IL PAESAGGIO RELIGIOSO DI CARATTERE CRISTIANO NEL SUBURBIO DI ROMA: STRADE E VISIBILITÀ

Abstract

If the Christian cemeteries in the suburbs of Rome, established starting from the end of the 2nd century, were inserted without
marked distinctive characteristics into the already existing surface tombs, the numerous churches that arose in relation to the
tombs of martyrs and popes, around sixty by 7th century, constituted a profound transformation. They configured a completely
new religious landscape, described by the compilers of the early medieval itineraria: poles of attraction for the pilgrims, they often
imposed themselves due to their considerable size, for being the center of complex agglomerations of buildings and for their favorable
positioning for immediate visibility, in some cases on hills that allowed them to be seen even from a considerable distance. A
group of churches further away from the city may also have played the role of a ‘boundary marker’ for the diocese of Rome.

Keywords: Rome, Suburbs, churches, streets, visibility, itineraria