City of Echoes: A New History of Rome, its Popes and its People

(Hardback)

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In Rome the echoes of the past resound clearly in its palaces and monuments, and in the remains of the ancient imperial city. But another presence has dominated Rome for 2,000 years -the pope, whose actions and influence echo down the ages. In this epic tale, historian Jessica Warnberg tells, for the first time, the story of Rome through the lens of its popes, illuminating how these remarkable (and unremarkable) men have transformed lives and played a crucial role in deciding the fate of the city.

Emerging as the anonymous leader of a marginal cult in the humblest quarters of the city, less than 300 years later the pope sat enthroned in a gilt basilica, endorsed by the emperor himself. Eventually, the Roman pontiff would supplant even the emperors, becoming the de facto ruler of Rome and pre-eminent leader of the Christian world.

Shifting elegantly between the panoramic and the personal, the spiritual and the profane, this is a fresh and often surprising take on a city, a people and an institution that is at once familiar and elusive.

Reviews

'She is brilliant!' - Dan Snow

'A tremendous, engrossing, and illuminating history of papal Rome. City of Echoes is a must-read for everyone with an interest in the Eternal City.' - Angus Robertson, author of Crossroads of Civilization: A History of Vienna

'Serious, exactingly-researched history, with all the gripping intensity of a rattling good yarn. Filled with intriguing and unexpected facts, City of Echoes conjures up some superb images. Jessica Warnberg shows us how the truth can be be even more exciting than any Dan Brown yarn.' - Paul Strathern, author of The Borgias, The Medici, and The Other Renaissance

'City of Echoes is a sweeping journey through the intertwined history of the city of Rome and the popes from the earliest Christian times till today. It's wonderfully readable and thoroughly enjoyable.' - Philip Freeman, author of Hannibal, Alexander the Great, and Julius Caesar

'Jessica Warnberg's pleasurably informative account allows us to hear some gloriously clear historical and religious resonances of Rome from St. Peter to the present day. It leads us on a sparkling journey through the intertwined evolution of the Eternal City and the papacy that is a joy on the architectural, human, and divine levels.' - Stephen P. Kershaw, author of The Harvest of War and The Enemies of Rome

'This marvellous and original study offers us Rome in all its beauty, depravity and resilience. The history of papal power is never better explained ... An excellent read that will reshape our perceptions of how the modern Vatican state came to be.' - Andrew Pettegree, author of The Library: A Fragile History and Brand Luther: How an Unheralded Monk Turned His Small Town into a Center of Publishing, Made Himself the Most Famous Man in Europe and Started the Protestant Reformation

'Terrific! Jessica Warnberg is an assured guide through the panorama of Rome's Christian history, evoking a turbulent world of warfare, witchcraft and inquisitors. Not only that, she achieves the considerable feat of making church history fun. Highly recommended.' - Catherine Fletcher, author of The Beauty and the Terror: An Alternative History of the Italian Renaissance

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Author Bio

Jessica Warnberg is a historian of the religious and political history of Europe, with a background in the history of art. She has written for academic journals and popular magazines like History Today. In Rome, the city she knows best, she has worked extensively in the archives of the Vatican and the Jesuits. Jessica has also taught history, including at the University of St Andrews. She lives in London.