Italian Beliefs

The Pantheon of Ancient Rome

The early religion of Rome was heavily influenced by Greek culture, which worshipped a pantheon of natural deities. The Romans recognized many deities, all of whom occupied certain places and roles within their society. In the home, families gave regular thanks and offerings to household spirits. These included minor domestic deities and the spirits of passed relatives. In broader society, the people of Italy worshipped dozens of gods. Some held positions of higher status than others, primarily the gods who shared a Greek counterpart. Among them were major figures like Jupiter, Pluto, and Neptune, along with their children such as Athena, Mars, Vulcan, Mercury, Vesta, Minerva, Bacchus, and Diana.

Each deity represented an aspect of life and nature. They had temples dedicated to their worship, as well as specific holidays, religious rites, and priestly orders. Certain cities adopted specific gods for particular veneration. The Romans saw their relationship with these gods as transactional. By respecting religious customs, they could expect success, prosperity, and good health. Their influence can still be seen in calendar names like January (Janus), June (Juno), and Saturday (Saturn).

In addition to its primary faith, Rome was home to people of many religions. Judaism, Mithraism, Christianity, Manichaeism, Gnosticism, and Germanic Paganism all existed within the empire. The Roman leadership tolerated these faiths for the most part, on the condition that their worshippers also respect the Roman pantheon.

Rome’s Conversion to Christianity

The major faith of modern Italy, Christianity, traces its origins to Rome. The founder of Christianity, Jesus Christ, was born in the Roman province of Judea. He was not, however, a Roman citizen. According to the Gospels, his parents Mary and Joseph traveled to the city of Bethlehem to comply with a Roman census. Later, after Jesus declared himself a divine prophet, it was a Roman prefect who sentenced him to crucifixion. The religion surrounding Jesus grew within the Roman Empire. While stories of persecution and martyrs being fed to lions contain some historical truth, the new faith was for the most part tolerated.

In 313, the fortunes of Christianity changed forever. Roman Emperor Constantine I issued the Edict of Milan, which sanctioned Christianity as a protected faith. He also oversaw the development of the Nicene Creed, a basic declaration of faith shared throughout Christianity. Constantine converted before his death. Christianity would not become Rome’s official religion until 380, under Theodosius. The papacy emerged through the bishops of Rome, beginning with St. Peter. Lesser bishops traveled wherever Catholicism spread, exerting influence over rulers and their people. By the fall of Western Rome in 476, the Catholic Church was strong enough to survive as its own religious and political entity.

Roman Catholicism and the Papal States

The Papal States arose after several centuries of warfare and political turmoil in Italy. The Papacy, after being largely abandoned by the Byzantine Empire, turned to the Franks for help. In exchange for the divine authority granted by the Pope’s blessing, the Franks turned over parts of central Italy to the Church. The Papal States grew from this collection of lands, including the Duchy of Rome. Each Pope acted as both a religious head and a ruler. It was common for Popes to play an active role in Italian politics, and prominent noble families competed to secure the post.

Despite its limited real power, the Papacy carried the power to reshape world politics. In 1054, it split from the Eastern Orthodox Church of Constantinople, an event known as the Great Schism. This primarily occurred due to theological differences, but it resulted in a divided Christianity. Meanwhile, the rapid spread of Islam arrived nearly at Rome’s doorstep through the island of Sicily. In 1095, Pope Urban II called the Western Christian world together to retake the Holy Land in the First Crusade. While the first was largely a success, the Crusades that followed met more mixed success. The Fourth Crusade, for example, saw Roman Catholic forces sack Orthodox Constantinople in 1204.

During the Renaissance, the Catholic Church sponsored many of the artists who would later receive global fame. Its contributions to the arts would also sponsor new schools of philosophy. These eventually trickled north, where they would give rise to the Protestant Reformation. This movement was in part a response to growing corruption within the Church and its political allies. Faced with the loss of its formerly loyal European states, the Papacy launched its own Reformation, though it proved far less revolutionary. At the same time, the Church focused its efforts on proselytizing foreign lands through Spanish and French colonialism. In 1929, Vatican City separated from Italy as an independent nation and the heart of Roman Catholicism.

Religion in Modern Italy

Today, about 80 percent of Italy’s population continues to practice Roman Catholicism. The nation is also home to a sizable population of Muslims and smaller communities of religions like Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. The remainder claim no religion.

References

Aldrete, Gregory S. Daily Life in the Roman City: Rome, Pompeii and Ostia. Greenwood Publishing. 2004.

Crawford, Michael Hewson. The Roman Republic. Harvard University Press. 1993.

Duggan, Christopher. A Concise History of Italy. Cambridge University Press. 2014.

Jones, Philip. The Italian City-State: From Commune to Signoria. Oxford University Press. 1997.

Kelly, Christopher. The Roman Empire: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. 2006.

Killinger, Charles. Culture and Customs of Italy. Greenwood Publishing. 2005.

Norman, Edward R. The Roman Catholic Church: An Illustrated History. University of California Press. 2007.

“The World Factbook: Italy.” Central Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, 12 July 2018, www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/it.html.

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