Rome
Catholic places of interest in the city of Rome, including those in Vatican City
Basilica of Saint Paul Outside The Walls
Magnificent papal basilica dating from the 4th century, with tomb of St Paul & elegant cloisters. Destroyed by fire in 1823, it was rebuilt and reconsecrated in 1854. Portraits of all the popes line the nave.
Basilica of St Lawrence Outside the Walls
Site of the martyrdom of St. Lawrence, grilled to death. His relics are here, along with the relics of St. Stephen and St. Justin Martyr. Pope Pius IX is also buried here. This is one of the seven churches of Rome.
Basilica of St Sebastian Outside the Walls
One of the seven pilgrim churches of Rome, the current church was built in 1714. The catacombs of St. Sebastian are nearby. St. Sebastian is below one of the side altars. One of the arrows that struck him and the column he was tied to are also here. Christ's footprints from when he met St. Peter on the Via Appia (Quo Vadis, Domine?) are here, as is a bust of Christ, which was Bernini's last sculpture.
Catacombs of Priscilla
40,000 tombs line the 13km of tunnels in these catacombs. Some of those buried here include Pope Marcellinus, Pope Marcellus, Pope Sylvester, Felix and Philip, Pudenziana, and Praxedes, and Maurus and Simetrius. These catacombs also include the oldest depiction of the Virgin and Child, with the prophet Balaam.
Catacombs of Saint Sebastian
Ancient publicly-accessible catacombs, named after St. Sebastian, who was buried here.
Chiesa di Sant'Ignazio di Loyola
17th-century Roman Catholic church with trompe l'oeil ceilings & frescoes depicting St Ignatius. The Jesuits did not have enough money for a dome, so there is a fake dome painted on the ceiling. Sts. Aloysius Gonzaga, John Berchmans, and Robert Belarmine are all buried here. From next to St. Aloysius' altar in the church, there is a stairway leading to his rooms, as well as the rooms of St. John Berchmans.
Chiesa di Santa Maria Maddalena in Campo Marzio
International headquarters of the Congregation of Clerks Regular, Ministers of the Sick also known as Camilliani or Camillians. St. Camillus de Lellis purchased the property for his new order. The church, dedicated to St. Mary Magdelene, houses St. Camillus' relics, as well as the miraculous crucifix that embraced him on his death bed. Built on the ancient Field of Mars
Our Lady of Revelation Grotto
Our Lady of Revelation appeared in this grotto next to Tre Fontane in the 1947 to Bruno Cornacchiola, a communist, seventh-day adventist, and would-be assasin of Pope Pius XII.
Sant'Andrea delle Fratte (Shrine of Our Lady of the Miracle, Our Lady of Zion)
Marie Alphonse Ratisbonne, an anti-Catholic Jew, befriended a baron in Rome and began wearing the [Miraculous Medal](/places/fr-paris-chapel-of-our-lady-of-the-miraculous-medal) as a simple test. On January 20, 1842, after entering the church of Sant'Andrea delle Fratte, Ratisbonne experienced a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He converted to Catholicism, joined the priesthood, and began a ministry for the conversion of Jews.
Santa Maria in Cosmedin
Home of the Bocca della Verita, which according to popular myth will bite off the hand of any liar who sticks his hand into its mouth. The relics of a martyr, St. Cyrilla, are here. There is also a dubious relic of St. Valentine. The church today belongs to the Melkites (who are Catholic, by the way).
St. Mary Major (S. Maria Maggiore) (Our Lady of the Snows)
A wealthy but childless Christian Roman couple wanted to appoint the Virgin Mary as heiress of their property. On the night of August 4, Mary appeared simultaneously to the couple and Pope Liberius, expressing the wish that a church be erected on Esquiline Hill. The morning of August 5, miraculous snow fell on a narrow piece of land, upon which the Church of Liberius was constructed. This Marian shrine was replaced in the fifth century with a great church named Santa Maria Maggiore, which is now one of the four major basilicas.
St. Peter's Basilica
Possibly the most famous church in the world, and one of the four papal basilicas, the current building was built between 1506 and 1626, replacing the original from the time of Constantine in the 4th century. St. Peter's tomb lies beneath the high altar of the basilica, and the church continues to be a place of interment for popes, cardinals and bishops.
Tre Fontane
Officially Church of St Paul at the Martyrdom, this church is located within a Cistercian (strict observance) abbey. The name "Tre Fontane" refers to the three fountains the church is built over. Tradition says that this is the spot where St. Paul was beheaded. His head bounced three times. Each place it bounced, a fountain sprang up. Note that there are three churches at this monastery. The church of Tre Fontane is the one furthest back.