Quiet place of study with a view of St Peter's
Waltrudis Hoffmann and Barbara Pfeffer, who have been offering courses on art and music in Rome for years, have published a marvellous book about the piano virtuoso, composer and writer Franz Liszt (1811-1886) in Rome and Tivoli, probably as a rich harvest of their experiences. Liszt lived in the Eternal City from 1861.
The successful author of travel guides Stefan Gödde has published a Polyglot Rome Guide after his visit to Rome. In it, he not only gives a very detailed account of the Campo Santo Teutonico with a long interview with Rector Dr Hans-Peter Fischer, but also mentions the Roman Institute of the Görres Society (pp. 57-61).
The September issue of the Römische Quartalschrift (117th volume, issues 1-2, year 2022) will contain the following contributions:
Uwe Michael Lang from the London Oratory, a profound connoisseur of Roman liturgical history, since 2012 is the editor of the liturgical journal "Antiphon", which has been in existence for 25 years, since 2012. Since 2017, "Antiphon" has been distributed by the Catholic University of America Publishing House on behalf of the Society for Catholic Liturgy, which hosts an annual liturgical conference at Notre Dame University.
After ten years of intensive research, Philippe Nuss, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Strasbourg, has published an exemplary study on St. Abbess Odilia, which he has brought to RIGG. Nuss' research focuses on hagiography of the early Middle Ages. According to her medieval vita, Odilia lived around 700. Nuss researches the spread of the cult from the 8th to the 12th century on the basis of all manuscripts of the vita and on the basis of calendars. The "German" Pope Leo IX (1049-1054) proves to be the driving force of the Odilia cult.
Stefan Rebenich writes about the ancient historian Klaus Martin Girardet from Saarbrücken: like every ancient historian of his generation, he was "lastingly influenced by the equally stringent and differentiated reconstruction of Constantine the Great's religious policy, which he presented in numerous publications. His combination of philological precision and historical interpretation was - and still is - trend-setting" (p. 169 note 1). Now a Festschrift "Ecclesia victrix" has appeared in honour of Girardet, edited by Karen Aydin, Christine van Hoof and Lukas Mathieu.
Prof. Michael Matheus from Mainz, former director of the German Historical Institute in Rome, presents the results of tens of years of research with contributions from various authors in a magnificent book with fascinating photos. Ninfa, the magical nymph city, is an excellent destination for an excursion to the south of Rome, because there is still a beautiful, extensive garden in splendid natural surroundings.
The almost prophetic novel "Hadrian VII" (1904) by Frederic Rolfe - a must read! - reveals much not only about Jesuits, but also about the commitment of open-minded, modern popes to archaeology. The Papa Inglese Hadrian VII, after selling all the art treasures of the Vatican and thus securing the worldwide sympathy of socialists - he himself decides the price of each piece! -, promotes archaeology and calls on others to do the same:
The first double issue of volume 117 (2022) is on the market punctually in September 2022. The issue offers the following contributions:
Perhaps it sounds unusual, but one can also see it this way: If the university subject of Christian archaeology is de-Christianising itself and - similar to Cologne removing the Cologne Cathedral from its city logo - now sails under the name "Archaeology of Late Antiquity", it should not be surprised if it finds less and less support and interest. The fact that at least the Vatican has its own Christian Archaeological Institute is an argument for considering the usefulness of the Church as a promoter of science.
Römisches Institut der Görres-Gesellschaft
