The Religions of Italy

The Religions of Italy

Keep the faith during your ItalyVacation!

Of the many reasons we are so enthralled by Italy is its significant religious history, something to which each of Italy's regions, cities, and villages bears poignant testimony. Italy, specifically Rome, has been what many consider the center of Christianity since the Emperor Constantine made it the official religion of the Roman Empire in 325 A.D.

Each year both Christian and non-Christian alike make a sort of pilgrimage to Vatican City and St. Peter's Basilica either to worship or to simply admire the magnificent structure, along with its awe-inspiring art and palpable otherworldly energy.

Whether you are Catholic or not, attending mass in Italy is a magical experience, with the mixture of Latin chants and organ music massaging your spirit, as your eyes wander from each of the Basilica's artistic masterpieces. The religious should feel at liberty to partake of the sacraments and confession here. 

But no matter where you are in Italy, Sunday Mass is a particularly engaging event for the devout because, unlike in America, each of Italy's cities has stunning and ancient places of worship, from large scale cathedrals to smaller cloisters. If you are particularly religious, but of a different Christian persuasion, the Sunday service will be an interesting time, if only to hear a sermon in Italian; although sadly Protestant and other denominations tend to worship in more modern and slightly less impressive churches then their Catholic counterparts! 

Jews have been in Italy ever since Antiquity, and arrived in particularly large numbers after the destruction of the second Jerusalem Temple in 70 A.D. During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the Grand Inquisition brought thousands of Jews from Spain, the Middle East, and Sicily to a more tolerant Italy. Regrettably, Italy is marked by the stain of Mussolini's racial laws and the Holocaust; but historically speaking, Italian Jewry has enjoyed being one of the most integrated and respected Jewish Communities in the world.  Centers of Italian Judaism are Rome, Venice, and Ferrara, where we find beautiful medieval synagogues and cemeteries that are still open to worship and visitations. Rome's Chief Rabbi is currently Riccardo Shmuel Di Segni, who has a very good and open relationship with Pope Benedict XVI, which perfectly portrays the harmony with which Christian and Jew live together in modern Italy.

Italy's modern Muslim heritage is rooted in the people of its former colonies Libya and Ethiopia. In the past 20 years thousands of the Muslim faith have emigrated to Italy to contribute to its thriving economy. Today, over 50 mosques - all open for worship and visits - spread throughout the country, which support an Italian Muslim community of nearly 700 thousand believers.  

Of the many ethnicities that contribute to the Italian gene pool, among the dominant are Arab and North African. From the Saracens who made it all the way to the north, to the Arabs who controlled Sicily and parts of southern Italy for significant chunks of time, even the most Catholic Italian can boast a degree of Muslim heritage. Particularly in the south, many of the medieval churches and cloisters are converted mosques, which are very interesting to visit for their varying design.

But, above all, the space that religion occupies in Italy adds another dimension to its compelling personality that keeps us coming back.  Indeed while touring Italy we can see the ethnic and religious components that have come together to create Italy's marvelous culture; equally with Italy's multi-ethnic and cosmopolitan present we have no doubt that it will only continue to evolve and flourish.