Church of Rome
Preserved but no longer current.
Ultramontane opinions or tendencies are those which favour the high "Catholic" party. Ultramontane (beyond the mountains, i.e. the Alps) means Italy or the old Papal States. The term was first used by the French, to distinguish those who look upon the Pope as the fountain of all power in the Church, in contradistinction to the Gallican school, which maintained the right of self- government by national churches. Cp. TRAMONTANE.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Church of Rome” mean?
Ultramontane opinions or tendencies are those which favour the high "Catholic" party. Ultramontane (beyond the mountains, i.e. the Alps) means Italy or the old Papal States. The term was first used by the French, to distinguish those who look upon the Pope as the fountain of all power in the Church, in contradistinction to the Gallican school, which maintained the right of self- government by national churches. Cp. TRAMONTANE.
Is “Church of Rome” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.