THE "MOVIMENTO TRADIZIONALE ROMANO" [ROMAN TRADITIONAL MOVEMENT] (M.T.R.)



The Renaissance explicitly roused an interest for Roman spirituality in Italia, thanks to the rediscovery of Platonism by Giorgio Gemisto Pletone (1355-1452), and the "Accademia Romana" of Giulio Pomponio Leto (1428-1497) and Francesco Colonna, author of the "Hypnerotomachia Poliphili" (1499). Such interest reached the XVIII and XIX century with the so-called "Schola Italica" of Amedeo Armentano (1886-1966) and Arturo Reghini (1878-1946); it stimulated the archaeological research of Giacomo Boni (1859-1925), captured the attention, albeit in a less obvious way, of prince Leone Caetani (1869-1935), and interacted with the Hermetism of Giuliano Kremmerz. In later years, it influenced Julius Evola (1989-1974) - an influence that is particularly evident in his 1928 publication "Imperialismo Pagano" [Pagan imperialism] -, not to mention Guido De Giorgio's (1890-1957) attempt to reconcile the "Roman path" with Catholicism. The "Roman path" once tread by Evola and the "Ur" Group (1927-1929), also inspired the "Gruppo dei Dioscuri" [Dioscuri Group], active in the political scene of Roma and Messina in the years 1969 to 1975; it's influence extended to the 1980s with groups like the "Centro Studi Tradizionali Arx" from Messina, which was the first to publish the quarterly review "La Cittadella" [The Citadel] (since March 1984).

In 1981 "Arthos" magazine organized a public meeting (with the help of other magazines and organizations active at the time). The meeting was held at Cortona, the birthplace of Dardanus, on the 1st of March (the first day in the Roman sacred calendar). The convention, a few divergences aside, brought the various Italian groups following the Roman Tradition together (as "Arthos" wrote: "From Cortona, omphalos of Italy, comes our invitation to embrace our one and only authentic tradition: the Italian, Roman, Classical tradition. It alone, against all squalid exoticism and fashionable, ambiguous spiritualism, can offer redemption and victory in this barbaric age.") A second meeting, on the theme of "Virgil and The Sacred", followed in Messina in December. Between 1985 and 1988 three other meetings (the 1st, 2nd and 3rd "Conventum Italicum") took place in Sicilia, and were attended by the representatives of three convergent communities following the "Via Romana agli Dei" [The Roman Path to the Gods] in different ways. If we were to greatly simplify and try to classify these three communities, we might say they broadly correspond to the "ancient" [prisca] Roman Tradition (which pre-dates the Punic Wars), the metaphysical doctrines of the Greco-Roman Tradition (with a particular emphasis on the world of the Mysteries), and to ritual technical scrupulousness as the chief means to harmonise and fulfil human nature respectively.

At the end of these meetings, the "Movimento Tradizionalista Romano" ("Movimento Tradizionale Romano", M.T.R., since 1998) was born, as a non-political organisation with the aim of uniting those following the "Roman Path" in Italia. In 1988 the M.T.R. published an important volume "Sul problema di una tradizione romana nel tempo attuale" [On the issue of a Roman Tradition today] (in 1993 it had published its own Manifesto, to make "guidelines - and not religious guidelines alone - for the coming days" known). In 1992 the 4th "Conventum italicum" was held at Forli, at the premises of the "Romania Quirites Association" (an organisation which joined the M.T.R. in 1991, and split from it in 1998). The Conventum chose to establish a federal structure besides the M.T.R., the "Curia Romana Patrum" (C.R.P.), with doctrinal and ritual duties. Following this decision, a common Kalendarium was developed, marking the essential days in which community and private rituals should take place, and the celebrations of marriages (four until today) according to the rules of the ancient "confarreatio" or "Comunione del farro" [Communion of spelt], whose ritual re-proposal was already implicit in the ideas expressed from Giacomo Boni in the beginning of the XX century concerning the roman renewal of the Italian family. The most important roles within the "Curia Romana Patrum" are those of the Princeps (covered until 2001 by Salvatore Crevy Ruta), and of the Promagister, specifically appointed to oversee the correct observance of the rites and of the Mos.

Nowadays the M.T.R. is composed of four gens. From the north to the south: the "Pico-Martia" of Toscana and Liguria (pater Renato Del Ponte), the "Iulia-Primigenia" of Roma and Lazio (pater Daniele Liotta), the "Castoria" of western Sicilia and Calabria (pater Roberto Incardona) and the "Aurelia" of eastern Sicilia and Veneto (pater Sandro Consolato).

Despite the difficulties correlated to the geographical distance existing between the various groups, the "Via Romana agli Dei" [The Roman Path to the Gods] represented by the M.T.R., with the aid of the magazines "La Cittadella" and "Arthos" and of the various groups present in the different zones of the Country, has succeeded in maintaining itself alive and operating. Of particular importance and interest the annual celebration of the XXI April in Roma, which always gather adherents and sympathizers coming from the rest of the Country.

Since March 2002 the M.T.R. has its own website: http://www.lacittadella-mtr.com/ with bullettin board.

BIBLIOGRAPHY - The following volumes are essential to understand the history and the meaning of the M.T.R.:

About the "Roman path" in Italia, but not without inaccuracies, you can also find:

Presentation of the "La Cittadella" periodical
Italian Back to the Italian version.