REL 30.01 Sacred Cities: Rome
A visit to the “eternal city” today is a visit to several cities at once; classical, medieval, and Renaissance versions of Rome are layered on top of each other and squeezed into the same space. This course seeks to explore the many Romes of the past through the city’s religious topography. How did the capital city of the Roman Empire become one of Christianity’s holiest cities? We will examine the history of Rome as revealed in the lives of emperors, popes, holy women, and aristocratic families as well as through the changing landscape of the city itself and its main religious monuments. Open to all.