There are more than 900 churches in Rome, including some notable Roman Catholic Marian churches. Most, but not all, of these are Roman Catholic.
The first churches of Rome originated in places where Christians met. They were divided into three categories:
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- the houses of private Roman citizens (people who hosted the meetings of Christians - also known as oratoria, oracula);
- the deaconries (places where charity distributions were given to the poor and placed under the control of a deacon); (The greatest deaconries had many deacons, and one of them was elected archdeacon.)
- other houses holding a titulus (known as domus ecclesia);
Read more about Churches In Rome: Tituli, "Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome", Churches
Famous quotes containing the words churches and/or rome:
“I fancy it must be the quantity of animal food eaten by the English which renders their character insusceptible of civilisation. I suspect it is in their kitchens and not in their churches that their reformation must be worked, and that Missionaries of that description from [France] would avail more than those who should endeavor to tame them by precepts of religion or philosophy.”
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)
“The old world stands serenely behind the new, as one mountain yonder towers behind another, more dim and distant. Rome imposes her story still upon this late generation.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)