The course was begun in 1960 and its major aim is to spread the knowledge of the early Christian monuments of Rome along with important references to the other regions of the Orbis christianus antiquus.
In order to give an incisive overview of the origins and the development of the first Christian communities up until the time of Pope Gregory the Great (590-604), the course contributes to the formation of instructors of Church History and other similar disciplines.
The classes will be complemented with visits to catacombs, churches and museums, offering the participant a great chance to visit monuments and collections often not very well known and closed off to the public. Each student will be given a card – distributed by the PIAC – valid for the year of the course, along with a badge – distributed by the PCAS (Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology) – to be used until the end of the academic year for free access to all the catacombs open to public (S. Callisto, S. Sebastiano, Domitilla, Priscilla, S. Agnese, S. Cristina di Bolsena, S. Gennaro di Napoli, S. Senatore ad Albano). The students will have to show the card and the badge whenever asked by PIAC and PCAS staff. Also, the card and the badge entitle every student to a 10% discount on the PIAC’s publications. The card and the badge do not, however, allow free access to the library. The course will be activated with 10 or more students.
Course’s moderator: Prof. Fabrizio Bisconti.
Registration
Participation in the course is open to all those who have, at least, a high school diploma. The registration period runs from October 1st until November 5th, 2019, and it has to be made during the administrative offices’ opening hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 9 A.M. – 6 P.M.; Thursday, Friday, 9 A.M. – 2 P.M. Two passport photos are required and the fee for the registration is 300 euros. The fee for the final exam and the diploma is 60 euros.