Ecclesiastical Geography and Topography of the Christian World - Chapter XIII

Chapter 13
Buildings and Places of Worship: Cenacle, Domus Ecclesiae and their transformation into Christian Church. 

             Initially, Jewish Christians gathered to pray in the temple of Jerusalem and in the synagogues. However, the presence of Christians in Jewish places of worship creates dissent and controversy. Christians therefore gather in private homes. The model for them is the cenacle - a room in a private house in which one can pray and celebrate the Eucharist - the Lord's supper. The Acts of the Apostles tell us about some cenacles or rooms of private houses where the apostles gathered with the new converts to celebrate the synaxis (the meeting) in the manner of the Cenacle of Jerusalem: in Troas, Saint Paul meets with the community in a room of third floor. In the letters to the Corinthians, the Romans, and the Colossians, Paul, after greeting the people who own the house, begs them to "greet the church that gathers in their house". 

The cenacles at the time of the Apostolic Fathers

when Christians were expelled from the synagogues, they saw the need to find appropriate places for their meetings. The apostolic cenacles served as a model in the choice of such places: private houses with large rooms were therefore chosen which the owners made available to the hierarchy.

Places of worship owned by the Church in the 2nd century

In the last quarter of the 2nd century. an evolution has taken place regarding places of worship. The ecclesiastical hierarchies sought to acquire ownership of properties that were specifically consecrated for liturgical use, received as a gift for this exclusive use or built according to the needs of the ever-growing number of faithful and liturgical norms. We have four examples of places of worship from the end of the 2nd century:

·   The sacraria – the writer Minuzio Felice in his main work Ottavio calls the places of Christian assembly like this, those intended for worship, which have already replaced the cenacles, or rooms in private homes.

·   The house of Theophilus of Antioch – towards the end of the 2nd century. we read in the Recognitiones Clementinae (Reviews of Clementine) that a lord of Antioch, Theophilus, had given his house to the Christian community so that he could celebrate his meetings and the Eucharist there.

·         The villa of Maron in Rome – the same Recognitiones Clementinae offer us another example, this time in Rome, of a man who, in honour of Saint Peter, gives up his villa (a house with gardens) to the Church, a space so large that could accommodate up to 500 people.

·         The Christian temple of Edessa – the Chronicles of the city of Edessa narrate that in the year 201 a flood completely destroyed the Christian temple. It can therefore be deduced that at the end of the 2nd century. in the city, there was a specific building exclusively intended for Christian worship. 

                 Domus ecclesiae in Capernaum, reconstructive hypothesis

Places of worship in the third century.

 Domus Ecclesia - in the third century. Christian places of worship changed their appearance and structures, thus creating the domus ecclesiae which would then reach its perfection in the Constantinian basilicas and, more generally, in the churches of the 4th century. The transition is therefore from the use of rooms inside private homes to the construction of specific places, exclusively designed and used for cultic meetings. The domus ecclesiae was a house (dwelling) donated to the Christian community and transformed into a building of worship while maintaining a home's external appearance. In the 3rd century domus ecclesiae multiplied throughout the Empire. In the third century, domus ecclesiae were transformed into isolated church buildings, that is, a single building separated from the other rooms of the domus. Thus, in the 4th century. A model of the Christian Church already exists, a separate, spacious building with a nave that resembles today's churches. 

At the end of the 3rd century. and at the beginning of the 4th century. Christian buildings of worship are also known by pagans and are clearly visible. Porphyry, who lived in Rome at the time of the emperor Gallienus (253-268), mentions the large houses where Christians gathered. Lactantius, present in Nicomedia in 303, speaks of the Christian church clearly visible from the imperial palace, which was destroyed by Diocletian. In the town of Altava (now Ouled Mimoun,  Algeria) a Dominica basilica (a house of the Lord) was built in 309, attested by an inscription.

House of the church of Dura Europos, Syria

The most famous domus ecclesiae is that of Dura Europos. In the excavations of the ancient city of Dura Europos, on the right bank of the Euphrates River, a domus ecclesiae was found in 1929, a unique example in Syria and in the entire world. It had been built around the year 230, as a graffito from 232 indicates, and then covered with earth and debris before the year 260, thus remaining in good condition until its discovery. It is a house like the others, however, reserved for Christian worship with the meeting room, the various dependencies, and the baptistery.

