and
Vatican City, in
Rome Christianity arrived on the Italian peninsula in the first century, probably by unknown travellers, traders or soldiers. The
Letter to the Romans of
Paul the Apostle is addressed and attests to the presence of Roman Christians in the first century. Christians in
Rome were also in touch with
St. Peter and St. Paul the Apostle, both of whom went to Rome on mission and were eventually martyred there. One of the first Italian bishops and popes was
Clement of Rome, who wrote a letter to the Christian community in
Corinth (
1 Clement) around AD 96. Over its two thousand-year history, the Church of Italy grew in size and influence producing and harboring (sometimes before
martyrdom) some of the greatest leaders and movers of Catholic Christianity including
Priscilla and Aquila;
Ignatius of Antioch, martyred in Rome;
Polycarp, martyred in Rome and a disciple of
John the Evangelist;
Agnes, Roman martyr;
Lawrence, martyr;
Justin Martyr, teacher and martyr;
Hippolytus, priest and martyr;
Cecilia, Roman martyr;
Ambrose of Milan, bishop and
Doctor of the Church;
Jerome, theologian and Doctor of the Church;
Benedict of Nursia, founder of the
Benedictine order and of Western
monasticism;
Leo the Great, bishop of Rome and Doctor of the Church;
Gregory the Great, bishop of Rome and Doctor of the Church;
Augustine of Canterbury, Roman monk, Benedictine missionary to England, later English bishop;
Urban II, pope or Bishop of Rome who called for the
First Crusade;
Anselm of Canterbury, Italian-born philosopher, Doctor of the Church and later English bishop;
Francis of Assisi, mystic and founder of the
Franciscans;
Bonaventure of Bagnorea, Franciscan theologian and Doctor of the Church;
Thomas Aquinas,
Dominican theologian, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church; Dante, poet;
Catherine of Siena, mystic, reformer, and Doctor of the Church;
Monteverdi, composer;
Robert Bellarmine of
Tuscany,
Jesuit theologian and Doctor of the Church;
Antonio Vivaldi, priest and composer;
Leo XIII, bishop of Rome and social reformer;
Pius XII, bishop of Rome;
John XXIII, bishop of Rome and initiator of
Second Vatican Council, among many others. One could add to this list the founders of various contemporary lay ecclesial movements, notably
Luigi Giussani, founder of Communion and Liberation, and
Chiara Lubich, founder of the
Focolare Movement. Also,
Andrea Riccardi, founder of the
Community of Sant'Egidio, is now one of the great faith-based organizations in the world. ==Data==