A pope, a king and three apses : architecture and prestige in eighth-century Rome and beyond

The second half of the eighth century is important for the architectural history of Rome, both in terms of the extent of building activity and with regard to its perception in written sources. Tracing notions of prestigious architecture in the Liber Pontificalis, this paper examines three-apsed churches of the period as something of particular prestige in the contemporaries' perception. It argues that architectural prestige in Rome followed the fashions of the city's post-Byzantine elite. It then looks at regions beyond Rome, with a particular focus on triple-apsed churches from the second half of the eighth century in Raetia and Lombardy, and reflects on possible personal interconnections between the three. In conclusion, it appears that the Raetian buildings, constructed in the wake of Charlemagne's victory in 774, if not directly influenced by Roman phenomena of the time, attest to a common architectural fashion that connects post-Byzantine Rome, Lombard Italy, and Carolingian Europe.