The Pilgrim’s Page

The last stop on our pilgrimage to Rome is the Ponte Sant’ Angelo Bridge, the Angels Bridge. This is not just an ordinary bridge, but in times past it was the only bridge across the Tiber River by which pilgrims would reach their destination of St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Basilica of St. Augustine in Rome is the motherhouse of the Augustinian friars, the same order that Pope Leo XIV belongs to, and a gem not to be missed when in Rome. The first church built here was commissioned by Pope Boniface VIII, the pope that began the first Jubilee Year 1300.

Just across the street from the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome is an unusual sacred site for pilgrims that they access on their knees. Scala Santa, or Holy Stairs, is a set of 28 marble steps encased in wood for preservation. These are the stairs that led up to the Praetorium in which it is believed Jesus climbed before standing before Pontius Pilate.

The Basilica of San Clemente is a minor basilica in Rome. It is dedicated to Pope Clement I who was the third pope and was believed to have been ordained by St. Peter himself. The unique aspect of this church is that it has three layers of structures that can be visited today.

The Basilica of the Santa Croce (Holy Cross) in Gerusalemme (Jerusalem) is part of the route that many pilgrims visit while in Rome. Click to read more about it.

The Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome is the oldest church dedicated to Our Lady. It dates back to 422 and is one of the four major basilicas in Rome. This basilica comes with a legend; a Roman patrician and his wife owned the land but had no heirs. The wife prayed to the Virgin Mary asking how to dispose of the property in her honor.

The Basilica of St. John Lateran is one of the four major basilicas visited by all pilgrims coming to Rome. It is considered the mother church of all the Catholic churches in the world. St. John Lateran was the first Catholic Church built in the Roman Empire by the Emperor Constantine in 324 AD.

The Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls is built on top of the burial site of St. Paul in Rome. For Christians, it is an essential stop on the pilgrimage route in Rome. The city of Rome considers both St. Peter and St. Paul as their patrons. Tradition asserts that they were both martyred on the same day.

Mary Hanbury, Director of Catechesis for the Diocese of Fargo, gives a history of St. Peter's and Caravaggio.