Another example of domus ecclesiae (the house of the church) is that of Cirta, a city in North Africa. In the year 303, during Diocletian's persecution, this house was subjected to a police inspection. The inspection was followed by a report, which has been preserved, listing the inventory of what was found there. Thanks to this document we know e.g. that the domus ecclesiae of Cirta had a library with 36 volumes of sacred books.

The Church's right to own property – the Church has always asserted its right to own cemeteries, mausoleums, and places of worship. The legal sources of the 3rd century confirm this right of the Church. Then the Edict of Milan ordered the properties seized during the reign of Diocletian to be returned to the Church. We therefore know that the Church before 313 was the owner of numerous properties, not only the cemeteries (which the Christians already owned towards the end of the 2nd century.) but also places of worship.

Rome, Titulus of S Prassede The church has very ancient origins Prassede, a don of the senatorial family, used her family's heritage to build a domus ecclesiae sub-titulo Praxedis probably in the 2nd century

In Rome, places of Christian worship are called titulus (plural tituli). The titulus in Roman law indicated first of all the method of purchasing a property (iustus titulus). The titulus of a building, an indication of ownership, was placed at the entrance to the house as a sign of recognition and ownership. Christians, already in the period before Constantine, adopted the term titulus to indicate a private building donated for the use of the community.

Many of the titular churches of Rome (tituli) are named after women

They were most likely rich Christian matrons who donated the buildings to the Christian community. So, we have e.g. the titles Aemiliane, Caecilie, Fasciolae, Crescentiae, Lucianae, Praxedis, Priscae, Sabinae, Susannae, Vestinae. Now several churches were founded after Constantine (Aemiliae, Anastasiae, Lucinae, Sabinae, Susannae). We also have male names, probably some of the owners of these titles were members of the clergy. However, for male names, you have to judge on a case-by-case basis. To these titular churches with women's names, we can also add the names of the catacombs, such as Priscilla and Domitilla. Today some scholars highlight the importance of the clergy in the foundation of titular churches or that the clergy intervened in the financing of churches founded by some layperson. This does not take away the importance of donations from rich families or people. From the point of view of territorial ecclesiastical organisation, the titles preceded the formation of the parishes.

 Some Examples of the Churches with Photos.

Domus Ecclesiae of Pudens (1st and 2nd century) Remains of the Domus Ecclesiae (Domestic Church) of Pudens Titulus Pudentis dating back to the 2nd century AD approximately 9 meters below the level of the current church of Santa Pudenziana.

The titulus Equitii et Silvestri was founded by Pope Sylvester I (314-335) on land donated by the presbyter Equizio where imposing Roman structures stood (it is still clearly visible in the basement of today's church of St. Martin at Monti. Initially, the hall was named after the Virgin Mary, while the dedication to St. Martin dates back to the end of the 5th century on the occasion of the building works of Pope Symmachus who had the level of the new church raised to the point of making the original oratory underground. Other extensions and renovations are due to Sergio II and Leo IV (9th-century popes) but it was in the 1600s that the building underwent the most radical renovation, by the architect Gagliardi.

Rome, Titulus of St. Clemente, the first church from the end of the 4th century.

Constantinian Basilica of St. Peter, 333 A.D.

The ruins of what could be the oldest Christian church in the world have been discovered in Rihab, Jordan.

The first Christians who escaped persecution may have taken refuge right here. In fact, according to the archaeologists who discovered it, this would be the oldest Christian church in the world. The building is located in Jordan (in Rihab and was built between 33 and 70 AD)

Chora Church, Istanbul Türkiye: 4th century

It is a truly ancient Byzantine church, converted in the 16th century into a mosque during the Ottoman occupation. It has been a museum since 1948. Inside there are some of the oldest remaining Byzantine mosaics and frescoes.

Church of Our Lady Mary of Zyon, Axum Ethiopia: 4th century

Rebuilt several times over the centuries, the Emperors of Ethiopia were traditionally crowned here. It is an important pilgrimage centre for Orthodox Christian Ethiopians.

Stavrovouni Monastery, Larnaca Cyprus: 327/329 AD

It is one of the oldest places of Christian worship in the world founded, according to tradition, by Saint Helena returning from the Holy Land.

The church of Santa Sabina in Rome was built in 422 AD. it has remained the same ever since and is still in use as a church. (To be Continued)

Dr. Nicholas Macedon OCD

Carmelite Priory, Oxford.            

9698453101

nicholasocd@yahoo.com

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