{"id":977,"date":"2016-02-03T14:12:42","date_gmt":"2016-02-03T19:12:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/snappingtheglobe.com\/?p=977"},"modified":"2016-05-09T23:08:13","modified_gmt":"2016-05-10T03:08:13","slug":"a-holy-ascent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snappingtheglobe.com\/?p=977","title":{"rendered":"A Holy Ascent"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a9 2016 \u00a0Snapping the Globe, L.L.C. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n

A couple of years ago, I mapped out a number of churches in Rome that I was interested in visiting.\u00a0 Starting with Archbasilica of St. John Lateran,\u00a0 I had planned to work my way through the area and visit Basilica San Clemente al Laterano, Basilica de Santa Maria Maggiore and Santa Maria della Vittoria plus\u00a0any other smaller ones that I ran across on my journey.<\/p>\n

After leaving the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, I noticed a large number of people exiting the building across the street.\u00a0 The exterior of the building had initially caught my attention, now I was intrigued.\u00a0 Where were they coming from?<\/p>\n

Always ready to find something new and interesting, I made my way across the street, climbing the steps and stealthily entering the building, not sure\u00a0what I would encounter.<\/p>\n

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An information desk was on the right, as I entered, and a large number of people were standing in the vestibule. \u00a0Unsure of the\u00a0kind of establishment I had found myself in, I noticed the people moving toward a stairway on the right side of the building.\u00a0 As I glanced upward, I noticed that there were people on the stairway not moving\u2026not only were they not moving, they were kneeling.\u00a0 Every so often, as I\u00a0watched, a few of the kneeling visitors moved up a stair, everyone behind adjusting their positions.<\/p>\n

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Confused as I was, I was also captivated, wondering what would motivate someone to climb stairs on their knees.\u00a0 Where was this painful ascent\u00a0taking them?<\/p>\n

Finally, I located a plaque on the wall detailing the history of the stairs.<\/p>\n

Scala Sancta, or The Holy Stairs, is a set of 28 white marble steps located in a building that incorporates part of the old Lateran Palace.\u00a0 The stairs lead to the Sancta Sanctorum, the personal chapel of the early popes.<\/p>\n

The history of Catholicism tells us that the stairs, brought to Rome in the fourth century by St. Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, were the steps leading up to the Jerusalem palace of Pontius Pilate, on which Jesus Christ stepped on his way to trial during the events known as the Passion.<\/p>\n

The steps are now encased in protective wood and may only be ascended on the knees, a prayer to be said on each step.\u00a0 On November 13, 1893, Pope Leo XII granted that the faithful who ascended the steps of the Scala Sancta on their knees, with a contrite heart, praying and meditating on Our Lord\u2019s Passion, may gain an indulgence of three hundred days for each step.\u00a0 This indulgence is applicable towards the souls in Purgatory.<\/p>\n

Having such a big itinerary for the day, I reluctantly decided to wait until another to make the climb, but my curiosity was now piqued.<\/p>\n

After that visit, I spoke with a friend who had visited the Scala Sancta on a trip with her son who is in Seminary College studying to be a Catholic priest.\u00a0 She related the story of what she experienced while climbing the stairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe climbed these steps, on our knees, while praying.\u00a0 There is a section where you can touch and feel the actual marble.\u00a0 Not every step, but on some steps, as I prayed, I felt compelled to slide my hand inside the opening to feel the actual marble Jesus walked on.\u00a0 Each time I did it, I was overwhelmed and was literally taken back to that moment.\u00a0 I saw Jesus walking those steps and the pain I felt was unimaginable.\u00a0 I cried uncontrollable each time I had my hand on that marble.\u00a0 At one point, I moved to the next step and when I put my right knee down, I felt the most excruciating pain on my right calf. I really thought something had pierced my leg.\u00a0 I lifted it up to feel and nothing was there but the pain was still there, unbearable.\u00a0 As I knelt there, the only thing I could think was that was the pain Jesus felt as the nails went through his hands and feet.\u00a0 When I moved to the next step, the pain was gone completely.\u00a0 As I touched the marble again a few steps later, I had the same feeling, as if I was there, watching Jesus being condemned to death.\u00a0 I watched it through a mother\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 I watched it through Mary\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 When we were done, I was so completely mentally and physically drained but SO moved that I was allowed to experience this.\u00a0 It will stay with me forever!\u201d-Lisa Killeen, Lafayette, La<\/em><\/p>\n

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Photo by Lisa Killeen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A couple of weeks ago, while making our way to the catacombs, we found ourselves with a bit of extra time on our hands after learning that they would be closed for lunch during the early part of the afternoon. Discovering that my companion had never heard of the Scala Sancta, I decided that we should make a detour.<\/p>\n

\"image\"<\/a>\"image\"<\/a>Exiting the metro station of San Giovanni and walking through the original fortified gateway along the present day Porta San Giovanni, we were mesmerized by the\u00a0well preserved Roman Aurelian Wall.<\/p>\n

Gazing at the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, we strolled\u00a0along the street between the church and the building housing the Scala Sancta.<\/p>\n

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St. John the Lateran<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Entering, we walked up to the foot of the stairs and watched in awe, the masses of pilgrims climbing the stairs on their knees.\u00a0 Sadly, because of the large number of people and being that it was near the lunch closing time of 1:00 pm, my kneeling ascent would, again, have to wait. Instead, we opted to climb the adjacent stairway.<\/p>\n

At the top of the Holy Stairs, we visited the chapel where some of the best early Christian relics were kept in the crypt under the altar at one time, including the heads of saints Peter, Paul and young Agnes.\u00a0 Most of these have now been distributed to other churches around the city, but displayed in a glass case on the left wall is a fragment of the table on which the Last Supper was supposedly served.\u00a0 The exquisite 13th<\/sup> century frescoes in the lunettes and on the ceiling are the real attractions and worth further inspection.<\/p>\n

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Finally, our visit had come to an end.\u00a0 Having been able to see\u00a0the Sancta Sanctorum was an accomplishment, for me, on this visit; however, I once again, left without making my Holy ascent.\u00a0\u00a0 It was a huge disappointment but a task that will most definitely will be put on my agenda for a future trip to the Holy City.<\/p>\n

Check out more pictures on Facebook and Instagram, Snapping the Globe.<\/p>\n

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Scala Santa<\/strong><\/p>\n