Pilgrimage in Rome: the four major basilicas and holy places

The four major basilicas at a glance

These four churches hold a special rank in the Catholic Church. Each has a Holy Door, opened only during jubilee years and walled up the rest of the time.

• St Peter's, in the Vatican: built over the apostle's tomb, it is the largest church in Christendom.
• St John Lateran: the cathedral of Rome, seat of the Bishop of Rome, that is, the pope. It is called the "mother of all the churches of the city and the world".
• Santa Maria Maggiore, near Termini station: Rome's principal church dedicated to the Virgin, decorated with ancient mosaics.
• St Paul Outside the Walls, to the south on Via Ostiense: it houses the tomb of St Paul. Entry is free from 7am to 6:30pm; the cloister costs €4.

Three of them are in Rome itself, but St Peter's belongs to the Vatican, a separate state: you go through a security check at the entrance.

A two-day route

The simplest way is to separate the centre from the outskirts.

Day 1: St Peter's, then the centre

Start with St Peter's early in the morning, when the security queue is short. Continue with the Vatican Museums if you have booked them. In the afternoon, go to Santa Maria Maggiore, then on foot to the nearby church of San Pietro in Vincoli and its Moses by Michelangelo.

Day 2: Lateran and St Paul

The morning at St John Lateran, reached by metro (lines A and C, San Giovanni station), combines with the nearby Colosseum. Then go on to St Paul Outside the Walls by metro line B (Basilica San Paolo station), changing at Termini or Colosseo depending on where you start.

Holy places to add

• The catacombs of the Appian Way: Christian burial places of the first centuries. See the page on the catacombs of Rome.
• San Pietro in Vincoli: St Peter's chains and Michelangelo's Moses, free, open mornings and afternoons.
• The seven churches: the tradition of the pilgrimage of the seven churches, proposed by St Philip Neri in the 16th century, adds San Sebastiano, Santa Croce in Gerusalemme and San Lorenzo fuori le Mura to the four basilicas.

Dress and etiquette

Shoulders and knees covered in all the basilicas: you will be refused entry in shorts or a tank top. Silence is requested near the altars and during services. Tourist visits may be restricted during Mass. For the full dress code, see our guide to what to wear in Rome.

Seeing the pope

If your pilgrimage coincides with a Wednesday or a Sunday, you can attend an audience or the Angelus: see our guide to seeing the pope in Rome.

Key points

The basilicas are open all day; always check the hours before you go.

Going further

For a more distant spiritual excursion, the town of St Francis is described in Assisi from Rome. And to plan your stay, see Rome in 3 days.