A 2000-year journey back to the roots of Christianity through the artistic and archaeological testimony of the churches of Rome. It uses the story of 40 of Rome's churches - from the earliest in the catacombs and churches constructed to honour the martyred dead, to those devised to show the power of the papacy during the Renaissance and to reaffirm its authority during the Counter-Reformation, to those showing the emotive splendour of the Baroque and the changing emphasis of the Enlightenment - to offer a perspective on the history of the Church and Christianity. Each of these churches holds many stories, which in turn reveal changes in the wider world as well as in both the doctrine and presentation of Catholicism. Finally, the origins of jubilees and the churches especially dedicated to them are considered and their significance explained. The preface and foreword are contributed by cardinals.