Catholic
Encyclopedia: Whether you are Catholic or not, the
Catholic Encyclopedia is a useful reference for Roman residents, because
it covers the major artists, architects, authors, donors, prelates, saints,
doctrines, emperors, Roman families, churches, monuments, etc. If you want
information on just about anything in Rome, try http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/
on the Internet. There are links to alphabetical lists on the top of the
page. The Encyclopedia is avowedly Catholic and may only define Catholic
associations for some subjects or persons. To quote from its introduction,
the Encyclopedia "differs from the general encyclopedia in omitting facts
and information which have no relation to the Church. On the other hand,
it is not exclusively a church encyclopedia, nor is it limited to the ecclesiastical
sciences and the doings of churchmen." Note also that the Internet version
of the Encyclopedia is based on the ninety year old print version, so some
modern scholarship may not be included.