Marvels of Rome

by Canon Benedict, Francis Morgan Nichols (Translator), Eileen Gardiner (Introduction)

Written for the pilgrim and sightseer c. 1143 by Benedict, a canon of St. Peter's, this is the best medieval guide to the city and an important source for the location of its medieval churches and ancient monuments. It narrates the early Christian legends that are connected with many of these sites; and documents the medieval sense of Rome's ancient grandeur. In the twelfth century the inhabited part of Rome, the abitato, as it was called, was a small city tucked into the bend of the Tiber River in the midst of the ruins of the great ancient city. The walls and gates of the ancient city were still in place, and between them and the abitato were fields where the animals grazed among the temples and baths. This edition contains the full text of the Marvels, a detailed Gazetteer identifying all the sites mentioned and providing full bibliographical and topographical references, a new introduction, 5 maps, bibliography, and index. 2nd ed., illustrated.

166 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1889

Reviews

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Odd little medieval (13th c) tourguide to Rome. Points out the obvious that almost every church in Rome was built on the site of a pagan temple. This edition contains a modern gazetteer to help with identifying the sites.

[Csenge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know why this book is listed as written by Pope Benedict XVI. It was written in the 12th century.
Marvels of Rome (also known as the Mirabilia) is a fairly short text, written some 800 years ago, describing the ruins of Rome for pilgrims and visitors. It was written in a fascinating era, both from the archaeologist's and the storyteller's point of view: Rome had shrunk to a small medieval settlement, and the original purpose of the grand ruins had been forgotten, so people started making up stories about them. It is entertaining to read the off-handed comments about certain statues or buildings. The Mirabilia in itself, however, is a very confusing read, since it is mostly inaccurate, but it is hard to tell at first read. Which is why I loved this edition, because it comes with maps, prefaces, and a long, alphabetical glossary that explains and locates all the sites the medieval text mentions. A very useful resource, and a very interesting read.

[BEC · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually really enjoy historical text, but I found this one to be a bit of a letdown. I had great hopes for this book (1st recognized travel guide book) and the introduction was interesting, but I wished it was longer. The main body of text is short. Reoccurring MO is, briefly stating general location (via land marks) then the name of the building, leading to what it is also known as, and periodically ending with, it has since been destroyed. Makes for an unsatisfying read. To me, it is like reading a grocery list. The maps are great to have, but many times the names they mention in the text don't appear on the maps. Sadly, maybe they should have left the dust on this one.

[شاهنشاه‎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eine spannende und kurze - wenn nicht fehlerfreie - Stadtführung in Romaburg mit mannigfaltigen kurzen Erzählungen aus deren Geschichte.

Ich fand den Sprachgebrauch gleichzeitig verhältnismäßig einfach und lästig zu lesen. Es war einfach nicht schön. Das gesagt, hier findet man einige wichtige und spannende Geschichten bzgl. einiger wichtigen Männer der Weltgeschichte. Es war auch spannend zu sehen, welche heidnischen Heiligtümer unter den heutigen christlichen Kirchen liegen.

[Edwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

With another schooltrip to Rome coming up next week this twelfth century guidebook to Rome seemed like a good read. While it has some interesting and some really bizarre stories, it also has a lot of enumerating of ancient gates, temples and palaces, which became boring quite fast. Still, for a Rome fanboy like me, a book that lets me look at the Eternal City from a new perspective is always worth it.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fairly useful translation of Mirabilia. I found the index and the maps to be particularly helpful, and overall this is an interesting book that shows a lot about the history of Rome.