Rome 1300: On the Path of the Pilgrim.

Rome 1300
On the Path of the Pilgrim
Herbert L. Kessler and
Johanna Zacharias
Yale, $35, 237 pp.

This year's millennial celebrations in Rome remind us that the tradition of Holy Year pilgrimages began in 1300 with Pope Boniface VIII. In an earlier column [January 14, 2000] I reviewed Desmond O'Grady's Rome Reshaped which gives a handy survey of holy years observed in Rome. This present work looks only at the year 1300 to ask the question: What did a visitor, at that time, actually see and do while making a pilgrimage to the Holy City? The authors imagine a female pilgrim visiting the sacred sites of the city. They outline the Assumption Day pilgrimage in which an ancient icon of Christ, housed in the Sancta Sanctorum, was paraded from the cathedral church of Saint John Lateran to the church of Saint Mary Major, with stops at various other "stations" along the way.

The final two chapters pay particular attention to the Roman basilicas of Saint Peter and of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. The special merit of this volume is the range of both black-and-white and color photographs of the art and architecture. The focus on the thirteenth century is most helpful because it reminds us that a good deal of Rome's architecture has radically changed over the centuries. For example, the present Saint Paul Outside the Walls was reconstructed following a nineteenth-century fire; both Saint John Lateran and Saint Mary Major had extensive additions made to their older basilica form; and, as we all know, old Saint Peter's was totally demolished in the early sixteenth century to be replaced by the present structure. The authors give us some wonderful pages on the old Petrine basilica and on some interesting artifacts from the period.

The best part of this book is the careful description of each building that made up part of the pilgrimage "station." The sections on the ancient churches of San Clemente and Santa Prassede (churches which I know and love well) are particularly well done, as is the text describing the beautiful mosaic treasures of Saint Mary Major. For these descriptions alone, the book is a bargain.

I have two minor criticisms. First, while the idea of following a fictional pilgrim is a felicitous one, the pilgrim, alas, plays only a minor role in the development of the story. It would have been appreciated if the authors had given us more description of where pilgrims might have stayed, how they found provisions, and otherwise made their way in the city. More of this "human" information would have made this text--which ends up being a kind of art history book--livelier.

My other complaint is more technical. Almost none of the illustrations include the dates or the dimensions (information usually found in art history books) for the art works. The authors do provide a fine bibliography and index, however. In all, this is a handsome book which gave me much pleasure as I toured vicariously places hallowed by centuries of Catholic piety. I would also be remiss if I did not note the rather affordable price for a volume so generously illustrated.

Lawrence S. Cunningham teaches theology at the University of Notre Dame.