EAST OF THE CENTER - ROMAN WALKS 5

Lateran Obelisk

Roman walk - Ancient but still alive

The walk of today covers the East side of the historical center leaving from San Lorenzo Guest House. 

The itinerary includes 4 of the Seven Pilgrim Churches, all of them being originally erected in the IV century AD.
Here are the stops of the tour.

1. Porta Maggiore, the entry point of most of the aqueducts delivering water to anci

   

   Santa Maria Maggiore - View of the backside

   ent Rome
2. Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, erected in the IV century AD, where the relics of the Holy Cross are preserved. It was built around a room of Palazzo Sessoriano, the palace that was the house of St. helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine I
3. Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, mother of all the chirches of the world, Holy See and cathedral of Rome
4. Scala Sancta - Holy Stairs, the stairs originally located in the palace of the Roman governor in Jerusalem and which were ascended by Jesus Christ to go to trial before Pontius Pilate
5. Lateran Obelisk, the tallest and most ancient Egyptian obelisks in Rome
6. Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, the only of the four Major Papal Basilicas still maintaining its original palochristian structure. It is located on the site where, according to a legend, snow fell during the summer, on August 5, 352 AD. Every year the miracle is remembered with a cascade of white petals from the ceiling during the morning and evening mass
7. Baths of Diocletian, the biggest imperial baths of the ancient Rome, inaugurated in the year 305 AD. They are now one of the locations of the National roman Museum
8. Castra Praetoria, the barracks of the Praetorian Guard. The area is still used for the same purpose, so being the most ancient barracks in the world
9. Houses in the Walls



Castra Praetoria today

10. Basilica of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, Papal Basilica, also originally erected during the IV century AD.

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THE SEVEN PILGRIM CHURCHES (GIRO DELLE SETTE CHIESE)

When in Rome, but in Italy in general, one might often hear about the Giro delle Sette Chiese (literally Tour of the Seven Churches), i.e. the Seven Pilgrim Churches.
What's that? It's both a real tour in Rome and a commn saying.

The real tour

The Seven Pilgrim Churches are the main churches, or Holy Year churches, in Rome that pilgrims visit with a walk tour to obtain indulgence.
The first information about visiting the major churches in Rome date back to the VII century A.D..
It was with the insitution of the Holy Year, or Jubilee, in 1300 A.D. that it bacame an use to visit the main churches. Two centuries later St. Philip Neri formalized the tour to combine conviviality with the sharing of the religious experience.
Actually speaking St. Philip Neri acted as a modern tourist guide. Along with other people he was accompanying the pilgrims during the tour. In addition he managed to have the help of the Mattei family that was opening the gardens of their villa, nowadays Villa Celimontana, to offer a simple meal to the pilgrims. The meals were also made more convivial by musicians and singers.
Actually speaking Rome is a city that has received thousands of visitors since a long time ago.
Road maps and manuscripts containing the indications of major landmarks were available at the times of ancient Rome.
The first guidebook of Medieval Rome that we know about was prepared in the 12th century.
Therefore it is not suprising that 5 centuries ago the need for organized tours already existed.
The Seven Pilgrim churches are:

St. John Lateran

St. Peter

 San Paolo fuori le mura

 Santa Maria Maggiore

 San Lorenzo fuori le mura

 Santa Croce in Gerusalemme

 The seventh church was, in the original pilgrimage, San Sepastiano fuori le mura (on the left). Starting form the year 2000 Jubille it has been replaced by Santa Maria del Divino Amore (on the left).

Common saying
  
When one says that you are doing il giro delle sette chiese, it means you are wasting time ot you are trying or to get a hearing without being successful. It may also mean that you were late to an appointment because you went around before getting to your final destination.