Early Christians in Rome

Peter and Paul

The first of the Apostles to come to Rome, probably in about 42 A.D., was Peter. Although it had already been made clear to him (see Acts 10) that the Gospel was intended for the Gentiles as well as the Jews, he seems to have preached chiefly among the latter: he was a simple fisherman, after all, and probably knew little Greek and no Latin, which made it hard for him to communicate with the Romans.

Paul first came to Rome in about 63 A.D. As a Roman citizen, when he was falsely accused by the Jews in Jerusalem (Acts 22-28) he asked to be tried in Rome. He stayed for two years, awaiting judgment, and during that time was free to receive visitors and to preach the Gospel (Acts 28 xxx-xxxi). He had been called to bring the Good Word to the Gentiles (Acts 26, xvii-xviii).

In 67 A.D., during Nero's persecution, both Peter and Paul were martyred. Peter, as a foreigner, was crucified, but as he went to his death he said he was not worthy to die in the same position as Jesus Christ and asked to be nailed to the cross upside-down. Paul, a Roman citizen, was beheaded with a sword. In Rome there are many pictures of them both, in frescoes, reliefs and mosaics, some dating from as early as the 3rd century A.D. Peter is always depicted with curly hair, generally holding a key, while Paul is shown as balding, with a scroll, or sometimes a sword, in one hand.

Peter crucified upside down
(Detail of door of St. Peter's)

The early Christians in Rome greatly revered the saints' memory. Numerous medallions bearing their pictures were found in the catacombs, and the places where they had lived and worshipped were venerated. At the same time, however, Church leaders had a difficult task preventing a schism between the Jewish and non-Jewish components of the Christian community. Peter was always considered as representing the Jews and Paul the Gentiles, but the two saints are often depicted together, symbolizing the unity of the Church in its diversity.

Christian meeting-places

For about 250 years after the death of Peter and Paul, persecution forced the Christians into hiding and many were martyred in their turn. They could not erect special buildings in which to meet and worship, so they met in private houses, identified by the nameplate on the door, called a "title" (titulus in Latin): the titulus Pudentis (house of Pudens) and titulus Clementis (house of Clemens) were known from the very earliest times. (Pudens and Clemens are both mentioned in Paul's letters.)

(Incidentally, it is not true that the Christians met in the catacombs, which were simply burial-places, for Jews and pagans as well as Christians.)

As time passed and the community grew, a larger room was sometimes created within the house as a special meeting-place for the congregation. In some cases the central hall of a private baths complex, known in Latin as a basilica, was used for this purpose: it must have been convenient to have a pool near at hand for the baptismal ceremony, as baptism was by total immersion. This is probably the origin of our word "basilica", meaning a church.

After the "legalization" of Christianity (see below), numerous churches were built in Rome, on the sites where saints had been martyred, over their tombs and over the private houses (tituli) where the early Christians used to meet. The latter became the "titular" churches assigned to the cardinals.

Constantine

At the beginning of the 4th century, two men vied to be emperor of Rome. One was Maxentius, the other was Constantine. At first Maxentius prevailed, but in 312 A.D. Constantine marched on Rome with his army; Maxentius met him at the bridge known as Ponte Milvio, just north of Rome. Before the battle, Constantine had a vision: he saw a flaming cross in the sky, and heard a voice speaking the words "Under this banner, you will win".He defeated Maxentius and became a Christian, together with all his family: his mother, Helen, and his daughter, Constantia, were both extremely devout. (The battle of Ponte Milvio is illustrated in Roman reliefs on the Arch of Constantine and in frescoes painted in the Vatican in the early 16th century.)

Constantine built huge churches over the tombs of Peter, Paul and other Christian martyrs. The original Basilica of St. Peter's was demolished in the 16th century and the present one built on the same site: the altar is exactly over St. Peter's tomb. The Constantinian Basilica of St. Paul's survived until the last century, when a great fire destroyed all but the apse and the medieval cloister. The present church is a copy of the original one, and in this case, too, the altar is exactly over the tomb of the saint to whom it is dedicated.

Traces of the early Christians in Rome today

Medallions, oil lamps and other objects found in the catacombs can be seen in the Vatican Library. The Pio-Christian Museum, also in the Vatican, houses reliefs and inscriptions with Christian themes.

There are about sixty different catacombs, but only a few can be visited: those of St. Callixtus, St. Sebastian, Priscilla, Domitilla and St. Agnes are generally open to the public.

The Church of San Clemente stands on the site of the titulus Clementis and it is possible to visit the remains of Roman houses beneath the church.

The Church of Santa Pudenziana, on the site of the titulus Pudentis, was made out of the basilica of private baths that were built over the house of Pudens in the 2nd century. Part of the original black-and-white mosaic paving and the original brickwork can still be seen.

By special request to the Vatican, it is possible to visit the necropolis underneath the Basilica of St. Peter's, housing part of the saint's original tomb.