Roman pilgrim churches

The seven pilgrimage churches in Rome ( Antoine Lafréry , Speculum romanae magnificentiae , 1575)

Map by Giacomo Lauro and Antonio Tempesta from 1599, which also shows the seven pilgrimage churches

The seven pilgrimage churches are those churches of the city of Rome , whose visit plays a special role in pilgrimages to the city. They can be reached on foot within a day, and pilgrims are promised indulgences for this trip .

Until 2000, these were the four Roman basilicae maiores and three basilicae minores :

• San Pietro in Vaticano ( St. Peter's Basilica ),
• Saint Paul Outside the Walls (San Paolo fuori le Mura),
• San Sebastiano fuori le mura ,
• San Giovanni in Laterano ,
• Santa Croce in Gerusalemme ,
• Saint Lawrence Outside the Walls (San Lorenzo fuori le mura) and
• Santa Maria Maggiore .

Instead of San Sebastiano fuori le mura, Pope John Paul II added the Santuario della Madonna del Divino Amore to the seven in the Holy Year 2000 . This change has not yet prevailed compared to the centuries-old tradition.

The order of visits was not prescribed, but the above was the most common due to the location of the churches. Rome pilgrim guides were used when visiting the seven churches .

After this tradition had been more and more neglected over the years, St. Philip Neri revived it in the 16th century. This was committed to the task of renewing religious life in Rome. Several times a year, especially at Carnival and Easter, he invited the people of Rome and the pilgrims in the Eternal City to take part in his pilgrimage to the seven main churches of the city. At first he was followed by the common people, while later he was also able to win over nobles and high clergy for his cause.

A representation of the seven churches in painting is the so-called Basilica cycle, which was created in the years 1499–1504 for the Dominicans of the St. Catherine's Monastery in Augsburg and contains symbolic images of the churches.

See also

• Churches in Rome

Web links

• The seven churches pilgrimage route (Sette chiese)
• The Roman seven-church pilgrimage

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The 7 Roman Pilgrim Churches , www.pilgerzentrum.net, November 2014, accessed on July 21, 2015.
2. ↑ Seven Churches Pilgrimage , page of the Pontifical Institute Santa Maria dell'Anima of March 14, 2015, pisma.it, accessed on July 21, 2015.