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WALKING TOURS OF ROME

The Scala Sancta (Holy Stairs)

12/1/2019

 
Map
Scala Sancta (Holy Stairs), Rome
Scala Sancta

The Scala Sancta is a flight of twenty-eight marble steps which purportedly led up to the praetorium of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem. The faithful believe these are the very steps Christ climbed when he appeared before Pilate, who was the prefect in the Roman province of Judaea. 

According to legend, the Scala Sancta (Sacred Staircase) were brought to Rome, circa 326, by St Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, and once formed part of the old Lateran Palace. 

​In 1589 Sixtus V (r. 1585-90) had the stairs reconstructed in their present position, leading up to the Sancta Sanctorum (Holy of Holies), the personal chapel of the early popes.  

The faithful ascend the Scala Sancta on their knees. In the early part of the 18th century the steps were encased in wood to protect the marble.   
​

The building which houses the steps is the Pontifical Sanctuary of the Holy Stairs (Pontificio Santuario della Scala Santa).

The Sancta Sanctorum (
Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Palatio ad Sancta Sanctorum) was rebuilt in 1278 for Pope Nicholas III (r. 1277-80). In addition to frescoes and mosaics, it houses an ancient painting (possibly 5th century) on wood of Christ, known as the Uronica, which  is said to have been begun by Saint Luke and finished by an angel. Such an image is known as an Acheiropoieton ('made without hands'). 

The Sancta Sanctorum, which was originally dedicated to Saint Lawrence, served as the pope's private chapel until the Renaissance. 

Scala Sancta (Holy Stairs), Rome
Pontifical Sanctuary of the Holy Stairs (Pontificio Santuario della Scala Santa)
Sancta Sanctorum, Scala Sancta, Rome
Sancta Sanctorum

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    Walking Tours For Discerning Travellers

    My name is David Lown and I am an art historian from Cambridge, England. Since 2001 I have lived in Italy, where I run private and
    small-group walking tours
    of Rome.

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  • Home
  • Private Tours
  • Small-Group Tours
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • St Peter's Basilica
    • Altars >
      • Altar of St Joseph
      • Altar of St Gregory the Great
      • Altar of the Madonna of Succour
      • Altar of St Sebastian
      • Altar of the Lie
      • Altar of the Presentation of the Virgin
      • Altar of St Jerome
      • Altar of the Transfiguration
      • Altar of Pope Leo the Great
    • Monuments >
      • Countess Matilda of Canossa
      • Maria Clementina Sobieska
      • Queen Christina of Sweden
      • Pope Innocent VIII
      • Pope Paul III
      • Pope Gregory XIII
      • Pope Gregory XIV
      • Pope Leo XI
      • Pope Urban VIII
      • Pope Alexander VII
      • Pope Clement X
      • Pope Innocent XI
      • Pope Alexander VIII
      • Pope Innocent XII
      • Pope Benedict XIV
      • Pope Clement XIII
      • Pope Pius VII
      • Pope Leo XII
      • Pope Pius VIII
      • Pope Gregory XVI
      • Pope Pius X
      • Pope Benedict XV
      • Pope Pius XI
      • Pope Pius XII
      • Pope John XXIII
      • The Stuarts
    • Portico >
      • Door of Death
      • Door of Good and Evil
      • Central Door
      • Door of the Sacraments
      • Holy Door
    • Pieta
    • Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament
    • Cathedra Petri
    • Crossing >
      • Baldacchino
      • Confessio
      • Dome
      • St Longinus
      • St Helena
      • St Veronica
      • St Andrew
    • St Peter
    • Chapel of the Choir
    • Chapel of the Baptistery
    • Nave
  • Sistine Chapel
    • North Wall
    • South Wall
    • East Wall
    • Ceiling: Part One >
      • Ceiling: Part Two
      • Ceiling: Part Three
    • The Last Judgement
  • Fountains
    • Trevi Fountain
    • Fontana della Barcaccia
    • Fountain of the Triton
    • Fountain of the Bees
    • Fountain of Moses
    • Fountain of the Four Rivers
    • Fountain of the Acqua Paola
    • Fountain of the Turtles
    • Fountain of the Naiads
    • Fountain of the Cannonball
    • Piazza del Popolo
    • Fountain of the Pantheon
    • Fountains of Piazza Farnese
    • Fountain of Goddess Roma
    • Rioni Fountains
    • Street Fountains
    • Venice Marries the Sea
    • St Peter's Square
    • Fountain of the Moor
    • Fountain of Neptune
    • Fountain of the Porter
    • Fountain of the Seahorses
  • Gallery
    • Piazzas >
      • Piazza del Campidglio
      • Piazza del Quirinale
      • Piazza del Popolo
      • Piazza di Spagna
      • Piazza Navona
      • Piazza S. M. in Trastevere
      • Piazza San Pietro
    • Mosaics
    • Fountains
    • Churches
    • Ancient Rome
    • Palaces
    • Domes
    • Papal Coats of Arms
    • Street Shrines
    • Old Photographs
    • Borromini & the Baroque