The urban character of Christian worship

No serious study of the historical development of Christian worship can be undertaken today without attention to the social context in which the Christian liturgies were formed. In this study the author surveys three different urban contexts which were crucial for the development of the Byzantine and Roman rites in the early Middle Ages. The stational systems of Jerusalem, Rome and Constantinople are described in detail and compared, reealing major similarities and differences in the worship inspired by these diverse urban milieux. In addition, the author sheds valuable light on the social development and impact of Christianity on Byzantine and Roman culture in the Late Antique and Early Medieval periods.