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Colosseum – The best known symbol of Rome, the Colosseum is usually associated with gladiatorial contests, fights with wild animals and other similar events. You must remember, though, that many Christians were put to death in its arena during extremely cruel spectacles. In memory of its martyrs, Christianity, particularly since the 17th century, has come to regard the Colosseum as sacred ground and has raised its crosses in various places inside this structure. To stress the importance attributed to this site, every Good Friday the Pope leads a Way of the Cross procession in the Colosseum.

St. Peter’s Basilica – This is undoubtedly the most famous church in Rome, since it is the biggest church in the world and is also representative of Christianity as a whole. Its awe-inspiring, admirable structure stands where a 4th century church – currently referred to as Old St. Peter’s Basilica – used to be. Beneath St. Peter’s, excavations conducted in the 1940s brought to light the tomb of St. Peter the Apostle. The design and construction of the Basilica are considered architectural masterpieces, while its religious significance is without doubt enormous.

Monastery of Santa Maria in Grottaferrata – Also known as Greek Abbey of St. Nilus. Founded in 1004 A.D. by St. Nilus, a monk coming from Calabria together with a few brethren, this monastery is run by Basilian monks, who are Catholics of the Byzantine-Greek rite. Their Order was established by the Catholic Church to gather the Byzantine-Greek rite monasteries in Italy 50 years before the Great Schism between Catholics and Orthodox. It is therefore unique since it has been constantly in communion with the Catholic Church, while retaining its original rites and traditions. The church and monastery are the result of various alterations, but the whole complex offers an incredibly fascinating sight. Incidentally, the library has an invaluable collection of over 50,000 books, including some rare old parchments.

Basilica of St. John Lateran – It is the “Mother of all Basilicas”. In other words, this is the most important church for Catholics throughout the world. In actual fact this church is Rome’s Cathedral. Obviously, this is a very old church, although it has been rebuilt and renovated several times. Its awe-inspiring, but extremely elegant appearance is an indication of the ability and refined taste of the many Italian architects and artists who worked to the construction of this building through the ages. Given its status, it has played a very important role in the history of Christianity.

Basilica of St. Mary Major – All of Rome’s Basilicas are extremely old in the sense that either they were built over existing churches or they are rebuilt versions of previous churches. St. Mary Major is no exception since its history goes back to the 5th century A.D.. It is considered by many to be the most beautiful church in Rome – apart possibly from St. Peter’s. The term Major is due to the fact that, being a “papal Basilica”, it has a special significance for the Catholic Church and is also the biggest church in Rome to be dedicated to Mary, Mother of God.

Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls – Founded originally by Emperor Constantine in the 4th century A.D. over the tomb of St. Paul the Apostle, this church had to be rebuilt and expanded only a few years later because of the increasing number of pilgrims visiting the grave of the Apostle. Though embellished and somewhat altered over the centuries, the church retained its original structure and character until a fire destroyed a large portion of it in 1823. Its reconstruction successfully endeavoured to preserve the general structure of the church, though it was even more lavishly decorated. Every year, on January 25, in connection with the celebration of St. Paul’s Conversion, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is opened here.

Basilica of St. Peter in Chains – This is not one of Rome’s major Basilicas, but it certainly deserves a visit for at least two reasons. The first is that this church houses the chains that bound St. Peter while imprisoned in Jerusalem. The other reason is the presence of Michelangelo’s statue of Moses. This was to be part of a huge funeral monument of Pope Julius II, but in the end it was placed on its own in this Basilica to commemorate Julius II, since his family, the della Rovere, regarded the Basilica as their own church. In this sculpture Moses has two horns on his head. In actual fact they are supposed to represent rays of light since in the Bible it is written that, on descending from Mount Sinai, Moses had rays of light (Karen in Hebrew, later confused with Keren meaning horns)issuing from his forehead.

Basilica of Santi Cosma e Damiano – This is truly one of the oldest churches in Rome, since it actually incorporated a building previously used as a pagan temple, as well as the Library of the Forum of Peace, also known as Vespasian’s Forum. Turning whole or parts of pagan temples into Christian churches was not unusual in the early days of Christianity. Thus, when in the 6th century A.D. Pope Felix IV was donated the Temple of Romulus and the Library by Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths, he merged the two to make a new church dedicated to two Christian saints and martyrs, Cosmas and Damian. Though it underwent considerable alterations over time, the church is delicately beautiful, particularly in the areas that are preserved in the original Byzantine style.

Cristiano Rubbi for the past 20 years has worked in the travel business. With his experience, he has created a Company dedicated to travellers to Italy. His WEBSITE gives practical advice and allows you to book online tours and shore excursions. Try his FORUM, sign into his GUESTBOOK or email him at info@niceandeasytravel.it.