Scala Sancta
The Scala Sancta (English: Holy Stairs,
According to
For centuries, the Scala Sancta has attracted Christian pilgrims who wish to honour the Passion of
History
According to
Medieval legends claim that
The Scala 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]
Decoration
The decoration of the Scala Sancta was one of the major renovations of the pontificate of
A major restoration was completed in 2007 and funded largely by the Getty Foundation.[5] In early 2018, a restoration of the frescoes began, causing the Scala Sancta to be closed for over a year.[3]
Scala Sancta in the Catholic Church
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,
As part of the ceremonies opening the
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]
Visitors
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, by doing this work one could "redeem a soul from purgatory." But when Luther arrived at the top he could not suppress his doubt, "Who knows whether this is true?"[13]
Charles Dickens, after visiting the Scala 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][14]
Copies of the Scala Sancta
Imitations of the Scala Sancta were erected in several locations and indulgences were often attached to them:
- Rome, Borgo Santo Spirito: the stairs lead to the Church of Santi Michele e Magno.[15][16]
- Duke of Mantua.[8]
- Sacro Monte di Varallo, Piedmont, Italy
- Saint Paul Church, Campli, Italy (42°43′28.5″N 13°41′5.7″E / 42.724583°N 13.684917°E): Pope Clement XIV acknowledged Campli in 1772 with the ownership of the Holy Stairs.[17]
- San Girolamo, Reggio Emilia
- Veroli, Italy
- Basilica of Sainte Anne d'Auray, France (47°42′17.47″N 2°57′9.27″W / 47.7048528°N 2.9525750°W)
- Kalvarienbergkirche, Bad Tölz, Germany (47°45′49″N 11°33′21″E / 47.76361°N 11.55583°E)
- Kreuzbergkirche, Bonn, Germany (50°42′51″N 7°4′48″E / 50.71417°N 7.08000°E): Clemens August of Bavaria, ordered the retrofitting of this church with a "Scala Sancta" according to the plans of the Baroque architect Balthasar Neumann.[18] It was constructed between 1745 and 1751.
- Františkánsky kostol Nepoškvrneného Počatia Panny Márie, Malacky, Slovakia
- Church of Our Lady and Saint Charlemagne in Karlov, Prague, Bohemia, Czech Republic (1708–11)
- Loretto Chapel in Brno, Moravia, Czech Republic
- Chapel of the Holy Stairs in the Monastery on the Mountain of the Mother of God in Dolní Hedeč, Králíky, Eastern Bohemia, Czech Republic
- Pilgrim Chapel of the Holy Stairs in Rumburk, Bohemia, Czech Republic (1767–70)
- Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré outside Quebec City, Canada
- Sanctuaire du Sacré-Coeur et de Saint-Padre-Pio in Montreal, Canada
- Saint Patrick — Saint Stanislaus Kostka in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
- The National Shrine of the Cross in the Woods in Cheboygan County, Michigan, United States
- Holy Family Chapel of the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph in Nazareth (unofficial locality), Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States
- Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in Lowell, Massachusetts United States
- Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Sośnica, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland
Notes
- ^ www.vatican.va Archived 1 October 2022 at the Wayback Machine Stampa della Santa Sede: Zone extraterritoriali vaticani, 3 April 2001 (Italian). Retrieved 24 March 2014.
- ^ Oliger, Livarius. "Scala Sancta (Holy Stairs)." The Catholic Encyclopedia Archived 29 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 31 December 2022 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b c Brockhaus, Hannah (11 April 2019). "Rome's 'Holy Stairs' uncovered for the first time in 300 years". Catholic News Agency. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- ^ a b c "Unveiling Rome's Scala Santa". wantedinrome.com. 12 February 2020. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
- ^ a b c d Moore, Malcolm (14 June 2007). "Steps Jesus walked to trial restored to glory". The Telegraph (UK). Archived from the original on 30 April 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
- ISBN 978-0-8131-2425-4.
- ^ Ewart Witcombe, p. 372.
- ^ ISBN 9780801897832. Archivedfrom the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
- ^ Baglione, Giovanni. Le vite de ̕pittori, scultori, architetti, ed intagliatori, dal pontificato Gregorio XIII del 1572 fino a’ tempi di Papa Urbano VIII nel 1642. Archived 18 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine (1733), page 188.
- ISBN 1-4021-6108-5.
- ^ Apostolic Penitentiary (11 November 2018). "The Holy Stairs: Pontifical Shrine of the Scala Santa, Rome: Decree". Santuario della Scala Santa e Sancta Sanctorum. Archived from the original on 4 June 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ "Pope Blesses Entire World" (PDF). New York Times. 2 April 1933. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
- ^ Brecht, Martin; Martin Luther, His Road to Reformation 1483–1521, Fortress Press, 1981; p.103
- ^ "Pictures from Italy, by Charles Dickens". www.gutenberg.org. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ Gigli 1994, p. 23.
- ^ Gigli 1994, p. 35.
- ^ "Shrine of Holy Stairs – Campli". Official Website of the Teramo Province. Archived from the original on 14 March 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
- ^ "Kreuzberg Bonn – made by kirasystem | © kreuzberg-bonn e.v. | impressum | datenschutz". Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2009.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Scala Sancta (Holy Stairs)". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
References
- Eitel-Porter, Rhoda (1997). "Artistic Co-Operation in Late Sixteenth-Century Rome: The Sistine Chapel in S. Maria Maggiore and the Scala Santa". The Burlington Magazine: 452–462.
- Gigli, Laura (1994). Guide rionali di Roma (in Italian). Vol. Borgo (IV). Roma: Fratelli Palombi Editori. ISSN 0393-2710.
- Ewart Witcombe, Christopher L. C. (1985). "Sixtus V and the Scala Santa". The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. 44 (4): 368–379. JSTOR 990114.
- Soresini, Giuseppe Maria (1672). De Scala Sancta ante Sancta Sanctorum in Laterano culta opusculum (in Latin). Rome: Ex typographia Varesij.
External links
- Official website of the Scala Santa
- "Beggar's Rome" – A self-directed virtual tour of the Scala Sancta and other Roman churches