| The churches of S. Prassede, S. Maria in Domnica, and S. Cecilia are among the best preserved examples of early medieval ecclesiastical architecture in Rome. The study of these churches, all built by Pope Paschal I (817–24), thus provides a rich case study of medieval papal interest in the glorification of the Church and its participation thereby in the city's architectural activity. Paschal's buildings marshaled both spiritual and secular systems of display towards the expression of his authority as leader of the Roman church. His ostentatious interest in the spiritual and physical care of Romans and pilgrims, demonstrated in these churches through architectural arrangements for the cult of saints and the Virgin, while characteristic of early medieval popes, is unusual in two ways. Some of Paschal's churches hold saints' bodies translated by him from extraurban cemeteries. His translations were unprecedented in quantity and nature and mark a shift in papal practice. All of Paschal's constructions are set apart from those of his predecessors in the completeness of his rebuilding and the sumptuousness of the finished churches: large, wide, filled with light, marble, mosaics, and precious metal liturgical furnishings.;These churches have been characterized as the apex of a movement known as the ‘Carolingian Renaissance,’ a rebirth of classical art brought about by the union between Franks and Romans. The explanation of the buildings' forms as deliberate revivals, however, ignores the relationship between function and form in early medieval churches and the range of activities housed in them. Through the traditional forms and novel functions of the churches, Paschal asserted his authority in the city against that of rival powers, including the Carolingian emperor, Louis the Pious, and set himself apart from earlier popes as well. Reexamination these buildings and their relationships to the city of Rome and entities further afield thus produces a richer portrait of Paschal's patronage and the architecture of early medieval Rome than before known. This study also posits a new lens by which we may understand classicism in early medieval architecture, as an expression of continuity. |
