Monday Ground Up: Early 4th Century Christian Necropolis in Pecs, Hungary

During the 4th century, Pecs was a Roman town known as Sopianae. The inhabitants of Sopianae were known to bury their death in a nearby necropolis. At this time, Christians were no longer being persecuted in Rome for their religion. Consequently, the ruler Constantine had also converted to Christianity on his death bed and the edict of Milan in 312 CE allowed the religion of Christianity to diverge into different parts of the world.

Constantine's conversion led to increased protection for those that were previously persecuted, therefore they were often promoted to higher rankings in the community. Christianity spread throughout the Roma Empire and Sopianae became a prominent center, if not one of the most important, of the Christian world.

The tombs of Sopianae lay undiscovered up until the 18th century when archaeologists found them. They still continue to excavate the area, looking for clues about 4th century life in Sopianae. Hundreds of tombs have been found, as well as many burial chambers. Surprisingly, the tombs have remained in pristine condition, intricately painted by murals depicting Bible stories. The tombs represent everyday life and the images found on the walls in the burial chambers depict contemporary Christian rituals.

The murals themselves are an excellent representation of the earliest days of Christianity. In fact, parts of the Basilica of St. Peter are constructed atop many of the tombs, dating back to the 11th century. The Basilica of St. Peter continues the tradition of Christian worship-a site that exhibits signs of human occupation stretching back several millennia before the birth of Christ.

Today, the early Christian Necropolis is a protected by UNESCO as part of the World Heritage List.

Video Footage of the Christian Necropolis

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The people living at the foot of the Mecsek Hills in the south-west of Hungary in the 4th century A.D.—Romans intermingled with Celts and Illyrians— were already familiar with the Te Deum. This beautiful hymn of praise says "When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death, thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers." (Tu devicto mortis aculeo, aperuisti credentibus regna caelorum.)The Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs @The Hungarian Quarterly

213 kilometers South from Budapest lies Pécs, where the complex of early Christian monuments were found. The burial hall and its painted chambers can be visited since2000. The unique Early Christian sepulchral art and architecture of the northern and western Roman provinces is exceptionally well and fully illustrated by the Sopianae cemetery at Pécs. About Hungary

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The Life of Monks and Nuns

The life of a monk or a nun can be quite sheltered and lonely, although the people that choose to partake in this type of existence have made a choice to forgo all material or social aspects of a humane society. Monks during the time of early medieval society chose this position for spiritual purposes, not aware that their new practices would establish new ideals, the act of moderation and communal life was also being practiced, and women were choosing to dedicate themselves to God thus becoming nuns.

Christian monks practiced the life of a solitary man who sections himself off from society to pursue spiritual aspects of the Christian world. Saint Anthony was one such man who had forsaken all of his possessions to join the monastery, giving all of his land to the poor. Additionally, Saint Simeon lived atop a 60 foot pillar for three years, whereby establishing or setting an example for a new Christian ideal. The new Christian ideals modeled by the monks were clearly different that what earlier Christians had practiced, allowing themselves to be dead to the world and achieving a spiritual life through the denial of common social factors.

Eastern monasticism had a large influence of strict moderation, however due to the beliefs of Saint Benedict, moderation did not preclude a hard and disciplined existence, rather a life of obedience to God. Benedict rules stated that all monks were to complete some type of physical labor every day, as well as pray up to 7 times a day. The Benedictine life stressed community, whereby the monks ate, worked, slept, and worshiped together. Under the rules of Saint Benedict, the vow of poverty was also taken to stress that fact that all must be equal, and overindulgence is unnecessary.

Women during the early medieval middle ages were also trying to find ways to withdraw from the world and dedicate themselves fully to God. During the third centuries women had communed in the deserts of Egypt and Syria, however the first rules for western women weren’t produced until the fifth century. The organization was both rigid and tightly sanctioned to protect the women from outside danger. It wasn’t until the 8th and 9th centuries that both monks and nuns were established in double monasteries allowing then to reside in close proximity and follow the same set of rules.

Monks not only became the heroes of Christian civilization because of their dedication to God, but they also played a significant role in spreading Christianity all over Europe in the way of missionaries and the construction of churches. This in itself allowed for a common worship area for local Christians, spreading the words of God to all who would listen.

The Holy Blood Procession in Bruges

The Procession of the Holy Blood is a large religious procession, dating back to the Middle Ages, which takes place each Ascension Day in Bruges, Belgium.

Patrick Bernauw tells us about the historical tradition of Bruges saying that after the descent from the Cross, Joseph of Arimathea took some of His blood and preserved it. Thierry of Alsace, Count of Flanders, received the relic in the Holy Land and brought it to Bruges. The Precious Blood arrived in Bruges, together with the Count, his wife Sybilla of Anjou and the abbot of Saint Bertin on April 7th 1150. The oldest document however, concerning this Holy Grail of Bruges, dates back to 1256.