to tour the city's churches and find an intimate peace alongside serene beauty. In so doing, Webb has written a book for the modern traveller to rival the medieval guides that pilgrims from all over Europe took on their journey of a lifetime." -- Professor Richard Hodges, School of World Art, University of East Anglia. "A very welcome addition to the literature." -- Amanda Claridge, author of Rome: An Oxford Archaeological Guide. "Brings together an immense body of learning." -- The Catholic Herald. "An admirably informative and practical guidebook." -- Church Times. "The excellent plans of each church and complex and occasional sections and elevations should be singled out for praise, always to the same scale and thus facilitating comparison... an invaluable research tool for the study of Early Christian Archaeology... contains a wealth of information not elsewhere available in such an accessible form." -- Church Archaeology.

Product Details

• Paperback: 324 pages
• Publisher: Sussex Academic Press (November 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1902210581
• ISBN-13: 978-1902210582
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #150,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Starting Resource, February 21, 2006

By 

Scott Harrison "student of early Roman Christ... (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Churches and Catacombs of Early Christian Rome: A Comprehensive Guide (Paperback)

I used this book as a jumping off point for my B.A. capstone on the church Santa Maria Maggiore. It contains very good introductory information to the churches of Rome, brief histories of their constructions and renovations, and includes a very helpful guides to the more interesting pieces of art in the various churches. Excellent for the traveler to Rome who wants to get an idea of what churches they might be interested in or for the budding church historian/archaeologist.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive and useful guide, August 23, 2007

By 

pedo (ottawa canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Churches and Catacombs of Early Christian Rome: A Comprehensive Guide (Paperback)

excellent companion for the serious traveller, fully detailed and satisfying without being verbose. i appreciated the historical introduction to early Christian Rome as preparatory to the individual descriptions of the sites covered in the book. the basic organization of tours into suggested itineraries was helpful, particularly the indications of sites requiring special permission to visit. the diagrams are well depicted, always indicative of multiple eras contained within many of the churches. this guide will accompany me to Rome shortly and i shall be better prepared for the tours because of it.