In his Vita Constantini (3.30-32), Eusebius records a letter
of the emperor Constantine to Macarius, the bishop of Jerusalem. This
letter informs us not only about the building of the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre in Jerusalem in particular, but also, by describing the role
of the different actors in the creation of a Christian cult place linked
to the emperor, about the building of ‘imperial churches' in general.
In this paper, the concept ‘imperial church' will be examined and the
notion of agency regarding the construction of these churches will be
investigated. The focus lies on imperial churches built in Rome,
Constantinople, other imperial residence cities, and in the Holy Land in
the fourth century AD, when the bishops emerged on the worldly stage of
power. With the help of literary as well as archaeological evidence the
following questions will be answered:
1. Which Christian cult places can be considered imperial churches and why?
2. Which roles did central authorities (the emperor) and local authorities (e.g. provincial governors, bishops) play in the building of imperial churches?
Through mapping the extent to which different actors influenced the construction of imperial churches, I hope to provide more insights into the positions of power of different types of leaders and into the role of church building in their legitimization strategies.
1. Which Christian cult places can be considered imperial churches and why?
2. Which roles did central authorities (the emperor) and local authorities (e.g. provincial governors, bishops) play in the building of imperial churches?
Through mapping the extent to which different actors influenced the construction of imperial churches, I hope to provide more insights into the positions of power of different types of leaders and into the role of church building in their legitimization strategies.
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