Santa Maria in Trastevere, Basilica San Pietro, and Scala Santa

Santa Maria in Trastevere, Basilica San Pietro, and Scala Santa are three churches in Rome to which people from the city, from Italy, and from all over the world make pilgrimage journeys. All three are famous Christian sites of worship for important reasons.

The Eyewitness Guide to Rome describes Santa Maria in Trastevere as “probably the first official Christian place of worship to be built in Rome” (212). Supposedly built in the 3rd century, the beautiful golden mosaics that decorate the outer façade and inner altar area date to the 12th century when Pope Innocent II had the church re-done in a Romanesque style. Santa Maria is a Christian and tourist focal point, especially in Trastevere. It may have been the first church dedicated to Mary, though this is according to legend.

St. Peter’s Basilica, probably the best known church in Rome and the main church of Roman Catholicism, is a major pilgrimage site. It took more than a century to build, beginning in the 15th century under the rule of Pope Julius II. Bernini’s gilded bronze baldacchino is a highlight of the interior. The 448 foot dome was designed by Michelangelo, and gives a fantastic view of the entire city of Rome from the top. The Piazza San Pietro, surrounded by the colonnade designed by Bernini, fills with thousands of people on religious holidays, Sundays, and Wednesdays to receive blessing from the Pope.

Scala Santa, or the holy staircase, consists of 28 stairs that have been believed (since the 7th century) to have been ascended by Christ. The original stairs were moved from Jerusalem to their site at the old Lateran Palace. The sacred stairs can only be climbed by people on their knees, a daunting task performed by devout Christians.