Tunisia

Introduction

Christianity arrived in Africa from Rome. Thousands of Christian converts were martyred during the third century including Sts Perpetua and Felicity who are recalled in the canon of the Mass, who were thrown to the animals in Carthage. A split occurred in the church in the 4th century when Donatus, the Bishop of Carthage, founded a heresy whose followers built their own churches and many Roman sites have two churches for this reason. In the early centuries Tertullian, St Cyprian and St Augustine of Hippo were leading figures here.

Christianity in Africa was successively weakened by heresies, invasion of the Goths in the 5th century, and finally overwhelmed by the followers of Mohammed in the 7th century. Many remains from this period may be seen in Tunisia. Our pilgrimage will follow in the footsteps of St Augustine of Hippo as well as visiting places of palaeochristian and Roman artistic and historical importance. We will also experience the stark beauty and silence of the Sahara Desert.

Also available for private groups of 20 or more.