Holy Growth: Two Millennia of Regional Inequality in Italy Inferred from Church Construction

Carla Salvo and Jacob Weisdorf
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Carla Salvo: Sapienza University of Rome
Jacob Weisdorf: Sapienza University of Rome, CAGE, & CEPR

CAGE Online Working Paper Series from Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE)

Abstract: Northern Italy is markedly richer than the rest of the country. The origins of this regional divide have long been the subject of debate. We trace relative regional development back to the end of antiquity using newly assembled data on ecclesiastical building activity as a proxy for economic performance. We identify two pre-modern golden ages in the 10th to 13th and 15th to 16th centuries, both plausibly interrupted by major plague outbreaks. Our evidence suggests that the North South gap emerged more than a millennium ago, around 900 CE, when the North pulled ahead and re tained its lead thereafter. We also find that Italian unification further amplified this northern advantage.

Keywords: Church building; regional development; economic growth JEL Classification: O11; N30; N60; Z12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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