Now that's what you call a Basilica !!

02.06.2015

Today I visited the mother of all Catholic Churches. It is called the Archbasilica of St John the Baptist, and is the cathedral seat of the bishop of Rome ( the Pope ). It was declared a house of god in 324, but because of fires and earthquakes destroying previous buildings, this version of the basilica was built in the 17th century. The larger than life statues of the 12 apostles were individually commissioned in 1704 and 1705. It definitely has the wow factor and was the residence of early popes until the vatican took over that role in the 16th century.

The St John Baptistry, just up the road, has a different kind of splendour. from the outside it doesn't look like much, but as you walk through the door you just go wow, how beautiful is this place in its simplicity of design and ornamentation (compared to what you have just seen at the basilica.) It is where local christenings, funerals, and weddings have taken place for hundreds of years.

I just looked through the doors of the Scala Sancta (the holy stairs), across the road. It is where pilgrims ascend a set of stairs on their knees, repeating a special prayer. The reason is that the marble steps that can be seen between the risers of the wooden stairs are supposed to have been brought to Rome from the palace of Pontius Pilate. This means that they are the actual steps up which Jesus's feet walked or were dragged up as he was led to be condemned by Pilate. All in all it was a pretty special day, which made up for the fact that I missed getting off the bus at the right stop to connect with another one, and took an extra hour to get home again. Tomorrow I get to tackle the crowds, the heat, and the aching feet on my Vatican Museum Marathon..

Archbasilica of St John the Baptist.