Shrines of Italy
Rome
Rome, the Eternal
City, has a history
and an appeal like
no other city in the
world. Ancient
structures
such
as the Coliseum,
Roman Forum and Pantheon
recall Rome’s time as the fearsome hub of the
Roman Empire, while the catacombs and
impressive churches hark back to the early days
of Christianity. Since the arrival of Christians,
Rome’s abundance of ancient temples, churches
and shrines make it one of the best cities to
explore the holy places of a variety of religious
traditions. Being the cradle of the Catholic
Church, Rome has a large number of valuable,
sacred places of worship. St. Peter’s Basilica,
one of the most sacred places in Christendom
contains a unique collection of artistic and
architectural masterpieces. Erected over the
tomb of St. Peter the Apostle, it is the greatest
of the city’s monumental basilicas, the largest
religious building in the world and seat of the
Pope, the Vicar of Christ.
San Giovanni Rotondo
The southern Italian town of San Giovanni
Rotondo is home to the second most visited
Catholic shrine in the world. It is where Padre
Pio received the visible Stigmata and became
the first priest in the history of the Catholic
Church to bear the wounds of Christ. Soon
many pilgrims began arriving in the quaint
town to meet the humble friar. Although it is
almost fifty years since his death, millions of
pilgrims continue to arrive in San Giovanni
Rotondo to pray at the crypt of the saint.
Shrines of Italy Destinations
Home to elaborate depictions of Our Lord and Our Lady
Italy is a land of pilgrimage – one of the foremost in the world and home to countless places
of devotion and worship: San Giovanni Rotondo, the town where St. Pio of Pietrelcina lived
and worked; Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis and St. Clare with its impressive basilicas;
and Loreto, home to the Basilica of the Holy House, which enshrines the house in which
the Blessed Virgin Mary is believed to have lived; but the ultimate destination for religious
pilgrimages is undoubtedly Rome, the capital of Christianity and seat of the Papacy, where
one can find the largest Christian Church in the world, St. Peter’s Basilica
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