TheScala Sancta (English:Holy Stairs,Italian:Scala Santa) are a set of 28 white marble steps located in an edifice onextraterritorial property of the Holy See inRome,Italy proximate to theArchbasilica of Saint John in Laterano.[1] Officially, the edifice is titled thePontifical Sanctuary of the Holy Stairs (Pontificio Santuario della Scala Santa), and incorporates part of the old PapalLateran Palace. Replica wooden stairs encase the original staircase, which may only be climbed on one's knees. The Holy Stairs lead to the Church ofSaint Lawrence in Palatio ad Sancta Sanctorum (Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Palatio ad Sancta Sanctorum) or simply the "Sancta Sanctorum" (English:Holy of Holies), which was the personal chapel of the early Popes.
According toCatholic Church tradition, the Holy Stairs were the steps leading up to thepraetorium ofPontius Pilate inJerusalem on whichJesus Christ stepped on his way totrial during hisPassion. The Stairs reputedly were brought toRome bySaint Helena in the fourth century. In the Middle Ages they were known asScala Pilati ("the Stairs of Pilate").[2]
For centuries, the Scala Sancta has attracted Christian pilgrims who wish to honour the Passion ofJesus Christ. Since the early 1700s, the Holy Stairs have been encased in wood for protection, but were briefly exposed in 2019 following restoration work.[3][4]
According toCatholic Church tradition, the Holy Stairs were the steps leading up to thepraetorium ofPontius Pilate inJerusalem on whichJesus Christ stepped on his way totrial during hisPassion.[5]
Medieval legends claim thatSaint Helena, mother of EmperorConstantine the Great, brought the Holy Stairs fromJerusalem to Rome circa AD 326.[6] In the Middle Ages, they were known as theScala Pilati ("Stairs of Pilate"). From old plans it appears that they led to a corridor of theLateran Palace, near the Chapel ofSaint Sylvester, and were covered with a special roof. In 1589,Pope Sixtus V had the PapalLateran Palace, then in ruins, demolished to make way for the construction of a new one. He ordered the Holy Stairs be reconstructed in their present location, before theSancta Sanctorum ("Holy of Holies"), the chapel so named for the many precious relics preserved there. The chapel also houses an icon ofChrist Pantocrator, known as the "Uronica", that was supposedly begun by Saint Luke and finished by an angel. This celebrated icon ofSantissimi Salvatore Acheiropoieton ("not made by human hands"), on certain occasions, used to be carried through Rome in procession.[7]
TheScala Sancta may only be ascended on the knees. For common use, the staircase is flanked by four additional staircases, two on each side, constructed circa 1589.[8] In 1724, Pope Benedict XIII covered the marble stairs in wood for their protection, since the marble had been significantly worn away by the many pilgrims ascending the stairs over time. The stairs remained covered until 2019, when the protective wood covering was removed and the marble exposed following restoration work. When the stairs were reopened on 11 April 2019, pilgrims were permitted to ascend the exposed marble stairs on their knees for the first time in almost 300 years.[3] The stairs remained exposed and open to the public between April 2019 and July 2019, and then were again covered in wood.[4]
The decoration of the Scala Sancta was one of the major renovations of the pontificate ofPope Sixtus V, led byCesare Nebbia andGiovanni Guerra and occupying a crew of artists to decorate frescoes includingGiovanni Baglione,Giacomo Stella,Giovanni Battista Pozzo,Paris Nogari,Prospero Orsi,[9]Ferraù Fenzoni,Paul Bril, Paulo Guidotti,Giovanni Battista Ricci,Cesare Torelli,Antonio Vivarini,Andrea Lilio,Cesare and Vincenzo Conti,Baldassare Croce,Ventura Salimbeni, andAntonio Scalvati. Numerous preliminary drawings by Nebbia for these frescoes are extant, though it is not known with certainty who painted each fresco.
A major restoration was completed in 2007 and funded largely by theGetty Foundation.[5] In early 2018, a restoration of the frescoes began, causing theScala Sancta to be closed for over a year.[3]
Climbing the Holy Stairs on one's knees is a devotion much in favour with pilgrims and the faithful. Several popes have performed the devotion,[5] and the Catholic Church has grantedindulgences for it.[10]Pope Pius VII on 2 September 1817 granted those who ascend the Stairs in the prescribed manner an indulgence of nine years for every step.Pope Pius X, on 26 February 1908, conceded aplenary indulgence as often as the Stairs are devoutly ascended after Confession and Holy Communion. On 11 August 2015, theApostolic Penitentiary granted a plenary indulgence to all who, "inspired by love", climbed the Stairs on their knees while meditating on Christ's passion, and also went to Confession, received Holy Communion, and recited certain other Catholic prayers, including a prayer for the Pope's intentions. Those who were physically impeded from climbing the stairs could obtain the plenary indulgence by meditating on Christ's passion while at the Stairs and completing the other conditions.[11]
As part of the ceremonies opening theHoly Year in 1933, CardinalFrancesco Marchetti Selvaggiani, Vicar of Rome, led a crowd of hundreds in mounting the steps on their knees.[12]
Between April 2019 and July 2019, pilgrims were permitted to ascend the stairs kneeling on the original uncovered marble steps for the first time in almost 300 years. As a result, visitor numbers during this time increased threefold from the usual, and long lines formed at the entrance.[4]
Martin Luther climbed the steps on his knees in 1510. As he did so, he repeated the "Our Father" on each step. It was said that by doing this work one could "redeem a soul from purgatory." But when Luther arrived at the top he could not suppress his doubt, saying "Who knows whether this is true?"[13]
During his exile in Rome,Irish Gaelic lordHugh O'Neill accompaniedPope Paul V in Catholic ceremonies and traditions.[14] This included ascending the steps on his knees.[15]
Charles Dickens, after visiting theScala Sancta in 1845, wrote: "I never, in my life, saw anything at once so ridiculous and so unpleasant as this sight." He described the scene of pilgrims ascending the staircase on their knees as a "dangerous reliance on outward observances".[5][16]
Imitations of theScala Sancta were erected in several locations and indulgences were often attached to them:
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Scala Sancta (Holy Stairs)".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
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