Keeping the faith: an examination of the causes and factors contributing to the location of Greek monastic communities in Rome between the sixth and eleventh centuries

Landels, Greg (2013). Keeping the faith: an examination of the causes and factors contributing to the location of Greek monastic communities in Rome between the sixth and eleventh centuries. University of Birmingham. M.Phil.

Preview

Landels13MPhil.pdf
PDF - Redacted Version
Download (1MB)

Abstract

The study of Greek ecclesiastical institutions in Rome from the sixth to eleventh centuries has failed to receive the academic attention that it deserves. The Greek monasteries and churches of Rome numbered among the city’s most prominent and influential religious houses, and yet the evidence and historical study relating to their development and eventual disappearance by the eleventh century is left wanting. Very little work has been done on the connections between the various Greek ecclesiastical foundations of Rome and the importance of their location in the city. Therefore, to address this lacuna, this thesis aims to identify and examine the topographical patterns of Greek ecclesiastical and monastic settlement in Rome from the sixth to eleventh centuries. By drawing connections between individual Greek ecclesiastical institutions that were located in the same geographical area this thesis aims to demonstrate the importance that location had upon the development, influence and function of these churches and monasteries. This thesis will primarily focus upon two areas in Rome, the first being the Palatine Hill and the second the Esquiline Hill and Campo Marzio. This thesis will examine similarities between ecclesiastical institutions, such as function, patronage, staffing and how these factors were influenced by their location in Rome, as well as what factors had an effect on the location of these institutions. It further aims to determine the role that location had upon the popularity and later decline of the Greek monasteries and churches of medieval Rome. Consequently was the fate of the Greek monasteries and churches of Rome a case of location location location?

Type of Work:

Thesis (Masters by Research > M.Phil.)

Award Type:

Masters by Research > M.Phil.

Supervisor(s):