The religion of ancient Rome called for animal sacrifice on an altar. To protect the priest from seeing any bad omens, the altar was...

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme is a church that I have yet to visit. The foundations of the church date, actually, to the Severan Emperors...

The statue of St. Caecilia in the church which bears her name, over the altar where her remains are, has a fascinating story. This statue...

In the lively Campo de' Fiori of Rome there stands a grim statue with a hood pulled over his head and his stern eyes staring out across...

Roman streets are paved with sampietrini - little blocks that provide the streets of Rome with their charms, but also, frankly, an...

The theater of Marcellus is an ancient theater (as the name suggests) that is currently in use as a modern apartment building. The...

I thought it would be interesting to treat the Seven Pilgrimage Churches of Rome on Sundays. The tradition of visiting pilgrimage...

The Church of St. Agnes in Agone contains the relic of a young martyr — Saint Agnes — whose story is one of the most moving and...

At the intersection of four Roman streets, each corner features a fountain with a river god or symbolic figure. The site sits directly between Santa Maria Maggiore and the Spanish Steps, with obelisks visible at both ends — a product of papal urban planning. Don’t miss San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, Borromini’s unforgettable little church tucked into one corner.

The Arch of Janus is a four-sided structure located near the Tiber River, close to where Romulus and Remus reportedly washed ashore. Adjacent to it is the church of San Giorgio al Velabro. While named for the two-faced god Janus, there is no historical connection to the deity.

The original church devoted to the saints Marcellinus and Pietrus was likely consecrated in the late 4th century. The pope often...

The most striking thing to a modern visitor to San Vitale is not the architecture, or the art, or the history. What stands out the most...

One of the oldest and most beautiful churches in Rome, Santa Maria in Trastevere is also located in one of the most delightful areas of...

The story of Saint Cecilia, from her conversion to where she is today, is one of the most touching in terms of her as an individual and...

The church of Santa Balbina is a quiet, but relatively central section of Rome. Located within view of the Baths of Caracalla this...

Within an easy walk of the Colosseum you will find the Basilica of San Clemente, a basilica which embodies all the layers of history in...

Today's church is a lovely church just south of the Colosseum. There are two items of note that are directly related to the evolution of...

St. Peter's Basilica is the main church of all Catholicism. In this first post about this magnificent church, I want to focus on how and...

The Basilica Santi Apostoli, located centrally in Rome near Piazza Venezia, holds the relics of St. Philip and St. James the Lesser, rediscovered in the late 1800s. Originally built in the mid-300s, the current structure is a result of multiple rebuilds, including an 1800s renovation. It was also Michelangelo's initial burial site before his body was moved to Florence.

If you are going through the Monti area in Rome, headed to Santa Maria Maggiore, you will likely walk down Via Panisperna. In doing so...