Welcome to the table
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
St. Mary Major's Basilica
Gian Lorenzo Bernini was a sculptor, painter and architect whose numerous works in Rome welcome pilgrims and tourists. No visitor can miss the Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona. The angels of his workshop accompany us as we cross the bridge leading to Saint Peter’s Square, where the wings of the colonnade that bears his name create a sacred space whose vault is heaven. In Saint Mary Major, on a simple step near the altar, we read that this man who was “the decorum of Art and of the City” rests humbly in this place and “awaits the Resurrection”.
As a digital pilgrim, we invite you to visit the four papal Basilicas. The Basilicas are the spiritual home of all comers.
Francesco Borromini
St. John Lateran's Archbasilica
Entering the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, we are welcomed by the large marble statues of the twelve apostles. Pope Innocent X commissioned Francesco Borromini to completely rebuild the Lateran Basilica, asking that the original five-nave structure of the ancient Constantinian basilica be preserved. The skilled architect succeeded in turning limitations into opportunities, creating a space marked by light and shadow, innovating the codified language of classical architecture and restoring the pillars of the basilica to their original biblical interpretation. He created aediculae for the monumental statues of the Apostles, the Columns of the Church, on which the proclamation of the Good News rests.
Saint Peter
St. Peter's Basilica
Simon – known as Peter – was among the first to be called by Jesus. He followed Him enthusiastically, recognizing in Him the Messiah, the Son of God. Although his journey as a disciple includes moments of trial - denial and then repentance - Jesus indicates this very man as Peter, the “rock” on which He will build His Church. Today, Saint Peter's Basilica represents a spiritual testament to these words of Jesus. The place where the early Christian community laid the body of the crucified apostle during Nero's persecution lies beneath the altar of the Basilica, preserving for centuries the memory of Peter's faithfulness witnessed up to death. Above it, the Church, composed of living stones, gathers around the Successor of Peter, the Pope. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Son of God, finds here his home, his roots and the call to be a living stone in the spiritual temple of the Church.
Saint Paul
St. Paul's Basilica
Before becoming the apostle of the gentiles, Paul was known as Saul, persecutor of Christians. One day, on the road to Damascus, he saw a great light and heard a word that profoundly transformed his heart. From there began the long journey that led Paul to proclaim new life in Christ in his many journeys, until he arrived – like Peter – in Rome, and until he sealed what he proclaimed – like Peter – with the gift of his own life.
Today the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside-the-Walls, built above the tomb of the Apostle, enables us to intuit the light and the Word that transform the heart. Who receives it does not stay still. Those who experience the encounter with Christ are compelled to come out of themselves and to share the joy they have received.
Michelangelo
St. Peter's Basilica
Michelangelo was just twenty years old when, inspired by the moment when Jesus was
taken down from the cross and enveloped in Mary's maternal embrace, he sculpted the famous Pietà, housed in a chapel of Saint Peter's Basilica. The young artist's work was admired from the start as an absolute masterpiece that surpassed even the art of the ancients. But at the same time, it also carries a profound spiritual message: Mary is depicted here as Mother and Bride, a figure of the Church, who holds Jesus, offering Him to mankind, and remains young in that she makes herself similar to Him. This sculpture also changed the life of Michelangelo, who became a sought-after artist and indelibly linked to Saint Peter's Basilica, whose form he literally shaped with his own hands.
Saint Mary
St. Mary Major's Basilica
Mary of Nazareth was an unknown young girl when the angel of the Lord announced to her that she would carry Jesus, the Son of God, in her womb. Her story is told on the ancient mosaics that cover the triumphal arch of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, the visual expression of the love and veneration of Christians for the Mother of God. The main altar of this church holds the remains of the manger in which Mary laid the newborn Jesus, as recounted by the evangelist Luke and later depicted in all the nativity scenes around the world. Mary, venerated here also through the icon Salus Populi Romani, accompanies us as Mother on our journey of faith. Here, throughout the centuries, especially in times of trial, believers have always found refuge under her protection. To her motherly gaze we also entrust today our sufferings, our wounds, failures, fears and doubts.
Saint John Baptist
St. John Lateran's Archbasilica
Saint John the Baptist, also called the Precursor of Jesus, spent a long time in the desert. There, he learned what is essential and what is not. There, he became completely willing to fulfil the meaning of his life: to recognize Jesus as the Messiah and to show Him to the world. Calling all to conversion and baptizing them in the River Jordan, he paved the way for the coming of Christ, the Saviour. When Jesus Himself was baptized in this river, the voice of heaven confirmed that He was truly the Son of God.
The Basilica of Saint John in Lateran, dedicated to the Most Holy Saviour, to Saint John the Baptist and to Saint John the Evangelist, also known as the “Mother and Head of all Churches”, represents our spiritual home. The large adjacent baptistry, with its octagonal structure, recalls that through baptism, the possibility of a new life in Christ, a life as beloved children of God the Father, opens up to us all.
Saint Benedict
St. Paul's Basilica
For over 1,300 years, the Benedictine monks, founded by Saint Benedict, have been the custodians of the Basilica of Sain Paul Outside-the-Walls. Over the centuries they have faced many challenges, including the tragic fire that destroyed the ancient basilica in 1823, but they have always continued to guard the spiritual legacy of this place. This Basilica was in fact built over the tomb of Saint Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles. In addition to the Apostle's sarcophagus, the Basilica also houses the chains that held him prisoner before his martyrdom. Despite these chains, Saint Paul proclaimed the freedom of God's children. His word also inspires us to ask the Lord for the gift of a free heart.