The Myth of ‘Christian Rome’ and the Institute of Roman Studies: An Attempted Synthesis of Fascism and Catholicism

Abstract

The article offers a close reading of the numerous initiatives promoted by the Institute of Roman Studies, an institution operating in synergy with the political culture and imperial ambitions of the fascist regime by supporting and influencing its rhetoric of romanità and use of symbols and myths of the ‘Third Rome’. Namely, the article shows that during the 1930s some Italian intellectuals and the high ranks of the Vatican tried to find a synthesis between fascist and Catholic ideologies by means of the glorification of the myth of ‘Christian Rome’. The article shows that many Italian intellectuals thought there was a chance of finding a synthesis between the sacralization of politics and the politicization of religion through the myth of Rome. This chance became a mission with the rapprochement to Nazi Germany, with fascism clearly taking shape as a political religion, and during the Second World War. Despite its final failure, this ‘conciliatory’ attempt shows the complex and various relationships during the fascism between the processes of sacralization of politics and politicization of religion. Finally, the article could be a point of reflection on the various facets about the process of nationalization of Italians widespread during the fascist regime.