ROCS Guided Holidays - Vatican 25 Jubilee 2025

DAY 2 PAPAL BASILICAS AND SCALA SANTA

Breakfast, and today we visit some of the Papal Basilicas. We begin with the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore , one of the four major Papal Basilicas and one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome. It is also the largest Marian church in the city. Here, we find a relic of the Holy Crib, the manger in which baby Jesus was laid to rest. The first Christmas Night Mass was celebrated here, in a church where art and spirituality blend in perfect harmony. It is one of the first churches built to honour the Holy Virgin. We also visit another important basilica, St John Lateran , considered the mother of all churches. Originally serving as the Papal residence, it is now the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome. The Basilica of St John Lateran has played a significant role throughout history; it was here that all popes were enthroned until 1870. Today, the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano is where the Pope, as Bishop of Rome, celebrates the Holy Thursday Mass. The 14th-century wooden shrine holds pieces of a wooden altar once used by St Peter. The canopy over the altar contains two bust reliquaries holding parts of the skulls of Saints Peter and Paul. We then cross the road to visit the Scala Santa , the Holy Stairs, which are said to have been part of Pontius Pilate’s palace in Jerusalem. They were brought to Rome as a holy relic, and it is believed that Jesus climbed these steps when he was brought before Pilate.

JUBILEE 2025

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