The institutionalisation of Christian archaeology
The Pontificio Istituto di Archeologia Cristiana – PIAC (Pontifical Institute for Christian Archaeology) was founded on 11 December 1925 through Pope Pius XI’s motu proprio, ‘I primitivi cemeteri’. From the very beginning, the PIAC was intended to work closely with two other research institutions: the Pontificia Accademia Romana di Archeologia (responsible for traditional archaeology) and the Pontificia Commissione di Archeologia Sacra (responsible for managing the catacombs of Rome). Since 1927, the head office of the PIAC has been located in Via Napoleone III in the centre of Rome.
