Churches and places of worship Rome

St. Peter's Basilica is one of the largest churches in the world and is located in Vatican City in the heart of Rome. The basilica was built as a church over the supposed grave of the apostle Simon Peter, who is also the patron saint of the church.

Overlooking the famous Spanish Steps, it was built in the 16th century. The church has a clock on a bell tower and on the other a sundial.

Dedicated to John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, the Basilica is also the cathedral of the Pope. Built in the 4th century by Constantine the Great, it is the very first church built in Rome. The main elements to see are the two-storied portico, the Cosmatesque pavement with the Colonna family’s coat-of-arms, the baldacchino, whose reliquary contains the heads of Saints Peter and Paul, the High Altar, the Altar of Holy Sacrament and the cloisters that represent the remains of the Benedictine monastery, Romanesque and Gothic style.

One of the four papal basilicas of Rome, the largest after St. Peter. Do not miss the frescoes, mosaics, the tomb of the Apostle Paul and the beautiful external porch.

It is the most important of the Roman churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The Basilica, standing on the top of the Esquiline Hill, has preserved its original primitive early Christian structure. The bell tower has a Romanesque style and is the highest one in Rome. Its coffered ceiling is adorned with the emblem of the bull of Alexander VI.

The Holy Staircase is part of the medieval legend which tells that it is the ascent of Jesus, transported in 326 by Saint Helena Empress to Rome. In fact, it represents the scale of Jesus' ascent to the interrogation hall of Pontius Pilate, before his crucifixion. The building that contains it is called Scala Santa and was built at the end of the 16th century by Pope Sixtus V. The structure was erected by Domenico Fontana and in the palace inside it we can admire several monuments.

Convento Scala Santa was built in the 15th century and consists of 28 marble steps. The building is one of the most revered by pilgrims, but also by art lovers. The altar has an image of Jesus in Byzantine style. The church that contains it is the renovation of a patriarchal palace that is known as Sancta Sanctorum.

The Tempietto del Bramante is a Renaissance building located in the center of one of the courtyards of the convent of San Pietro in Montorio in Rome. This monument was commissioned to Bramante by the King of Spain because the convent belonged to a Spanish congregation. The theme was to celebrate the martyrdom of Saint Peter and, probably, the beginnings of construction refer to 1502. The structure of the building is that of a cylindrical body, inside which we find the cell that is surrounded by Doric colonnades.

The Church of S.Lucia del Gonfalone is located in the historic center of Rome. The history of the church is closely linked to the foundation of the ArchConfraternity of Gonfalone. The first news dates back to the mid-1200, however, as the building was rebuilt between 1863 and 1867, has a nineteenth-century façade. The church has been the subject of numerous interventions, to note, in particular, the table of the sixteenth century, depicting the Madonna del Gonfalone and a wooden Crucifix, also from the 16th century. The building follows the rules of the Italian Baroque.

The Synagogue of Rome is one of the largest temples in Europe. It was built between 1901 and 1904 in the Jewish ghetto area of Rome. The Temple was erected between the two symbols of Roman freedom, the Capitol and the Gianicolo, emblem of the Risorgimento battles. The Synagogue can be visited only on days dedicated to worship, on Saturdays and Sundays. It's definitely worth a walk and visit it.

The Brotherhood of the Crucifix was established in 1520. It was restored in 1801 and 1878. Today it is home to the Oratorio Musicale Romano. The façade at the bottom has an architraved portal surrounded by two empty niches. At the top, instead, it has a large tombstone in memory of Cardinal Farnese who contributed to the construction of the oratory. The interior has frescoed walls with stories of the Cross, works from the 16th — 17th century.

The Church of Santa Maria Maddalena dating back to 1586, is located in the homonymous square. Its construction was entrusted to Camillo de Lellis, who transformed it into the headquarters of the Order of the Camillians. The structure has a Rococo style. Work on the internal renovation began in 1630 and were completed around 1699, but the consecration of the new Church took place only on 4 May 1727. The works were led by several architects, including Carlo Fontana, Giovanni Antonio de Rossi and Giuseppe Sardi.

The Madonna dei Monti is the church that rises in the street that runs along the ancient route of Argiletum. It was designed in 1580 by Giacomo della Porta at the behest of Pope Gregory XIII, who gave approval after the various testimonies of the sacredness of the place. The church has a harmonious façade with Corinthian capitals, symmetrical niches and large frames enclosed by a gable where the local emblem is dominated.