Since its foundation, the city of Rome served as a stage for a wide range of religious and civic rituals. During Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, its streets were used as processional routes, while novel spaces were conceived, adapted, and constructed to accommodate the needs of varied religious communities and their developing and changing rituals. This international workshop, organized by Martin Lešák (The Norwegian Institute in Rome, University of Oslo), explores the role of visual culture, architecture, materials, and religious practices in the complex process of ritualizing Rome.
Workshop Program
Thursday 19 November
Introduction (9:30–10:00)
Han Lamers (Det norske institutt i Roma), Welcome
Martin Lešák (Det norske institutt i Roma), Introduction
Session 1 (10:00–11:30)
Harald Buchinger (Universität Regensburg), A-mimetic Liturgy and Mimetic Rituals in Their Monumental Setting
Cindy Pichon (Université Paul-Valéry, Montpellier), From Floral Wreaths to the Wreaths of Thorns: Transformations of Urban Rituals in Fourth Century Rome
Veronika Pichaničová (Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave), Imperial Jewels in the Mosaic Decoration of the Early Medieval Churches of Rome
Session 2 (11:45–13:15)
Ivan Foletti (Univerzita Hradec Králové), Seeing, Experiencing and Performing Jerusalem in the Late Antique Rome
Marco Aimone (Wyvern Research Institute, London), Nicolas Samaretz (Université de Fribourg), An Avla Deiin the Heart of Rome: Santi Cosma e Damiano al Foro and the Late Antique Christianisation of Rome
Marie Winkelmüller-Urechia (Eberhard Karls Universität in Tübingen), Ritualizing Romaness Through Chants (650–1250)
Session 3 (14:00–15:30)
Leif Inge Ree Petersen (NTNU), The Frescoes of Santa Maria Antiqua in Light of Constans II’s Visit to Rome in 663: Reshaping Imperial Ideology in Face of External Threat and Internal Dissent
Christina Videbech (Universitetet i Bergen), Speaking Walls: Graffiti and Ritual Practice in Santa Maria Antiqua Between the 6th and the 8th Centuries
Claudia Cianfriglia (Università degli studi di Roma Tor Vergata), The Space of the Liturgy: Continuity and Transformation of Ritual Spaces in the Early Christian Basilica of San Clemente (6th–10th Centuries)
Keynote Lecture (18:00)
Sible de Blaauw (Radboud Universiteit, emeritus), At the Gates of Paradise: Liturgy and Ritual on the Threshold of St Peter’s Basilica
Friday 20 November
Session 4 (9:30–11:00)
Kristin B. Aavitsland (Universitetet i Oslo), San Giovanni a Porta Latina: In the Shadow of the Lateran Basilica?
Łukasz Żak (Pontificia Università della Santa Croce, Roma), Sewing Up Rome: The Papyrus Pillow Ritual, Stational Liturgy, and the Ritualization of Papal Authority in Twelfth-Century Rome
Augie Segger (University of Notre Dame), Identity Formation in Ritualized Space: The Processions of Easter Monday and the Major Litany in Twelfth-Century Rome
Session 5 (11:15–12:45)
Martin Berger (Universität Luzern), On the Possessiones of the Pope and the Emperor: The Liturgical and Ritual Appropriation of Rome in the Middle Ages
Maria Rüegg (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München), Rite and Might: The Materiality and Mediality of Two Red Marble Toilet-Thrones in Medieval Papal Investiture
Pawel Figurski (Polska Akademia Nauk, Warszawa), The Secret Life of the Roman Canon of the Mass: A Journey Through the Hidden Histories and Theologies of Eucharistic Prayer
Session 6 (13:30–15:00)
Gustav Zamore (University of Uppsala), Disruptions of Papal Liturgies and Processions in Medieval Rome
Kristian Reinfjord (Anno Museum, Elverum), Gothic Rome: Agencies of an Alien Architectural Style in Medieval Rome
Innocent Smith (University of Notre Dame), Medieval Liturgy in a Roman Church: The Case of Santa Sabina
Discussion / Closing Remarks
Questions?
For more information, please contact the workshop organizer Martin Lešák