Roma Caput Mundi

Roma Caput Mundi::


       Rome, head of the world. Through the rises and falls, Rome is a city that has managed to endure. And endurance that was re-invigorated by the deliberate invention of the Renaissance papacy, religion, humanistic scholars and money (Rowland 1, 2).
       Poet Francesco Petrarca was inspired and passioned by the city of Rome- which at this time was a city of “ashes” in the mid 15^th century. Influenced by his personal interests, he began to collect ancient Roman manuscripts. The past gave home a set of standards by which to measure the creations of the present (Rowland, 3). These revitalized standards began to once again encourage the arts and trade- eventually encouraging the blooming of Rome into an important commercial city. The residents of Rome lead by St Francis, believed that their work in restoring the city was an answer to the call of God (Rowland, 4). In the end, what was the true drive for the revitalization of Rome was money. Economic growth and the return of the Papacy made it
a place of employment (Rowland, 5)

       “Rome provided a constant stream of pilgrims, drawn to the ancient sites where saints had
       performed miracles or died in the faith. Many of these faithful visitors were desperately poor,
       but many were not. They came, they worshiped, and they spent…” (Rowland, 2)

       As the years turned into the next century, collaborations between the church, scholars, artists and entrepreneurs hurdled Rome’s economic standing. The popes began to invest large sums of money into revitalizing the city fueling its growth as the new Christian capital (Rowland, 6).        Humanism played a huge role in the growth of Rome. The humanistic movement yielded a special sense of authority in a society rebuilt on religion. It became a way for talented men to improve their social status (Rowland, 7). This movement also encouraged the Vatican Library to become an important part of the city. The Vatican Library was what Pope Julius II based his whole rule of Rome around. He hired a humanistic speaker to speak publicly about the importance of learning to the preservation of civilization (Rowland, 12). It was the aim of Julian to persuade every visitor of Rome that Catholicism was the transcendent truth (Rowland, 12).

       “In many respects, Julius II gave definitive shape to the Renaissance papacy, an institution
        he supported with broad vision, close attention to finance and implacable resolve. He took
        full advantage of the fact that his papal name evoked the memory of another holder of the
        priestly title.. Julius Caesar.…” (Rowland, 11).

       Unfortunately, the treasury that Pope Julius II worked so hard to fill was emptied by his successor, Pope Leo X, or Pope Terribile. The years under Pope Julius II were the last in which were driven by antiquity, arts and oratory. What encouraged Rome to grow and flourish- the Religion, money, humanism and the Papacy was coming to an end. But this time, the city remained standing.

       “Rome had fallen to the Visigoths and Vandals, the expanding city made the barbarians’
       conquest look less and less real; the destruction they had visited upon the city was at long
       last disappearing under new construction. By 1600, the Eternal City, ever larger, ever
       more beautiful, was well on its way to becoming gorgeous, irrefutable physical fact.”
       (Rowland, 13).

Patronage and Popes: Saints or Sinners?
       The Renaissance papacy was worldly in the sense that it was the largest, most complex international institution in Europe. It relied on the central Italy tax base as a financial foundation- directed towards the consolidation and growth of the Papal state through military actions (Patridge, 12, 13). Not only was the Renaissance church worldly- it was corrupt. Popes exaggerated and abused their power to appoint uneducated family members to high office positions and used church lands for personal propaganda. “Clerics of the church were often poorly educated, lax in their vows, and undisciplined” (Patridge, 13). Many Popes saw themselves as the new Christ figures. They maintained their diluted sense of power by controlling council committees.
       Protestants in northern Europe eventually rejected the church- causing the biggest complication to the papal primacy. Believing that human kind was “justified by faith alone,” they eventually rejected the entire priesthood and considered the bible as their only authority (Patridge, 14). As a response to this challenge- the papacy encouraged the revival of the classic cultures. The rinascita (rebirth) which was the source of the word “renaissance” was introduced through the rebuilding of the ruins of Rome. Encouraged by the humanist mindset, the literary and artistic history of Rome was being re-discovered. Rome began to once again thrive on the foundation of the Papacy, humanism and the pilgrims who sought to visit such a richly religious ground (Patridge, 15).

       “It was the papacy that led the church through the slow and painful process of reform…
       The inquisition, reestablished in 1542, enforced orthodoxy and the Index, founded in
       1571, suppressed Protestant ideas by banning heretical books. The proper education of
       priests and effective ministering to the laity became high papal priorities (Patridge, 16).

       With the goal of re-Christianizing the world, for the second coming of Christ, the orders were required to follow strict obedience and adherence to vows in order to restore a renewal of religion, learning, peace and prosperity.

Response:
       In these readings- I was captivated by the entirely human portion of the readings. It is indisputable that the Roman Renaissance reflects Rome at both some of its highest and lowest points. To me, growth and destruction is an indisputable part of western civilization. I think it is simply human to grow to comfortable- and every once in a while we need that reminder and need to “reset”. I see this parallel in both the readings from Patridge and Rowland. The Roman papacy became corrupt, driven by greed and selfish worldly desires. The same goes for the great city of Rome, what once was a powerful epicenter for civilization crumbled under its own reins; it too, needed to be rebuilt. The idea of the Renaissance- a word that is derived from the root “rebirth” encapsulates this idea beautifully. The rebirth of a historically rich city was fueled by the renewed vigor of the Catholic church.