HOW TO REGISTER
 
   

PURPOSE OF THE COURSE

The Special Course of Initiation to Christian antiquity was created in 1960 by Prof. Pasquale Testini in order to spread more and more knowledge of early Christian monuments, which are the foundation of sacred art and allow us to penetrate into the daily life of early communities.

The course intends to present, essentially, the most important concepts learned within individual classes of ancient Christian monuments, having as its vantage point the city of Rome, but not neglecting more or less extensive references to other regions of the Orbis christianus antiquus. The lessons are supplemented with screenings and visits to churches, catacombs, and museum collections.

While the brevity imposed by the limited number of lessons respects the variety of themes which are illustrated, it is finally paramount that the learning cycle considers the fundamental problems of the exegesis and of the comprehension of the material documentation of  ancient Christianity, in order to acquire a critical perspective of the origin and development of the first Christian communities until the time of the pontificate of Gregory the Great and in order to contribute to the preparation of teachers of the history of the ancient Church and other related disciplines. In addition, the course is certainly valuable for those who engage in pastoral care, the valorisation of cultural property in museums diocesan and public and private collections, as well as teaching religion in secondary schools.

It is also desired to offer an opportunity for many students in Rome to visit and become familiar with the most famous monuments of Christian antiquity, thereby constituting a useful complement to the study of historical and theological disciplines at other pontifical universities.

COURSE OF INITIATION
Academic Year 2008-2009
Nationality of members

Brazil 2
Colombia 3
Ecuador 1
France 1
Germany 1
England 1
Italy 24
Lithuania 1
Mexico 3
Russia 1
Spain 3
Ukraine 1
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REGISTRATION AND FEES

Registration

Registration is open to all students of the Pontifical Universities, for clergy and laity, who possess at least a high school diploma.
The number of spaces available is limited.
The entries are made to the Secretary of the Institute (Monday and Wednesday from 9:00am to 6:00pm; Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9:00am to 2:00pm) from October 1st to November 7th, 2009.
To enroll you must provide two (2) passport photos.

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Fees

The registration fee is € 200.00 pro capite.
Each member will be given a identification card, which is valid only for the year of the "Course" and is to be presented at the request of staff. This card does not allow access to the Library.
The fee for the final exam and its diploma is € 60.00.

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Facilities

To members of the "Course" will be given a personal card of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology, valid for one free admission to each of the catacombs open to the public (S. Callistus, S. Sebastiano, Domitilla, Priscilla, S. Agnese, S. Cristina di Bolsena, S. Gennaro di Napoli, S. Senatore ad Albano) and expires by the end of the academic year.
Additionally, they will be granted upon presentation of membership cards, a 10% discount on publications of the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology.

LESSONS DIPLOMA EXAMS

Lessons

The "Course", in Italian, begins Saturday, November 7th, 2009 and ends Saturday, March 27th, 2009 with the exams.
The lessons, lasting two hours, are usually held at the Institute on Saturday, beginning at 9.30.
Study trips are also made on Saturdays, with appointment to the sites mentioned, according to the schedule.
The members are required to respect the predetermined groups for visits to monuments and to equip themselves with flashlight for visits in the catacombs.
The costs for the bus transfer to the Isola Sacra is included in the registration fee.

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Examinations

At the end of the "Course", it is possible to take an oral exam on the topics covered, the passing of which will entitled the student to a diploma of merit.
The entry to examinations and payment of relevant fees shall be made in the Secretary’s Office from Monday to Friday. Those who can not come in person will still have to register but will pay the day of examinations.
The grades are as follows: probatus (from 6 to 6.99 / 10), bene probatus (from 7 to 7.99 / 10), cum laude (from 8 to 8.99 / 10), magna cum laude (from 9 to 9.74 / 10), summa cum laude (from 9.75 in 10/10).
In case of failure, the "Course" may be repeated, with exceptions, for a second year.

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Diploma

Those who successfully pass the exam will receive a diploma of merit one month after the examinations. The Institute does not award certificates other than those provided by the guidelines of "Course".

TEACHERS FOR ACADEMIC YEAR 2009-2010

Prof. Bisconti, Fabrizio
Dr. Brandt, Olof
Prof. Fiocchi Nicolai, Vincenzo
Prof. GUIDOBALDI, Federico
Prof. HEID, Stefan
Prof. MAZZOLENI, Danilo
Prof. PERGOLA, Philippe
Prof. Ramieri, Anna Maria - Moderator
Prof. Spera, Lucrezia