Tour of Rome's Pontifical Basilicas: Faith and History Unveiled

Highlights

• Four Major Basilicas
• Private Tour & Insights

What's included

Itinerary

1. 1

   Basilica Papale Di San Paolo Fuori le Mura

   30min

   The largest church in Rome after St Peter’s (and the world’s third-largest), this vast basilica stands on the site where St Paul was buried after being decapitated in AD 67. Built by Constantine in the 4th century, it was largely destroyed by fire in 1823 and much of what you see is a 19th-century reconstruction. The echoey results have a modern feel and draw large groups of pilgrims who are dwarfed by the huge interior.

2. 2

   Arcibasilica di San Giovanni in Laterano

   30min

   The Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and of Saints John the Baptist and the Evangelist in the Lateran, better known as the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, is, by definition, the "mother of all the churches in the world" and represents the ideal trait d'union between the pagan and the Christian era. Initially born as a building for public meetings and for the administration of justice, it was transformed into a majestic ecclesiastical structure, suitable for hosting a large number of faithful, with the spread of the new cult.

3. 3

   St. Peter's Basilica

   1h

   The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (Italian: Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica (Latin: Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church of the Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the city of Rome, Italy. It was initially planned in the 15th century by Pope Nicholas V and then Pope Julius II to replace the ageing Old St. Peter's Basilica, which was built in the fourth century by Roman emperor Constantine the Great. Construction of the present basilica began on 18 April 1506 and was completed on 18 November 1626

4. 4

   Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore

   20min

   Santa Maria Maggiore also known as the Basilica of Saint Mary Major or the Basilica of Saint Mary the Great,[b] is one of the four major papal basilicas and one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome. The largest Marian church in Rome, it is regarded as the first Marian sanctuary in the Western world and the mother of all sanctuaries.

Before you go

Location

Piazzale di San Paolo 1a, 00146, Italy