Between Antiquity and Contemporary: the Early Christian and Medieval symbology as the basis of the architectural design of some cult building in Rome

Abstract

The last great transformations occurred in Rome caused the profound change of the urban landscape which abandoned the rural aspect to welcome, especially in the areas called in the past “townships”, the typology of the building. As part of this procedure, there were introduced the parishes, whose architectural and artistic characteristics refer, in many cases, to Early Christian and Medieval antiquity. Through the examination of six exemplary cases located in the Prati, Aurelio, Corviale, Parioli and Trieste areas, we want to underline contemporary innovations and revivals in a past key, opening a brief parenthesis about the principles introduced by the Second Vatican Council, as well as by the CEI Note of 18 February 1993. The simplicity of the materials and of the worship hall thus alternates with the constant symbology that has its roots within that substrate, in particular iconographic, present in the catacombs and in the Early Christian churches of Rome.