Rome Pilgrimage 2026: Jubilee Year & Year of St Francis —
Vatican, Catacombs & the Four Basilicas

The largest church in Christendom, built over the traditional tomb of the Apostle Peter, is the centrepiece of any Rome pilgrimage. The current basilica — designed by Bramante, Michelangelo, Maderno and Bernini — replaced the original Constantinian basilica in the 16th century. Key sites within include: the Confessio (the sunken niche in front of the Papal Altar directly over Peter's tomb), Michelangelo's Pietà (1499), Bernini's baldachin over the altar, the bronze statue of St Peter (worn smooth by centuries of pilgrims touching its foot), and the Holy Door on the right side of the main portico — the first to be opened and last to be closed in each Jubilee Year. Climb the dome for panoramic views over Vatican City.

San Giovanni in Laterano is, in Catholic theology, the 'mother church' of all churches — the Pope's cathedral as Bishop of Rome, pre-dating St Peter's by a thousand years. Founded by Emperor Constantine in 313 AD, it was the centre of Western Christianity through the medieval period. The current Baroque interior (rebuilt by Borromini, 1646–1660) is spectacular, and the ancient apse mosaic, the reliquary chapel containing the heads of Saints Peter and Paul, and the adjacent Lateran Baptistery (the oldest in the Western world) are all significant. The Scala Sancta (Holy Staircase) — 28 marble steps said to have been brought from Pilate's Praetorium in Jerusalem and ascended by Christ — is in a separate building across the piazza and is ascended by pilgrims on their knees.

The Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls stands over the traditional burial site of the Apostle Paul. The original basilica, ordered by Constantine and completed under Theodosius I (395 AD), was largely destroyed by fire in 1823 and rebuilt in the 19th century — making this the most recently rebuilt of the four basilicas, though the atmosphere remains deeply devotional. Beneath the altar, an inscription 'Paulo Apostolo Mart.' marks the tomb; a grille allows pilgrims to see the sarcophagus. The cloister (one of Rome's finest Cosmatesque cloisters, 13th century) and the mosaic-covered façade are outstanding. A portrait medallion of every pope circles the interior nave.

The greatest Marian basilica in Rome, Santa Maria Maggiore sits atop the Esquiline Hill and is the only major Roman basilica to preserve its original 5th-century nave mosaics (depicting Old Testament scenes) intact. The coffered ceiling, gilded with the first gold brought from the New World (a gift from the Spanish monarchs), and the spectacular Baroque chapels of Sistina and Paolina frame the main altar. The Salus Populi Romani icon — venerated for centuries and particularly beloved by Pope Francis — is enshrined in the Paolina Chapel. The crypt contains the reliquary of the holy crib (relics of the manger from Bethlehem). Santa Maria Maggiore is a key stop on both the Jubilee circuit and the Marian pilgrimage route.

The catacombs along the Via Appia Antica are the burial places of thousands of early Christians and multiple popes and martyrs of the 2nd–5th centuries. The Catacomb of San Callisto is the largest and most significant: it contains the Crypt of the Popes (nine popes of the 3rd century) and the Crypt of Saint Cecilia (where her remains were found in 820). The Catacomb of San Sebastiano, directly opposite, is associated with the Apostles Peter and Paul — tradition holds that their bodies were temporarily moved here during the Valerian persecution (258 AD). Both catacombs are managed by the Salesians and offer guided tours (the only way to enter). Early Christian fresco art, inscriptions in Latin and Greek, and the sheer scale of the tunnel networks make these among the most moving sites in Rome.

Assisi in Umbria is the birthplace of St Francis (1181/82–1226) and home to the Basilica di San Francesco — a double basilica built over his tomb immediately after his canonisation in 1228. The Upper Basilica contains Giotto's celebrated fresco cycle depicting the life of Francis; the Lower Basilica houses his tomb and outstanding frescoes by Cimabue and Pietro Lorenzetti. The Basilica di Santa Chiara preserves the remains of his companion Clare and the original San Damiano Crucifix. The Porziuncola — the tiny chapel Francis repaired with his own hands, now enclosed within the vast Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli on the plain below Assisi — is one of the most intimate Franciscan sites in the world. The year 2026 marks the 800th anniversary of Francis composing the Canticle of the Sun (Cantico delle Creature, c.1225), the first great work of Italian literature, making 2026 the Year of St Francis.