J - 48 : What the Barbarians did not do, the Popes did

In Spring 60 AD, Apostle Paul arrived in Rome, his final destination. Here, he wanted to be judged by Emperor Nero for his alleged crimes of bringing non-jewish people to the Temple in Jerusalem. After more than 6 months on sea, he walked the last 240 km from Pozzuoli to the Empire's capital. It took him ten days. Formally under house arrest but - as a matter of fact - free to do whatever he pleased, he waited for his meeting with Nero - the Roman Emperor had no time though. They never met.

Large Scale Model of Ancient Rome at the time of Emperor Constantine (early 4th Century). Colisseum, Palatium Hill and Circus Maximus at the Center. The Model is in the Museo della Civita Romana in Rome. It was commissioned by Mussolini, Italy's Fascist Dictator, in 1933.

Saint Paul would not have recognized Rome as shown in the model above. He arrived 250 years earlier. On the site of the Coliseum was the pool of Nero's Domus Aurea. The Martian Field between the Pantheon and Augustus' Mausoleum was still an open space.

Martian Field in 16 AD with Pantheon in foreground

The alluvial Ager Vaticanus across the river Tiber was a swampy and malaria infested wet land which had only been drained 20 years erlier. Emperor Caligula started building a chariot race course here which Nero completed. The Vatican Obelisk is the last visible remnant of the Circus Neronis and stood once at the center of the race course. in 64 AD Circus Neronis became the site where Nero's henchmen martyred many Christians - including Saint Peter. They crucified him upside down to insult him. Nero blamed him for the Great Fire of Rome. Christians were his useful scapegoats.

Ager Vaticanus became the Vatican over 1'500 years

There were also no churches when Apostle Paul arrived. Early Christians lived in the under- ground on the fringe of society. They met secretly once a week at the house of their bishop (= local leader) for a meal to commemorate the Last Supper - a tradition which would later become the Holy Communion. When Constantine the Great became Emperor in 312 AD, their lives changed. He issued in 313 AD the Edict of Milan to decriminalize Christianity. Heavily prosecuted his predecessors, they were finally free to practice.

The Lateran Palace to the Right - the Cathedral to the Right

Equally important, the new Emperor donated in 313 AD the empty Lateran Palace to the Bishop of Rome (= Pope) as residence. He also approvd the building of a basilica on the grounds of the former race course "Circus Neronis" where Saint Peter was martyred. To this day, the Lateran church is thus the Pope's official residence. The Lateran is a cathedral - Saint Peter in the Vatican is only a basilica.

Avignon, where the Popes took Refuge from 1309 -1377 to avoid the Civil War in Rome - the French King would send Troops across the Bridge to protect them if necessary

For 1'000 years, from 313 to 1309 AD, the Popes lived in the Lateran Palace. The violent dispute with the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire of German Nations over supremacy (does the Pope appoint the Emperor or does the Emperor appoint the Pope) triggered a civil war in Rome during which several Popes were murdered. The Lateran Palace was set on fire in 1307. In 1309, the Popes had enough and moved to Avignon. There they built a fortress like Palais des Papes and enjoyed the protection of the French King. From his new and strongly garrisoned fortress in Villeneuve-les-Avignon he looked out for them. Parts of the bridge connecting Villeneuve and Avignon still stand.

When the Popes returned to Rome, they fortified Hadrian's Mausoleum for Times of Unrest

In 1377, the Pope and the Cardinals decided to return to Rome. They had not forgotten how defenceless they were before. During their absence (1361), the Lateran was destroyed once more. Taking residence in the Vatican - protected by the Leonine walls built after Muslims sacked it in 846 AD - offered several advantages. Pope Nicholas III had bought Hadrian's Mausoleum in 1277 and turned it into a medieval fortress. The Vatican could be supplied via the Tiber during a siege. Nicholas III also connected Saint Peter's Basilica by the Passetto di Borgo with Castel Sant' Angelo. The Popes could now reach their fortress anytime.

Successive Popes fortified Castel Sant Angelo and made it impregnable during the Sack of Rome by Charles V in 1527

Once back in Rome, the Popes improved the Castel Sant' Angelo further. First, three artillery bastions were built at the base by Pope Nicholas V in 1450. Fifty years later the San Matteo bastion followed. Finally, under the Renaissance Popes Paul III and Pius VI, parapets and protected walkways were added. Castel Sant Angelo became the formidable fortress which we look at today.

Castel Sant Angelo's splendid Glory attracts Tens of Thousands of Tourists every Year

Once the Popes felt save, they started refurbishing Saint Peter Basilica - a ruinously expensive project that let to the issue of indulgences and eventually triggered the reformation. The buildings of ancient Rome were the perfect quaries for the ambitious project. The Coliseum lost most of its external travertine to decorate the new Basilica and many other churches in Rome. Urban VIII stripped the Pantheon of its bronze roof in 1625 to make cannons and to forge the bronze altar canopy. As the saying went "What the barbarians did not do, the Barberini did". Pope Urban VIII was from the Barberini family.

Bernini's bronze Baldacchino is 95 Feet tall and weights 63 Tons with its twisted columns

Upon his arrival in Spring 60 AD, Apostle Paul could not forsee any of this. His scriptures though, which make 40% of the New Testament, provided the fundamentals to keep the Christian movement together and forge it into the world's most powerful religion. That a swampy and malaria infested Ager Vaticanus could become Saint Peter's Basilica illustrates the powerful change that Christianity brought to our lives.